Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Briefing Room

Last month the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, warned that "things would get worse before they got better". The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has already said that there's a £22 billion black hole in the government's finances left by the Conservatives. The budget at the end of October, we're told, will be "painful". But just how bad a state is the UK economy really in? And how constrained is the new government by manifesto promises it made not to raise the main taxes on working people?

Guests:

Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies Mehreen Khan, Economics editor at The TImes Chris Giles, Economics Commentator at The Financial TImes

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Caroline Bayley and Kirsteen Knight Sound engineers: Sarah Hockley and Gareth Jones Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman

The first human cases of MPox were detected in 1970. But a new strain detected in Congo in 2023 has got scientists confused. How worried should we be and are we prepared for it?

Dr Jonas Albarnaz, a Research Fellow specialising in pox viruses at The Pirbright Institute Dr Lilith Whittles, lecturer and Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow in the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis Dr Josie Golding, head of epidemiology at The Wellcome Trust Trudie Lang, Professor of Global Health Research at the University of Oxford

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight and Drew Hyndman Sound engineers: Jonathan Glover and James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman

David Aaronovitch and guests dissect Sudan's ongoing civil war. This conflict is now one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. How can it be brought to an end?

Guests:

James Copnall - presenter of Newsday on the BBC World Service and former BBC Sudan correspondent

Mohanad Hashim - Sudanese journalist working on Newshour on the BBC World Service

Dame Rosalind Marsden - associate fellow of the Africa programme at Chatham House and former UK ambassador to Sudan

Professor Alex De Waal - executive director of the World Peace Foundation

Produced by: Kirsteen Knight, Caroline Bayley and Ben Carter Edited by: Richard Vadon and Richard Fenton-Smith Sound engineers: Rod Farquhar and Andy Fell Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman

The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, has unveiled a plan to stop small boat crossings in the English Channel by sending asylum seekers to Rwanda. But will it work?

Joining David Aaronovitch in the briefing room are:

Mark Easton, BBC's Home Editor Alexander Betts, Professor of Forced Migration and International Affairs at the Refugees Studies Centre Nicolas Rollason, partner and head of Business Immigration at Kingsley Napley Madeleine Sumption, Director of The Migration Observatory

Producers: Rosamund Jones, Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight Production Co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Studio Manager: Rod Farquhar Editor: Richard Vadon

It's a month now since Russian forces invaded Ukraine. The west have sanctioned Russia and provided aid packages to Ukraine but what more can it do to help Ukraine win the war?

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:

Gustav Gressel, senior policy fellow with the Wider Europe Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) Berlin office.

Dr Sarah Schiffling, International research fellow at the Humanitarian Logistics Institute in Helsinki, Finland and senior lecturer in supply chain management at Liverpool John Moores University.

Javier Blas, energy and commodities columnist at Bloomberg and co-author of the 'The World for Sale’.

Algirde Pipikaite, cybersecurity and digital transformation policy expert at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

Producers: Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight, Octavia Woodward and Louise Clarke-Rowbotham Production Co-ordinators: Iona Hammond and Siobhan Reed Studio Manager: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have been underway this week. At the same time Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities have come under savage bombardment. If some sort of peace is to be brokered what compromises might be possible and what will be required to get there?

David Aaronovitch is joined by:

Oleksiy Semeniy, former advisor to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine

Aglaya Snetkov, author of “Russia's security policy under Putin” and a lecturer at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies in London.

Anatol Lieven, senior research fellow on Russia and Europe at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and a visiting professor at King’s College, London.

Dr Julie Norman, lecturer in politics and international relations at University College London and co-director of its US politics centre.

Producers: Rosamund Jones, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Production Co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Studio Manager: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

What's the impact in Russia of painful sanctions and a war that's not going to plan?

How is President Putin controlling information and what's required for that to change?

David Aaronovitch is joined by:

Michael Clarke, Visiting Professor of War Studies at Exeter University and former director, Royal United Services Institute

Sergei Guriev, Professor of Economics at Sciences Po in Paris and former Chief Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Dr. Katerina Tertytchnaya, Assistant Professor in Comparative Politics, University College London

Izabella Tabarovsky, Senior Program Associate at the Kennan Institute, Wilson Center (US)

Dr Maxim Alyukov, fellow Kings College London

Producers: Rosamund Jones, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Henderson Production Co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Studio Manager: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

The war in Ukraine is a week old. What have we learned about the military strength - and tactics - on both sides?

And what might that tell us about how the conflict might play out?

David Aaronovitch is joined in The Briefing Room by:

Vitaliy Shevchenko, Russian editor at BBC Monitoring.

Colonel Liam Collins, founding director of the Modern War Institute in New York.

Ed Arnold, Research Fellow in European security at RUSI and an ex British Army officer who was posted to NATOs Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in 2014 during the Russian annexation of Crimea.

Kataryna Wolczuk, Professor of East European Politics at the University of Birmingham.

Bettina Renz, Professor of International Security at the University of Nottingham.

