The Story

As the Labour Party meets in Liverpool for its annual conference, the dividing lines between the two biggest parties have rarely been more stark. Ahead of Sir Keir Starmer’s speech tomorrow, what might we learn about his plans for the party and the country?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Caroline Wheeler, Political Editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Sky News, Parliament, The Labour Party, BBC News, Channel 4 News, ITV News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The hard right is on the rise in Italy. Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party is tipped to win Sunday’s general election. If it does, she’ll become Italy’s first female prime minister - and the first hard right leader since the Second World War. So who is she? And what does her popularity tell us about the legacy of Italy’s fascist past?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Tom Kington, Italy Correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia CaseClips: Al Jazeera, CNBC, France 24, Fox news, Pepper Pig, PBS Newshour, Channel 4, CNN, Goffredo Mameli and Michele Novaro, Euronews, CriticalPast, AP. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Newly-appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss has inherited an economy in turmoil. With the nation on the verge of recession and significant challenges ahead, what might we expect to hear from tomorrow's “Fiscal Event”?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Mehreen Khan, Economics Editor, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Channel 4, ITV, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Sky News, BBC News, The Independent, Thames TV, GB News, BBC Radio 4. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Women’s Super League kicked off this weekend, following the euphoria of the Lionesses' win at Euro 2022 this summer. How was that success won? We trace the little-known history of women’s football from struggle to the success - including a time when the Football Association banned the women's game completely. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests: Professor Jean Williams, author and sport historian.Molly Hudson, The Times Sport Reporter. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: talkSPORT, BBC Sport, ITV News, Sky News, Sky Sport News, Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, BBC Archive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liz Truss will make her first foreign trip as prime minister this week to the UN general assembly in New York. She already has plenty of experience in global diplomacy, but has sometimes ruffled feathers with her approach. How is she viewed by the world’s media and governments and will she be able to win over her critics abroad?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests:Sarah Baxter, director of the Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting, Stony Brook University, New YorkMarc Bennetts, foreign correspondent, The Times and The Sunday TimesDidi Tang, Beijing correspondent, The TimesPeter Conradi, Europe editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: 10 News First, 7News, The Mirror, Newshub, The Hill, Centre for Policy Studies, The Guardian, Russia-1, CCTV, Times Radio, Talk TV, Bloomberg, Reuters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a lifetime of preparation the former Prince of Wales became King Charles III. What kind of monarch will he be? What challenges will he face? And should the new King apologise for Britain's role in slavery and colonialism?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests:Roya Nikkhah, Royal Editor, The Sunday Times.Lester Holloway, Editor, The Voice.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: BBC, Novara Media, KernowDamo; CNN, Newsnation, The Telegraph, MyWorldNewsNetwork, COP 26, ITV, The Guardian, ET Canada. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ukrainian forces have retaken over 3000 sq miles of Russian-occupied territories in the northeast of the country. Could these developments signal a change in fortunes for Ukraine? And how might Russia respond?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests: Richard Spencer, The Times' correspondent in Ukraine. General Sir Richard Barrons, former head of Joint Forces Command in the UK. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: CNBC, DW News, Reuters.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over her reign, Queen Elizabeth II saw more prime ministers than any previous monarch. What relationship did she have with them and what happens behind closed doors at the private weekly audience?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Sir Anthony Seldon, contemporary historian and author 'The Impossible Office?: The History of the British Prime Minister.'Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: BBC News, AP Archive, Netflix, ITV, National Theatre, Times Radio, UK Parliament, United Nations, BBC Radio 4. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the course of her life the Queen visited every inhabited continent and met hundreds of world leaders, helping the UK forge relations across the globe. We hear from former Foreign Secretary Lord William Hague who joined her on a number of state visits and saw first hand the effect she had as a royal diplomat, on everyone from Prime Ministers and Presidents to the bowing goats of Oman.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guest: Lord William Hague, former Foreign Secretary.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case and Edward Drummond. Clips: CTV, BBC, DW News, ABC Australia, Sky News, Sultanate of Oman TV, On Demand News, RTE, CBS, Euronews, Wild Film India, NBC, ABC News, AP, The Sun. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the course of her reign, Queen Elizabeth II sustained Britain's monarchy for seven decades, between the eras of steam and Zoom. She departed possessing the gratitude and respect of the overwhelming majority of her subjects who today find it hard to come to terms with a world from which she is absent. So what characterised the second Elizabethan Age?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. Guests: Sir Max Hastings, historian, journalist and columnist for The Times.Alwyn Turner, Senior Lecturer in History, University of Chichester.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: BBC Archive, NBC News, CBS News, AP Archive, Iconic, Times Radio, Parliament TV. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.