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- [00:00]
Paddy O'Connell
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- [00:15]
Henry Z
Phew.
- [00:15]
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- [01:02]
Paddy O'Connell
so overnight, Donald Trump has taken to truth social with ultimatum to Iran.
- [01:08]
Laura Kuenssberg
And there's a second big story this morning too, that will have been staring out at you on the front of some of your newspaper headlines that's been reported across the Internet as well. The Israeli military has said on the record that the Diego Garcia attempted missile strikes by Iran shows that Iranian missiles could strike Europe, London, Paris or Berlin. Is that true? We will try to have a calm conversation about that on this episode of Newscast Newscast Newscast from the BBC.
- [01:37]
Steve Reed
Fat boy sliver me in the classroom
- [01:39]
Henry Z
doing our violin lessons. I was the tattletale in the class.
- [01:42]
Paddy O'Connell
Can I have an apology, please? I trust almost nobody that daddy has
- [01:45]
Laura Kuenssberg
to sometimes use strong language.
- [01:47]
Steve Reed
Next time in musk.
- [01:49]
Laura Kuenssberg
I feel dulu with no salulu.
- [01:51]
Henry Z
Take me down to Downing Street.
- [01:52]
Paddy O'Connell
Let's go have a tour. Blimey.
- [01:56]
Laura Kuenssberg
Hello, it's Laura in the studio.
- [01:57]
Paddy O'Connell
Hello, it's Paddy in the studio.
- [01:59]
Henry Z
And hello, it's Henry at home.
- [02:01]
Laura Kuenssberg
So happy that you said Henry at home, not Henry Z. Because I heard you say yesterday on the radio, Henry Z. And I thought that was cool too.
- [02:07]
Paddy O'Connell
Paddy OC yes, because Henry was hosting the Today program. That's the sort of company we're mixing.
- [02:13]
Laura Kuenssberg
I know, and I was clucking like a proud auntie as I listened to it. Anyway, we digress.
- [02:17]
Paddy O'Connell
Well, we don't really. Henry, were you pleased to host Breakfast Radio?
- [02:22]
Henry Z
It was a great privilege. And the highlight, of course, was talking to you, Paddy. Although Z, rather than Zed is a is an Americanism.
- [02:31]
Paddy O'Connell
Yes, I bet.
- [02:31]
Henry Z
I didn't feel like I should upbraid you on air yesterday, but we can do it now.
- [02:35]
Paddy O'Connell
Yes, Henry Z just doesn't have the same ring to me.
- [02:39]
Laura Kuenssberg
Ah, the young prince takes on the king. It was a matter of time Anyway, sorry, we're being terribly self indulgent and that is dreadful. And we are talking about serious, serious news stories this weekend, although we are also permitted in the world, even when things are grim, to have a bit of a, well, joke and a chat every now and again.
- [02:56]
Paddy O'Connell
Actually, our listeners insist that we do cover other material at the moment. So just to put it out there
- [03:01]
Laura Kuenssberg
and things that make us feel uplifted and stimulated and get a perspective.
- [03:06]
Paddy O'Connell
However, we will, as you rightly insist, get to the job of the newscast. So I'll give one headline. You can tell us what happened on your program with the minister and ultimatum to Iran, open up the Strait of Hormuz or we will bomb your power plant. Wants, says the U. S. President.
- [03:21]
Laura Kuenssberg
And in a classic Trumpism, it is one of these things that sounds incredibly important, significant, dramatic. It is all of those things. It is also, I have to say, utterly unclear as to whether or not he would stick to such a deadline. Will he, by the time we even finish recording, if he happens to get up very early, we're recording just after 10:30 on Sunday morning, say something completely different. And this is the position not just we as the public, but also political leaders around the world find themselves in. Does Donald Trump mean it when he says he will bomb Iran's power plants to kingdom come if they don't open up that vital waterway where so much of the world's trade is being clogged up, causing oil prices to surge? Or will he not? And least you said Patty had some words on that to you on your program this morning, didn't she?
