The News Agents

Opinion polls are supposed to tell us what the public thinks. But what happens when the people commissioning, funding and promoting those polls have a political interest in the results?
The latest controversy surrounding Reform UK has put the polling industry under an uncomfortable spotlight. Allegations that polling commissioned by Reform was funded through an overseas company and that the party's involvement was not disclosed when the results were published have prompted investigations. Reform denies any wrongdoing, while two senior party officials have stepped down.
This Friday, Luke Tryl from More In Common joins us to explore the power that political polling has, if it can change the course of an election, and how much should we really trust the numbers?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

The story of Hull City owner Acun Ilicali is one of the most extraordinary in the Premier League...
TV star turned media mogul turned football club owner, Acun is a force of nature — and in this special episode of The Sports Agents, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman meet the man himself, live and direct from Istanbul.
This is the story of a man who lost his parents in a tragic car accident, saw his marriage collapse, faced financial ruin in his early twenties — and somehow emerged to create a global media empire.
Acun tells us about the energy of the people which drew him to Hull City, how he inherited a club divided from its supporters, and how he set about rebuilding that bond.
It’s been a wild ride for Acun & Hull City, from surviving relegation to League One on goal difference to winning promotion to the top tier and upsetting the Premier League’s big boys - expect passion, energy and the ultimate underdog story in this very special episode of The Sports Agents.

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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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Buckingham Palace has said it doesn't comment on book releases as a matter of principle. And yet it has commented on a new book - from Princess Diana's brother - in a way that has sparked off a news cycle.
Earl Spencer claims in his new book that in a heated row with Charles in the preparation for Diana's funeral, the then Prince spat out "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough". The Palace's response: "His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss."
Why has the Palace chosen to pick this public spat? Why are the Royal family unable to go a week at the moment without descending into some form of internecine warfare? And should this sort of family squabble even be published in the first place?
Later, the EU's love affair with Canada has caused Donald Trump to sit up and pay attention. He's threatening to stop trade with Europe if it feels "hostile" to America. Mark Carney says that "no one is going to dictate our culture." So what happens now?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

Six weeks out from the budget some of the critics are already circling - warning the new Prime Minister not to play it safe as “a traditional tax and spend PM with better TikTok". Is Burnham in control of events? Or is the economy being thrown further off course by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea closing off?
Later, pussycat impersonator, and leader of the Workers Party George Galloway, is back and standing in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. Will this split the Green vote?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections

It's referendum day in Piddington. A symbolic gesture that would see it "ceding from the UK" over their frustration with the setting up of of an asylum centre on their doorstep. They’ve argued that 1250 single foreign men is too much for their modest village of 350 to handle. But now - guess who’s coming to the rescue? Danny Tommo and his masked Patriot Platform - seemingly backed by Reform's Sarah Pochin, who's said protestors would "not be unwelcome" in the village. Is this what the people of Piddington wanted?
Later, Donald Trump has told us all not to worry about the myriad warnings coming out about AI and its potential to kill us all. He's got the ultimate guardrail. And it turns out, it's him. Should we all sleep easier tonight?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://grp.hsbc/TheRightConnections