The Story

More than two years after Britain and the EU signed the Brexit withdrawal agreement, one of its stickiest points is suddenly back in the headlines again: the Northern Ireland protocol. Why are we back here again? And -- more to the point -- what exactly is the protocol?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: Oliver Wright, Policy Editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: TLDR News, BBC, The Guardian, Sky News, Channel 4 News, GB News, Irish Foreign Ministry.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Wednesday inflation in the UK hit 9% - the highest since the early 1980s.A few weeks before in Brussels, Diederik Samsom, the Head of Cabinet in the European Commission, said the age of cheap living in Europe was over and that the cost of living crunch is not a temporary setback - but our new future. Is he right? And if so, what does that future look like?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: Bruno Waterfield, Brussels Correspondent, The Times.Host: David Aaronovitch.Clips: BBC, Sky News, ABC News, CNN, AFP, Parliament TV, Bruegel, TED Talk, On Demand News.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the SNP, has been pushing for Scottish independence since she was elected First Minister seven and a half years ago. The UK government has repeatedly rejected her calls, but after the local elections further strengthened the SNP, could a second referendum be on the horizon?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: Kieran Andrews, Times Scottish Political Editor.Host: Calum Macdonald.Clips: Brookings, STV News, ITV News, Scottish Parliament, CNN.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. 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.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. 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.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. 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.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. 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.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. 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.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. 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.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.