- [04:09]
Paddy O'Connell
She said that the biggest plant that he has said he will target is actually nuclear powered.
- [04:15]
Laura Kuenssberg
He had previously, though said that he would not strike power infrastructure and he
- [04:19]
Paddy O'Connell
told Israel not to go after oil feeds and power structures. So it is obviously a very dangerous weekend. Henry, it's another dilemma for the UK Government now because because of this claim that by the IDF that missiles can target Europe, including London.
- [04:34]
Henry Z
Yeah, and Laura got the government's response in her program came from Steve Reed, the community Secretary, Housing Secretary. He said, I am not aware of any assessment at all that they are even trying to target Europe, let alone that they could if they tried. Now, that is him essentially saying, no, we don't agree with what Israel has said, but I do think it's quite a careful formulation. He says he's not aware of any assessment that. So they're not saying there's absolutely no chance Iran could strike Europe. There's absolutely no chance Iran could strike the uk they're saying they don't have evidence that Iran could. But given that a lot of people seem to have been quite taken aback by Iran's capability to target Diego Garcia in the past few days, you do wonder whether some of those assessments might have to be revised.
- [05:23]
Laura Kuenssberg
And the point here is that Diego Garcia is just shy of 4,000 kilometers away from Iran. London and the UK is just shy of 5,000 kilometers away from Iran. So the attacks, which we now understand were on Thursday, give the implication that the Iranians might be able to fire missiles much further than most of the world previously thought. So, as you say, Henry, maybe those assessments inside government will be shifting now. But it was interesting with Steve Reed. I felt he was really reluctant actually to give a clear answer on this, which kind of implies that maybe there's quite a lot of uncertainty around this. Because if a UK Minister was absolutely sure that this could never happen in order to reassure the public, you might imagine from a use the nauseating phrase, a comms point of view, that he might have come out straight away and said that very, very clearly. I'm not saying that to alarm people at all. I'm just trying to highlight the sort of fog of all of this. You know, the government is also trying to grapple with a complicated, fast moving picture where they don't have all the facts either.
- [06:25]
Steve Reed
I'm not aware of any assessment at all that they are even trying to target Europe, let alone that they could if they tried. But even if they did, we have the necessary military capability to defend this country. And defending the British national interest is precisely why we're taking part in collective defensive action across the Middle East. But whatever people might say, whatever speculation there might be, this country will not be dragged in, into this war.
- [06:57]
Laura Kuenssberg
But, Secretary of State, that's not speculation. That is an on the record statement from one of our allies. If that is not true, which is
- [07:06]
Steve Reed
what you're saying, it was very much conditional. The language that he used there, he used a could. There is no assessment to substantiate what's being said.
- [07:16]
Laura Kuenssberg
So why would Israel say something that is not true?
- [07:19]
Steve Reed
Well, you'll need to ask the Israelis why they're commenting in the way that they are. I can sit here and I can speak for the UK government, but the Prime Minister has been crystal clear all the way, way through.
- [07:28]
Henry Z
I think it's just worth us reflecting that the UK government does not really know what Donald Trump is going to do next. When we talk about the uncertainty over how serious Donald Trump's threats Are. I mean, there's an interesting open question about whether Donald Trump knows how serious his threats are. But certainly the UK government is not at the heart of decision making here. It does not necessarily have perfect knowledge, as Steve Reed, I think, implicitly was acknowledging there, of Iran's capabilities, such as they may or may not be. And so there is this war which is reshaping almost every element of British politics. And yet the British government really does not have much power over the trajectory of that war. And I think that's quite destabilizing, to say the least, for ministers like Steve Reid ending up on programmes like Laura's.
- [08:17]
Paddy O'Connell
And as we've discussed on our newscast many times, there's one other word which explains the dilemma for the UK government. It's not Iran, it's Iraq. So what you can tell that the labor government is haunted by a Middle east war on Iraq.
