The News Agents

24 hours on from the Tory neo-Nazigate , a curious development. The candidate himself, Joshua Bonehill-Paine, has now withdrawn from the election in Somerset council - only to find himself promoted by the Conservative leader herself to a national advisory role.
Why is 'no gaffes' Kemi choosing this eccentric hill to make her point - and what in fact is it? Meanwhile, she’s given an interview ruling out any future pact with Reform - and lambasting THEIR leader as "too woke". All ok, Kemi?
Later, the singer Tulisa was the victim of a sting 13 years ago by the Sun on Sunday. It nearly destroyed her life. She tells Emily why she wants to make this kind of journalism illegal - and the petition she’s begun to change the way newspapers are regulated.
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UPDATE: Since publishing, the convicted antisemite Joshua Bonehill-Paine has withdrawn running as a Tory candidate, saying that if he carried on "other political parties will spend all their time focusing on my past rather than the work I'm doing today, or even fighting antisemitism in their own midst".
Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, released at statement saying; "While I am sad that Joshua feels he won't be given the space to explain his position and represent his community, I am glad he is going to work with me and the party on tackling radicalisation as part of our Culture and Integration commission."
This morning, Badenoch was in the slightly surreal position of trying to defend why she was encouraging a convicted Neo Nazi to stand as a Conservative councillor in Somerset. She and he say that he’s a reformed - not Reform- candidate who’s served his time (behind bars) and is now educating others on the ills of antisemitism. Can an abusive misogynist racist change in a decade? And should he be allowed to seek public office even if he has?
Later - the Thames Valley police chief has threatened to take the government to court over the early release of the killers of PC Andrew Harper. Is Prime Minister Burnham feeling his first political heat over this contentious policy of early release? And how does he transition from being the emotionally connected campaigner to being the one size fits all policy maker?
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Why are hard right politicians now flocking to the tiny Spanish enclave of Ceuta off the coast of Morocco? And why is Europe so spooked? After tens of thousands of migrants flocked to this northern corner of Africa, the EU has gone into emergency mode - nearly a hundred people died or drowned in an attempt to enter Spain through Ceuta. Italy has suspended free movement with Spain for a month. Other countries are suggesting they might follow suit. The government in Madrid is on the EU's naughty step - could it cause a bigger rupture?
Later, MAGA cheerleader turned Trump-appointee Jeanine Pirro is facing the wrath of the President after dropping vandalism charges relating to the Reflecting Pool that has become his obsession. He told reporters that Pirro had "choked" and "folded like a chair" - can she keep her job?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Nigel hates Rupert but needs him and Rupert wants Nigel to beg. Could Restore and Reform ever do a deal to take on the newly invigorated Labour party? Or is there too much toxicity to even get on the phone?
Later - Will FIFA president Gianni Infantino last the week after so many football associations have turned against him - and will Trump stick by the man who gave him the peace prize?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Andy Burnham hasn't even been Prime Minister for two weeks, but the early verdict is positive. He's looked decisive, commanded the agenda and projected authority. The question is: will that matter?
New governments often think they know what will define them but history has a habit of intervening. The biggest political events are often the ones nobody sees coming. Could the next defining crisis already be taking shape?
This week saw a bruising sell-off in AI stocks as investors questioned whether the more than $1.5 trillion pouring into AI can ever deliver the returns being promised. Some are beginning to ask whether we're watching an AI bubble form. And if it bursts, the consequences could stretch far beyond Silicon Valley.
The last time we saw a collapse on this scale was 1929 - the Wall Street Crash. It reshaped politics, economics and the course of the twentieth century.
This Friday, Andrew Ross Sorkin joins The News Agents to discuss his new book on the 1929 crash. What really caused it? And why the parallels with today's AI boom are becoming harder to ignore?
The News Agents is a Global Production.
The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/