Listener question: Should the UK cut arts fun...

SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son is seeking to raise as much as $100bn from Gulf investors to further his massive bet on AI, the Flydubai co-pilot who tried to hijack a flight to Tel Aviv expressed misogynistic views online, and Donald Trump has said Washington will not strike Iran ...  Show more

Oil executives expressed their appetite for investing in the Middle East despite the war, the conflict has blown a near-£12bn hole in Britain’s public finances, and big investors are “bottom fishing” among beaten-down assets, including Italian bonds and corporate debt. Plus, Chin ...  Show more

Should the UK impose a ‘War Levy’ on VAT to raise immediate funds for defence? How much independence does Starmer have over the nuclear arsenal? And, what happened to the funds intended for Ukraine support raised by the sale of Chelsea football club? Join Rory and Alastair as th ...  Show more

The UK government is planning major defence reforms, at the cost of welfare programmes – drawing public anger. European members of NATO are under pressure to increase their military budgets. But could they defend themselves without U.S. support? In this episode: Paul Beaver, Defe ...  Show more

Talk grows ever-louder of Britain exiting the European Union without a divorce agreement. Most parliamentarians would rather avoid that—but can they do anything to stop it? We join a Ukrainian military exercise as the country seeks to beef up defences that were nearly wiped out b ...  Show more

The UK has been criticised for failing both to fulfil its rhetoric on sanctions and on opening the door to refugees fleeing Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. Is it due to Whitehall incompetence, political leadership or domestic politics? We also discuss how the e ...