- [08:36]
Laura Kuenssberg
It is. And you could hear that actually this morning, I think an echo of that concern in almost every answer that Steve Reed gave. I mean, he kept saying, the UK will not be dragged into a war. We are just doing defensive things. Will we not be. We will not be dragged further in. The evidence, however, suggests that something else is going on. You know, this began with the UK saying, we're not involved at all. Then they said, we are involved. We're going to let America use our bases for defensive strikes on Iran. Then there was there, there had also been a strike on a British base in Cyprus. We saw the hole on the side of the aircraft hangar. Sometime later, the UK says, actually, okay, you can use British bases to try and protect the Straits of Hormuz. There's now been this strike, attempted strikes on a British based Diego Garcia. As we understand it, There are now 500 extra military personnel in Cyprus. RAF jets have down 50 drones, according to MOD sources. So that is not, if you just look at it on paper, that is not a country that has absolutely nothing to do with this conflict. And I think the government is walking, trying to walk a very, very fine line on this notion that the UK is only involved in things that are defensive, while there's no sign whatsoever of this war beginning to calm down. And I think you're seeing also the political pressure start to build for there to be a vote in Parliament on this. The opposition parties, the SNP and the Lib Dems, they are pushing for that very strongly. Henry, do you think that's something you can see the government being pushed into in the end?
- [10:02]
Henry Z
I think probably not, because I think Keir Starmer would be loath to sort of concede the precedent. But I think you're, you're right that there is a sort of, to Labour's left, if that's quite the right place to put the Liberal Democrats discussed, but certainly the Greens.
- [10:21]
Laura Kuenssberg
And so it is on some issues
- [10:23]
Henry Z
on the left of the Labour Party, there is a view that they ought to have the ability in Parliament to express their views on this. And I think this does, you know, not to muddy this, this diplomatic issue with the mucky business of politics, but this does intersect with a lot of what we've talked about over the past few weeks politically for Sir Keir Starmer, which is he has an issue on his left flank. The Labour Party has an issue with progressive voters in the run up to the May elections, but also just generally. And this is one issue where Sakir Starmer could find himself appearing out of step with progressive voters, even as he has disappointed allies and perhaps some voters, although probably a minority in the UK who might want him to do more to support America here.
- [11:10]
Laura Kuenssberg
But you had also some very interesting commentary on how America is behaving on your program.
- [11:14]
Paddy O'Connell
Yes. So I spoke to Sir Richard Sheriff. He was NATO's Deputy Supreme Commander, Europe 2011-2014. Now, he says two things. You should take the warning seriously from the IDF that intercontinental ballistic missiles could be targeted to Europe. You should take that seriously. But he also says it's in interests of Israel to expand and broaden support for their war with the us. So this would be something that would be going in the agenda of Israel, is what he said. But also he said that he felt that the American ally was behaving more like a predator.
- [11:50]
Richard Sheriff
Look where this ally has been in the last two years or 18 months since President Trump took over. This is an ally that has made it 100% clear it's not going to underwrite European security, pushing a torpedo NATO through the doctrine of the notion of collective defence in NATO. Fair enough. Britain and other European countries have got to step up to the mark in defence spending. This is also an ally that has insulted, denigrated, and poured contempt on its NATO allies, and only two months ago threatened the territorial integrity of another NATO ally, Denmark. So this is an ally that we cannot trust. And this is an ally that is behaving more as a predator than as an ally.
- [12:35]
Laura Kuenssberg
It's very interesting to hear him talk so plainly about what he thinks is happening and to call America a predator, given that somebody who worked for NATO for a long time was working alongside US forces and US Colleagues for, for years.
- [12:48]
Paddy O'Connell
Yes. And also because newscasts were designed to say kind of what our reaction is in the newsroom. I, I was a live interview and I felt I was hearing something that took me completely by surprise. He had already said on Radio 4 a couple of weeks ago that this was not a fight that Britain should be joining under these circumstances. And we knew that he, that Henry just demonstrates Laura's interview, what we heard there, that this is a world at war. That's kind of, we're all looking for ways to describe this situation.
