Israel-Gaza conflict: Bereaved parents across the divide, musician Esther Abrami, Emily Hunt, Is the future of the Labour Party

After the Hamas attacks at the weekend and Israel’s order of a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip in response, we talk to two people from the different communities involved. A few years ago, Bassam Aramin lost his 10-year-old daughter, Abir, who was killed by an Israeli soldier, and Robi Damelin lost her 28 year old son, David, after he was killed by a Palestinian sniper. Neither were killed in this latest stage of the Israel-Gaza conflict but as members of a cross-community group called the Parents Circle-Families Forum, they’re uniquely placed to comment on the situation.

Esther Abrami was handpicked by Julian Lloyd Webber as one of 30 under 30 to watch, and she is the first classical musician to win the ‘Social Media Superstar’ category at the Global Awards. With more than 400,000 followers on TikTok, Esther joins Emma Barnett to discuss her new album, Cinema, and to perform live in the studio.

Women dominated headlines at the Conservative Party conference last week. But is the future of the Labour Party female? Rachel Cunliffe, Associate Political Editor at the New Statesman, and Alice Thomson, columnist and interview at The Times, bring us the latest news from Liverpool.

The Government’s official independent rape advisor Emily Hunt has decided to walk away from her role. She advised the government in the run-up to the landmark 2021 End-to-End Rape Review - which has successfully increased the number of rape cases getting to court to pre-2016 levels. But she has said that her own experiences within the justice system as an abuse victim have left her feeling unsafe.

Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Tim Heffer and Gayl Gordon