The News Agents

Reform conference in Birmingham was supposed to revivify Nigel Farage and his party. After unrelenting scrutiny over his undeclared £5m gift from Christopher Harborne, a parliamentary standards investigation, and a Clacton by-election which descended into farce, Farage needed this moment to get back on the front foot, set the terms of the media coverage, and show the country what Reform would look like in power.
But a Channel 4 News investigation has changed all that. Undercover filming captured two party officials trying to facilitate foreign donations - a potential criminal offence. Reform and the individuals involved deny wrongdoing, but two of Farage's closest allies have quit, and Farage is once again clouded in a stench of sleaze.
Can he turn it around and regain control of the narrative - or are we witnessing the beginninf of the end for one of Britain's most polarising politicians?
Lewis has this special report from Reform conference in Birmingham.
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Not long ago, women’s boxing was a different sport.
Banned in most countries and ridiculed in the rest, female fighters fought in the shadows.
Until one night in 1996.
That night Deirdre Gogarty, a painfully shy Irish woman and Christy Martin, a raging knockout artist from the coalfields of West Virginia spent 12 unforgettable minutes in each other's company and changed everything.
Their fight put women’s boxing on the map and it was the fight that inspired boxing icon Katie Taylor to pursue her dream.
As Katie Taylor prepares to bring the curtain down on her incredible career, Gabby & Mark are joined by her hero, Deirdre Gogarty to tell the story of the rise of women’s boxing - a fight for recognition which takes us from pub car parks and basement bars to Croke Park and 80,000 adoring fans.
As Mark says: “That’s one of the best interviews we’ve ever done”

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides
Senior Producer: David Finch
Video Producer: Sam Trudgill
Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart
Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network
Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global
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After a bit of will he won't he, Zack Polanski has thrown his hat into the ring and announced he will stand in Keir Starmer's old seat of Holborn and St Pancras (subject to the approval of the local Green party).
It's a high stakes move for the Green leader. If he wins, in what should normally be a relatively safe Labour seat, he'll puncture Andy Burnham's argument that he can persuade Left voters to stick with Labour. But if he loses, it's Polanski's authority that will come under the spotlight. He's already been hit by a string of negative stories and plummeting poll ratings - could the north London contest make or break him?
Later, is Germany about to elect a far-right party on Sunday? The AfD have been on the march in the east of the country and look poised to win in the State elections in Saxony-Anhalt. Could it become the party's blueprint for a new breed of extremist politics in one of Europe's most powerful nations?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Andy Burnham faced Kemi Badenoch for his first PMQs and while she chose to open the session with some innuendo, the hard questions soon came. Burnham has shown himself adept at diagnosis but less quick to nail his solutions to the mast. How long does he have to NOT answer questions when debt is rising and the economic headwinds are moving against him? Is he prepared to spell out - in this summer of optimism - where the pain might fall and trade offs might be made? And why are some commentators comparing him to Liz Truss? Is he being unfairly blamed for a wider global trend not of his making?
Later, why is a Massachusetts jury unable to decide if a woman who killed her three young children is guilty of murder? The trial of Lindsay Clancy has divided America - with many supporters believing her the victim of postnatal psychosis. How does the law deal with that?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It's the first day back at school - and Keir Starmer suddenly announces he’s out. He'd sad he'd stay as an MP just a few weeks ago - so why the change of heart? Is it a cheeky bid to wrestle the headlines from his successor? Or is he just trying to get out of Burnham's way? And what happens now to his Camden seat - will Zack Polanski try and win it for the Greens? And if he can’t - or won’t - where does that leave his party? It’s only day one of term and yup it’s all kicking off.
Later, why has America's Army Secretary just left the job complaining about Pete Hegseth? Well we can probably guess why - but what happens now? What direction does the US military take now - as it struggles to keep up with Trump's Iran flip flops. And has Hegesth himself got pretensions for the presidency?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/