- [13:20]
Henry Z
Yeah, I think that's absolutely right. I mean, it's a discussion that I don't know if you two have had, but certainly I've had occasionally with some colleagues just sort of shooting the breeze, because this is the kind of thing we like to discuss when we're doing that. You know, when does this war or these wars which are raging across the world. And Laura showed us some more from her interview earlier this week with Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine on her program today. You know, when do we actually call this a world war? And I mean, I think partly Sakir Starmer's efforts to disentangle Britain from what's happening are an effort to avert the kind of scenario where those are the right words to describe what's going on. But, I mean, I think I will never get used to hearing interviews or clips of interviews like the one you just played from Richard Sheriff there, because a few years ago it really would have been unimaginable to hear him on BH saying things like that.
- [14:14]
Laura Kuenssberg
And if you go back to the beginning of all of this, well, actually, you have to go back many, many years to go back to the beginning, all of this. But if you go back to the start of Donald Trump's saber rattling against Iran, he said that he was going to help people in Iran who'd been on the streets protesting against a repressive regime. He said help was on the way. He then sent American military assets in large number to that part of the world. Just a few short weeks ago, this was being seen through the lens of will Iranians be able to rise up and change their government? As you said, it's very hard for us to gauge public opinion. And we talked about it a lot just a few weeks ago. But from that intent now to a significant regional war with an oil price shock has been an incredible, maybe predictable, but an incredible acceleration from what were theoretical decisions to try to maybe help Iranian people inside their country, bring it into their regime.
- [15:20]
Paddy O'Connell
So let's talk about the oil shock you've just mentioned, Henry. Shall we turn to the comments of Richard Walker in the Sunday Times?
- [15:28]
Henry Z
Sure. So Richard Walker is the boss of Iceland, the supermarket, but he is also the government's cost of living champion. He's a Labour supporter now. He had been a Conservative, but sort of switched his allegiance to Labour in the run up to the general election. And he says that in that role he has asked the government, this is writing the Sunday Times this morning, he says he has asked the government to consider a temporary profit cap to stop producers and retailers exploiting this crisis, to make windfall profits at the expense of consumers. And he talks about how, obviously, as the boss of a retailer, he doesn't mind profit, but he does have a problem with profiteering. And I do think the clear or the biggest of many domestic ramifications of this crisis, this conflict, is on the cost of living here in the UK at the start of the year. So Keir Starmer said he wanted to be judged on the cost of living, that he would focus relentlessly on the cost of living. Well, he's got his wish, but not quite in the way that he might have hoped.
- [16:29]
Laura Kuenssberg
And it's interesting, this from Richard Walker, because, you know, he's a successful businessman in his own right before he became a government advisor. But I think we should also be clear. We've got no idea by how much energy bills might go up in the summer. They are going to go down for the next few months before, yes, everybody pretty much expects that they are going to go up, up, but we've got no idea of the numbers. We've got no idea how the energy companies may be likely to behave. But the context here is that there were accusations, strongly denied, but that the energy companies did essentially fill their boots around the time of the energy price spike, around the Ukraine conflict beginning. So that's the kind of context here. But this morning, Steve Reed, the Cabinet minister, who was with us on the program, suggested that at this point there was no need to contemplate that kind of thing, and that the government has already been trying to keep bills down, not just with the cap, but also with some support for people who are finding it hard to make ends meet.
- [17:26]
Steve Reed
The government is taking action on bills. Your opening line there. In a week and a half, when we get to April, the average household energy bill will go down by £120 on average, and that's locked in for three months, regardless of what happens, which
- [17:41]
Laura Kuenssberg
everyone expects to happen. Would you think about capping energy.
