Sky News Daily

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is not having the easiest time reining in the economy. Last week saw markets turn against Labour's economic strategy - with the cost of government borrowing surging and the pound dropping to its lowest value against the dollar since November 2023.     On today's Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by our economics and data editor Ed Conway to understand what is causing the UK's growth to flatline. Is it a result of "global trends" as the government would have us believe? Or are the troubled chancellor's budget rules too tight and starting to unravel?     And as the global economic landscape continues to respond to world events - including the imminent arrival of a second Donald Trump term - what can the beleaguered chancellor do to ensure the economy bounces back? Producer: Soila Apparicio Editor: Philly Beaumont

The UK's first safer drug consumption room will open in Glasgow's East End on Monday. It will allow users to take illegal substances under medical supervision in the hope they will get help with their addiction. Known as the Thistle, it will be open 365 days a year from 9am to 9pm.  But Scotland has the worst rate of drug deaths in Europe and with this facility finally ready after 10 years in the making, some are questioning if it will reduce drug deaths.  Niall Paterson speaks to our Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies, who has been to look inside the service and shares more about how it will work.  Plus, Professor Catriona Matheson who specialises in substance use at the University of Stirling and is a former lead of Scotland's drug deaths task force, joins Niall to discuss the costs and potential benefits.  Producer: Soila ApparicioEditor: Philly Beaumont

Weight loss injections like Wegovy and Mounjaro are being taken by so many people in the UK that obesity statistics could fall for the first time ever.    More than 500,000 people in the UK are now on the drugs and could lose between 15-20% of their weight in just a few months. But around 95% of all patients using the medication are buying it privately, while the rollout on the NHS remains slow.    On today's Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by our science and medical correspondent Thomas Moore, who has been looking into the incredible success of the drug on the private market, and also speaks to Sarah Le Brocq, who as well as advising the NHS on the cost-effectiveness of weight loss drugs, also uses Mounjaro herself.    Producers: Emma Rae Woodhouse  Editor: Philly Beaumont

A torrent of posts from X owner Elon Musk has thrown an unexpected spotlight on the issue of historical grooming gangs in the last week.     In the early 2010s, dozens of men, the majority of British Pakistani origin, were convicted of crimes including rape, sex trafficking, and child sexual exploitation that had gone undetected for years. The true number of victims is still unknown.     On today's Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by our home editor Jason Farrell and Lucy Duckworth, from the Survivors Trust, herself a survivor of child abuse, to explain why the recommendations of numerous inquiries into the failings that allowed the abuse to go on for years have still not been implemented.   The Survivors Trust runs a free, confidential national helpline 7 days a week for survivors of rape or sexual abuse and violence aged 16+. You can call 0808 801 0818 or text 07860 022 956 for support.   Producer: Soila Apparicio  Editor: Philly Beaumont  

Elon Musk, the world's richest man, South African-born American resident and owner of X (formerly Twitter), is already within the fold of US politics and president-elect Trump's upcoming government.    Recently, more of his attention has turned to Europe, with Musk sharing support for the far-right German party AfD, Nigel Farage's Reform UK and far-right activist Tommy Robinson.     Niall Paterson looks to unpick what Musk's aims for European politics might be. Our deputy political editor Sam Coates joins Niall to discuss the billionaire's posts on X and the political reaction to them.    Plus, culture, technology and society writer Sarah Manavis joins Niall to explore why Musk is so interested in international politics, and for what potential gain.  Producer: Rosie Gillott Editor: Philly Beaumont 

As Winter sickness hits the NHS, the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has unveiled the government's plans to support the service with a new partnership with the private sector.    Labour want to get waiting times for non-urgent care back down to the target of 18 weeks over the next five years, with Sir Keir saying the new arrangement will mean "resources of private hospitals [are] more readily available to the NHS".    The plan includes the development of new "community diagnostic centres". Ashish Joshi, our health correspondent, speaks to Niall from one in a shopping centre in Wood Green, north London.    Niall is also joined by Dr Rob Findlay, a contributor to the Health Service Journal and specialist in NHS demand and capacity planning and waiting times, to discuss whether the plans will actually help the service and its staff.     Producer: Soila Apparicio  Editor: Philly Beaumont

On New Year's Day two separate attacks hit New Orleans and Las Vegas.    In the early hours, 14 people were killed and 35 injured when a man drove a pick-up truck through the heart of New Orleans' party district. Later a Tesla vehicle exploded outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing one and injuring seven others.    Sky's US correspondents James Matthews and Martha Kelner host the Sky News Daily from New Orleans and Las Vegas to uncover exactly what happened, what we know about the suspects, and if security services missed warning signs.    Producers: Rosie Gillott, Soila Apparicio Editor: Philly Beaumont 

While the Sky News Daily is on a Christmas break we’re replaying you some of the most memorable episodes we recorded in 2024. Including our discussion on what made Oasis so special.  In August brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher announced they'll reunite for a tour in 2025.  On this episode, Terry Christian, the man who gave the band their national debut on The Word, says he "didn't think there was anything special" when first seeing Oasis live, but the band's "vibe" and Liam's "confidence" made them "amazing". Host Liz Bates also hears from Neil McCormick, the Telegraph's chief music critic and Katie Spencer, our entertainment correspondent. 

While the Sky News Daily is on a Christmas break we’re replaying you some of the most memorable episodes we recorded in 2024.  Including our episode which discusses how we choose to die in the UK.  In November the assisted dying bill began making its way through parliament. If it passes, it will make it legal for adults who are terminally ill, to be given medical assistance to end their own life. It sparked a national conversation – not just about assisted dying, but about how we die in the UK.  On the Sky News Daily we spoke to Dr Rachel Clarke, a pallative care doctor, about what we can all do to make death less taboo and what a ‘good’ death looks like here in the UK.  

While the Sky News Daily is on a Christmas break, we're replaying you some of the most memorable episodes we recorded in 2024 - starting with Ozempic. Anti-obesity jabs like Ozempic could reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes or heart failure in obese people regardless of the amount of weight they lose while on the drug.Researchers found after three years of treatment participants had a 20% lower risk of obesity and its associated health impacts, which currently cost the NHS more than £6bn each year.On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to Sky's science and medical correspondent Thomas Moore about the implications of reducing heart disease cases for the NHS, and senior lecturer in physiology at Anglia Ruskin University Dr Simon Cork explains how the wonder-drug actually works.