Newscast

Today, Kemi Badenoch made her closing speech to Conservative party conference.
The Conservative leader said a “battle for the soul of the nation” is coming, before pitching her vision for her party’s rebrand. She pledged a much-briefed adjustment on inheritance tax - but stopped short of abolishing it altogether. And she had a lot to say about her political opponents. Adam, Alex and Chris are in Birmingham to unpack how the speech went down inside the conference centre, and what it might mean for voters across the country.
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Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.
New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade with Cordelia Hemming. The social producer was Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, Chris has been speaking to Kemi Badenoch as she limbers up for her speech to the Conservative party conference tomorrow morning. Adam and Chris discuss what she had to say, including her predictions for the next election and why she says she won’t do a deal with Reform.
Plus, the US says it is closely watching the death of a Russian scientist who works at a plague research centre in Siberia. Adam is joined by Vitaly Shevchenko, chief analyst for BBC monitoring and Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading to get to the bottom of what’s going on.
You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.
Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.
New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Anna Harris with Cordelia Hemming and Sophie Millward. The social producers were Gabriel Purcell-Davis and Laura Butler. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, after the US withdrew its bombers from RAF Fairford, the UK government has insisted the military base is safe. Our security correspondent Frank Gardner explains why the Americans moved the planes back to their home stations. It comes a week after a major incident when police were alerted to three "suspicious vehicles" near the airbase and six arrests were made.
Plus, housing protests in Spain have lead to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calling a snap election. And in France, student protests over the condition of school buildings and staffing have led to clashes with police. Spain correspondent Guy Hedgecoe and Sophie Pedder, the Economists Paris bureau chief explain the context behind the unrest.
You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.
Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.
New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Anna Harris with Cordelia Hemming and Sophie Millward. The social producer was Laura Butler. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, we look at whether opposition leader Kemi Badenoch can lead a Conservative comeback.
Polls have suggested the party’s popularity was at historic lows in 2025 and early 2026, but they’ve been slightly more favourable recently.
So, after partygate and Liz Truss’ mini budget, are the British public ready to vote for the party again?
We also look at Badenoch’s plans to build 50,000 new prison places in England and Wales, and the government’s rollback on jury trials.
You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.
You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord
Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.
New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd
Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. The weekend editor is Chris Flynn. The producer was Adam Chowdhury. The social media producer was Grace Braddock. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, we look at the upcoming Holborn and St Pancras by-election, which Green leader Zack Polanski is standing in. We look at how big a gamble a resurgent Labour makes the vote for him, and what happens if he underperforms.
Laura and Paddy also discuss the Green conference - happening now - and a row over the party’s position on Israel.
And, after diesel prices rose above £2 a litre for first time in the UK, we look at the geopolitical forces at play.
You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.
You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord
Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.
New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd
Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. The weekend editor is Chris Flynn. The producer was Adam Chowdhury. The social media producer was Grace Braddock. The technical producer was Antonio Fernandes. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.