The Story

For 12 days, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tried to play down claims he’d broken lockdown rules when he’d had a curry and beer with staff. But when the police announced they would investigate whether it was a work or social event, he made the biggest gamble of his political career so far - if he’s fined, he will resign. Why has he made such a high-stakes move? And what does it tell us about the man who wants to be the next PM?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: Patrick Maguire, Red Box Editor, The Times. Host: Calum MacDonald.Clips: ITV News, Times Radio, GB News, Sky News, Talk TV, LBC, BBC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Johnny Depp’s personal life has been splashed across the headlines thanks to high-profile defamation cases against his ex-wife Amber Heard. Now, the latest trial is playing out in real time, live streamed to audiences across the world. What does this case tell us about their fans and how we all consume celebrity gossip? 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. Host: Calum Macdonald.Guests: - Keiran Southern, West Coast correspondent, The Times. - Jonathan Dean, senior writer, Sunday Times Culture. Clips: GB News, CNN, BBC, NBC, Law and Crime Network, Court TV, Guardian, Fox 5, CBS/Inside Edition, YouTube/Capital Paparazzi, TMZ, CBS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's weekend listen comes courtesy of our sister podcast, Danny In The Valley.Yesterday, Elon Musk put his $44 billion takeover of Twitter on pause. Some investors now seem sceptical that the deal will happen at all, although Musk says he remains committed.Whatever happens next at Twitter, the future of online debate is being thrashed out in public this weekend. So today we're listening to a recent podcast from Sunday Times West Coast correspondent Danny Fortson, examining the deal and the state of social media.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. Subscribe for free to Danny In The Valley: https://podfollow.com/danny-in-the-valleyHost: Danny Fortson, West Coast correspondent, The Sunday Times.Guests: - Hany Farid, professor at UC Berkeley’s School of Information.- James Currier, general partner at NFX. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As markets across the globe react to the latest cryptocurrency meltdown, which some warn may go beyond the usual boom-and-bust cycle - today we look at a band of mega-rich crypto enthusiasts who are settling on a Caribbean island.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: Josh Glancy, Special Correspondent at The Sunday Times.Host: David Aaronovitch. Clips: The Mighty Ducks (Walt Disney Pictures, music by David Newman), ABC News, The Pomp Podcast, Crypto Maniac YouTube, BronxNet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the year the BBC celebrates its centenary, and Channel 4 its 40th birthday, the government has announced plans for funding models that fundamentally alter the broadcasters. Could these proposals change the media landscape forever? And what would they mean for the 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. Host: Manveen RanaGuest: Jake Kanter, Media Correspondent, The Times.Clips: LBC, BBC/BAFTAS, UK Parliament, CBC, Channel 4, BBC, The Sun. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A draft Supreme Court opinion on the law defining a woman’s right to have an abortion in America was leaked last week, causing uproar - and celebration. So, what’s the history of this law - and what would the end of Roe v Wade mean?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, former Deputy Editor and Washington Correspondent, The Sunday Times.Mary Ziegler, author of 'Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present'. Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: AP, BBC, CBC News, CBS, CNN, DW News, KMUW, National Archive, Sky News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From people nabbed fleeing the country with suitcases full of bank notes to a former pub landlord accused of cashing his loan and sending it to the terrorist group ISIS, case after case is emerging of how money from the government's pandemic bounce back loan scheme may have been misused. So what went wrong? And is the government doing enough to fix it?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:George Greenwood, Investigations Reporter, The Times.James Hurley, Enterprise Editor, The Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips: CNBC, BBC News, NBC, ITV News, Channel 5 News, ITV, Sky News, DW News, WION, The Guardian, HM Treasury. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Victory Day in Russia, the annual celebration of victory in the Second World War. But as Putin's tanks parade the Moscow streets, how is his war in Ukraine really playing out - both in Russia and on the battlefield - and what might happen next?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:Mark Galeotti, senior associate fellow, RUSI.General Sir Richard Barrons.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: NBC, CNN, India Today, Bloomberg. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Palace of Westminster has, once again, been rocked by a series of sexual misconduct scandals -- culminating in the revelation that an MP was caught watching porn during a Commons debate. Is this just a case of some very 'bad apples' or does Westminster have a problem?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:Alice Thomson, Columnist, The Times.Charlotte Ivers, Political Correspondent, Times Radio.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Wall Street Journal, ITV, Channel 4, BBC, Times Radio, GB News, Parliament TV. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former ministers have broken ranks to describe how successive prime ministers, including Boris Johnson, withheld arms from Ukraine until just weeks before February’s invasion because of fears they might provoke Vladimir Putin. How did they get it so wrong?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:- Jonathan Calvert, Insight Editor, The Sunday Times.- George Arbuthnott, Deputy Insight Editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: CBS, ABC, BBC News, ITV News, Channel 4 News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.