- [17:44]
Steve Reed
People are going to see their bills go down. There's no need to cap. Their bills are going. Will go. Will go down, because energy companies, if
- [17:51]
Laura Kuenssberg
we see what happened around the time
- [17:53]
Steve Reed
of Ukraine, will take what action is necessary. When we saw heating oil spike, the costs of that, the government stepped in with 53 million pounds to support vulnerable households. When that happened, we're monitoring this, believe me, hour by hour. And as intervention is required, the government is making appropriate interventions, but we're already focusing on keeping bills down.
- [18:15]
Laura Kuenssberg
And as if by magic, the boss of one of the big energy companies, Centrica, that owns British Gas, a chap called Chris o', Shea, was also with us this morning. Now, surprisingly, he didn't think that profits should be capped, but he made the point that actually they are already paying enormous amounts of tax. And he sort of said, look, if we get capped profits, then why would people actually want to be in this business? I'm paraphrasing, but that's more or less what he said. He did say that bill rises are probably inescapable, to use his word. He was careful not to be drawn on, speculating on any numbers, because he said, look, we just don't know how long this conflict is going to go on. I can't tell you today by how much bills are likely to go up. What was interesting, though, was he disagreed with Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, who last week said, we shouldn't use this as an excuse to drill more in the North Sea to get more oil and gas. Chris o' Shea said, yes, you have to crack on with more green energy, but also, at a time like this, we should be drilling more for oil and gas in the North Sea.
- [19:14]
Chris O'Shea
I think we need to look at getting more gas storage, we need to look at getting more homegrown renewables, we need to look at more batteries. And I do think that we should look at producing the resources that we've got ourselves. Now, we don't do that in Centrica. This is not as talking. We don't produce in the North Sea anymore. We've sold that business. But it makes sense. If you've got resources, you should. It's not a silver bullet. Rough's not a silver bullet. Nothing in and of itself will fix this. But these activities will bring prices down. Now, they won't isolate the uk, we're part of a global system, but they will bring prices down.
- [19:45]
Laura Kuenssberg
So if the UK government said yes to more exploration, that could make a difference.
- [19:50]
Chris O'Shea
It would definitely make a difference, but it wouldn't make a difference just in the uk, it would make a difference across Europe.
- [19:55]
Laura Kuenssberg
It's so interesting. Not just because it reminds us we're part of a world market in energy. The UK can only do so much to influence prices. But. But it is a direct contradiction of what the government has been saying, what Ed Miliband has been saying. He's not just been saying, I don't want to do more exploration in the North Sea because I'd rather prefer pushing really hard on renewable energy. He's also been saying in terms, oh, it wouldn't make any difference to prices. Actually, there you've got the leader of one of the biggest energy companies in the world saying it absolutely would make a difference, the prices.
- [20:26]
Paddy O'Connell
Isn't it also, Henry, wasn't it a manifesto commitment? I mean, it seems like another era to talk about the manifestos of all the parties. So to be fair to the government, we can say that no one predicted where we are now. So I think we start from a sort of neutral position. But I seem to remember, Henry, there was Ed Miliband making a promise about my. Well, actually, Laura Kuenberg's energy bill.
- [20:48]
Laura Kuenssberg
It was called, about my energy bills. If I'm the only person in the country who has an energy bill, clearest
- [20:53]
Paddy O'Connell
way to bring it home. Wasn't there a promise by Ed Miliband on energy bills?
- [20:57]
Henry Z
Yeah. Oh, well, well, yes, there was a promise on energy bills. That's a manifesto or a general election promise, which, I mean, you know, they are already looking pretty shaky on. But there was also a commitment to grant no new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea. I mean, I don't know about you, Laura, I don't detect in conversations with people in government any sense that they are going to budge on oil and gas exploration in the North Sea as much as they are coming under pretty intense pressure from their political opponents to do so. I think there was a moment where it was a live discussion in government and worth remembering, Keir Starmer tried to move Ed Miliband from that job in his big cabinet reshuffle back in September. Ed Miliband refused to move. Ed Miliband is still the Energy Secretary. And I think essentially, even though they couldn't have foreseen this, I think at that moment the energy policy of this government was set.
