Why is the Royal Family off limits in Parliament and could Trump force Palestinians out of Gaza?

What are the 180-year-old rules that prevent MPs from debating issues about the Royal Family? As Donald Trump floats the idea of “clearing out” Gaza, what lies ahead for Palestinians returning home? And President Trump promised tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China - but how will this affect foreign relations with the US’ closest neighbours? 

Giles Whittell is joined by NPR’s International Correspondent Lauren Frayer, plus Tortoise’s Patricia Clarke and Jasper Corbett as they battle to pitch the top story.

**Join us at the next edition of the News Meeting Live! We host live recordings on the last Thursday of every month. 

Get your ticket for February 27th here: https://www.tortoisemedia.com/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-1

Learn more about House of Lords with Tortoise’s Peer Review here: 

https://www.tortoisemedia.com/intelligence/peer-review 

Read the Ezra Klein article that Giles recommended here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-trump-column-read.html 

Read The Observer Patricia based her pitch on here: https://www.theguardian.com/global/2025/feb/01/stop-shielding-uk-royals-from-parliamentary-scrutiny-says-labour-peer 

Host: Giles Whittell, deputy editor at Tortoise

Email: newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com

Producer: Casey Magloire

Executive producer: Rebecca Moore 

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