- [21:53]
Laura Kuenssberg
I think that's exactly right. I think there are definitely people in government, maybe even in quite senior jobs, who would like to do this. But with Ed Miliband in that job, as Henry's just outlined, Ed Miliband being in the current political context, relatively immovable in that job, then I think it ain't gonna happen. But I do think there are people in government and quite a few Labour mps who might quite like it to happen. Not because they want to all scream, drill, baby, drill, and go all maga, but because this may be an emergency moment. Energy is incredibly expensive and if you listen to Chris o', Shea, allowing a bit more drilling and exploration in the North Sea could actually make a difference to prices. There's an. A kind of separate. Well, it's not separate. There's a sideline issue, though, which is a decision about expanding, extending licenses for existing fields. And that may be where there is sort of a bit of wriggle room. So there's different. There's different levels here. There's, okay, guys, off you go, fill your boots, get on with it, do whatever you want. Then there's. Do you expand existing licenses? Yes.
- [22:56]
Paddy O'Connell
Henry, has the definitive account been written of the conversation between Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband where Ed Miliband said, thanks, love, I'm not moving.
- [23:07]
Henry Z
I don't know if the definitive account has been written. My recollection. I don't think I've actually ever found an opportunity to broadcast this, but what I'm told on very good authority is that Keir Starmer said to him, said to Ed Miliband, you have delivered so well at the Energy Department that I want you to go and deliver our very important housing targets at the Housing Department, the job that Steve Reid in fact ended up in. And so it was framed entirely as a move to do with Ed Miliband's attributes being needed elsewhere rather than to do with energy policy. I think it's fair to say that there are people around Ed Miliband and who support Ed Miliband's policy here, who do not believe that that was the true motive.
- [23:50]
Laura Kuenssberg
Quite. That reminds me of a very funny story where Justine Greening, remember her, who was a Tory cabinet minister who did various jobs, there was an attempt to move her from her job when she went into. Summoned into Downing street to be demoted and she just sat outside the office and refused.
- [24:07]
Henry Z
But she did. She ended up. Theresa May called her bluff and she ended up leaving the government. I think. I think this was when Theresa May wanted to move her from education to work and be intentions.
- [24:16]
Laura Kuenssberg
Oh, I think there was another occasion where she stayed in her job because she just refused to move. Well, and Jeremy Hunt, they tried to move as well from the NHS business and he also refused and, and his little clue was that he went up the street in Downing street with his little NHS pin badge on is that when Claire Perry, remember her, went in and did a little choo choo motion because she got transported.
- [24:37]
Paddy O'Connell
But isn't. Didn't Tony Blair also tell the story of a reshuffle when they got the wrong post it note that some someone
- [24:42]
Laura Kuenssberg
was, oh, I told you that story. It was Norman Lamb who worked for Nick Clegg. They, his, they forgot his post it note, it fell off the board. So then they had to make up a job for him being kind of official minister chief of staff to Nick Clegg and he had to wait till the next time around to get a job as the mental health minister where many people would say he then served with much distinction.
- [25:01]
Henry Z
Well, one other very important development in the September reshuffle that may have been the reshuffle before is that they no longer need to use magnets and post IT notes because they now have an electronic board on which they can plan reshuffles.
- [25:16]
Laura Kuenssberg
Well, that warms the cockles of your heart thinking that we have a government that is up to date with a white heat of technology because they don't need post its so we'll all be fine.
- [25:24]
Paddy O'Connell
It's also, it's typical of me to take one of your stories and appropriate
- [25:28]
Laura Kuenssberg
it and get it slightly.
- [25:30]
Paddy O'Connell
It's a whole new chapter in my career that's opened up since Sunday. Saturday's podcast. So there we are.
- [25:36]
Laura Kuenssberg
I think some bird wants say something about something.
- [25:40]
Paddy O'Connell
Don't I remember this very well. Who was it? And they did a thing. Anyway, look, I think it's normally a sign that we've reached the end when I start running out facts.
- [25:49]
Laura Kuenssberg
So when you start retelling my story slightly wrong.
- [25:52]
Paddy O'Connell
Yes, Henry, we're looking ahead. Not that anyone knows what's going to happen with anything but golden content. Is there anything to mark for the week ahead other than obviously we all know we're watching the news very closely on Iran, but is there anything that was scheduled? I've got one if anyone is interested.
- [26:08]
Laura Kuenssberg
I am.
- [26:09]
Paddy O'Connell
It's the installation of the first female archbishop on Wednesday, Canterbury.
- [26:14]
Laura Kuenssberg
That's at the end of a very
- [26:15]
Paddy O'Connell
long walk, I think she's done six days of pilgrimage from London to Canterbury, which ends today. Right, Sunday. Anything else, Henry, for the week ahead?
- [26:22]
Henry Z
Well, I'm afraid I'm going to bring us straight back to what we've been talking about. I think this meeting that Sir Keir Starmer is convening and wants it to be known that he's convening among senior figures in government, but also the governor of the bank of England to discuss what the government is going to do on the cost of living. I think it's not plausible for Keir Starmer to come out from that and say, well, we'll see you in a few months and let you know. So I think it's going to be really interesting to see what indications the government is willing to give of its direction of travel after that. We should also, by the way, just watch borrowing costs. Government borrowing costs rose to, I think, their Highest rate since 2008. 08 on Friday. I mean, that is a staggering stat which says, I mean, from the government's point of view, it says pretty bleak things about how much cost of living support the government might be able to afford through borrowing. So I think again, it could be another week where the sort of questions of where government policy goes are transformed. Sorry, you asked me for a quick prediction and I just started surveying the terrain.
- [27:27]
Paddy O'Connell
I didn't say quick, I said prediction.
- [27:29]
Laura Kuenssberg
And but any do you think, though, that there is actually anything in this meeting tomorrow? Or do you get the sense, and maybe I'm being cynical, but there was a bit of a kind of spinny spin spin of ah, yes, we are going to have an emergency meeting on Monday to talk about the cost of living. Do you get the sense that there is actually any imminent decision making?
- [27:49]
Henry Z
No, not necessarily, not necessarily, but I do. I, I, I think there is a recognition, at least from a few people I've spoken to, that they can't shout about holding this meeting and then not let anything come out of it, even if that thing is just a sense of where they're headed, where their minds are at on this. But let's see, let us see.
- [28:10]
Laura Kuenssberg
I think it's quite clear that we're talking about targeted support rather than helping everyone out. The runes are pretty set in that direction, I believe. But we will see. And of course our wonderful colleagues will be reporting on that, including Henry, through the week. And I'm just looking through the glass, Adam will be here tomorrow. And newscasters, do not miss your chance to come and hang out with us at Cast Fest.
- [28:31]
Paddy O'Connell
Which link is can be found in the description of this podcast and the words that appear on your device as you click on this newscast. If you indeed have done.
- [28:41]
Laura Kuenssberg
Could we do that any better than we might mangling it?
- [28:44]
Paddy O'Connell
I think that would be used as a model way of promoting cast.
- [28:47]
Laura Kuenssberg
You were looking at me with a very worried. Look as those words the link will be on your screen where you get the words
- [28:56]
Paddy O'Connell
thank you very much for
- [28:58]
Laura Kuenssberg
listening and Goodbye Goodbye Goodbye Newscast Newscast from the BBC.
- [29:03]
Chris Mason
Thank you so much for making it to the end of Newscast. You clearly Copyright Chris Mason Ooze Stamina Can I gently encourage you to subscribe to us on BBC Sounds? Don't forget you can email us anytime. It's Newscastbc and if you would like to join our Discord community to talk about everything newscast related, there is a link in the description of this podcast and don't be scared. It's super easy to click on it and then get set up. Or you can WhatsApp us on 033-01-239480 and I promise you we read and listen to every single message. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Bye.
- [29:50]
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