Producers: Rosamund Jones, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Studio manager: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

Russia is facing sanctions from around the world. Can they hit the country hard enough to make it change course and leave Ukraine in peace?

In a live episode David Aaronovitch considers how sanctions have worked in other crises, why they are so frequently used and what circumstances are required for them to be successful.

He is joined by:

Lee Jones, Professor of International Politics at Queen Mary, University of London and author of the book Societies Under Siege: Exploring How International Economic Sanctions (Do Not) Work

Tom Keatinge, Director of the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at RUSI

Dr Maria Shagina, Fellow at the Center for Eastern European Studies at the University of Zurich

Tyler Kustra, Assistant Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham

Producers: Rosamund Jones, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Studio manager: Rod Farquhar Editor: Richard Vadon

A few weeks ago a rebel group without an air-force managed to attack a foreign airport 1,000 miles away....from the air using drones. And theoretically what the Yemeni insurgents did in Abu Dhabi is repeatable the world over. Indeed is being repeated. Meanwhile drones are often the weapon of choice for major powers operating a long way from home. So are drones transforming the way conflicts are fought, to what extent is that a bad thing, and what can be done about it?

David Aaronovitch talks to:

Caroline Kennedy-Pipe, Professor of War Studies at Loughborough University Dr James Rogers, Assistant Professor at the Centre for War Studies in Odense, Denmark Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor at The Economist Dr Sarah Kreps, Director of the Tech Policy Lab at Cornell University

Producers: Rosamund Jones and Ben Carter Editor: Richard Vadon Production co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed and Sophie Hill Sound engineer: Graham Puddifoot

One of Boris Johnson’s key campaign promises in the run up to the last election was to level up the country. Now the government has published a white paper telling us how it intends to do that. So what are the plans, will they work and do they go far enough?

David Aaronovitch is joined by:

Jagjit Chadha, Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Jennifer Williams, social affairs editor at the Manchester Evening News Paul Swinney, director of policy and research at the think tank Centre for Cities Tom Forth, founder The Data City

Producers: Rosamund Jones, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Studio manager: James Beard Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Editor: Richard Vadon

How well 10 Downing Street functions is under scrutiny. Following Sue Gray's report into parties during lockdown, David Aaronovitch explores who does what at the heart of government and asks if the current problems can be fixed.

Contributors: Alex Thomas, Institute for Government Professor Andrew, Blick, King's College London Jill Rutter, UK in a Changing Europe Professor Patrick Diamond, Queen Mary University of London

Producers: Rosamund Jones, Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight Studio manager: Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed, Brenda Brown Editor: Richard Vadon

Plan B Covid restrictions in England have ended and the government says we must learn to live with Covid. But what does that actually mean and how sustainable is that position?

In this programme we will ask how our understanding of Covid’s newest variant, Omicron, has evolved since Plan B restrictions were first imposed 7 weeks ago. To what extent might flu provide a model for how we live with Covid? And how will our hospitals cope with the strain as restrictions within wider society are eased?

David Aaronovitch is joined by:

Azra Ghani, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College, London Saffron Cordery, Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Providers Lesley Powls, Head of Clinical Site & Emergency Planning, King's College Hospital Emma Thomson, Professor of infectious diseases at the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research Linda Bauld, Professor of public health at Edinburgh University

Producers: Rosamund Jones, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Studio manager: Neil Churchill Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Editor: Richard Vadon

David Aaronovitch and guests examine Joe Biden's ceasefire deal and ask whether - despite some positive noises from both sides - Israel and Hamas are interested in making it work.

Guests:

David Makovsky, Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations Anshel Pfeffer, columnist and Israel correspondent at The Economist Lina Khatib, Director of the Middle East Institute at SOAS University of London Hussein Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington

Production team: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight, Sally Abrahams and Ben Carter Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound engineer: Sarah Hockley

With the longer term funding of the BBC under pressure, David Aaronovitch and guests explore the alternatives to the licence fee. How do other nations pay for their public service broadcasters?

Contributors: Professor Jean Seaton, University of Westminster Matt Walsh, Head of school of Journalism, Media & Culture, Cardiff University Vilde Sundet, University of Oslo Professor Patrick Barwise, London Business School Claire Enders, Enders Analysis

Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Ben Carter, Rosamund Jones Studio manager: Neil Churchill Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill, Siobhan Reed Editor: Richard Vadon

Inflation is at a 30 year high. David Aaronovitch looks back to the 1970s when prices - and wages - soared. Are we returning to those times and how worried should we be? Joining him in The Briefing Room are: Stephanie Flanders, Head of Bloomberg Economics. Merryn Somerset Webb, editor-in-chief, Moneyweek. Torsten Bell, chief executive, The Resolution Foundation. Duncan Weldon, economist and author of "Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through" and "The Value Added Newsletter".

Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Ben Henderson and Rosamund Jones Studio manager: Neil Churchill Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Editor: Richard Vadon

It's nearly been a year since Brexit, so what have the costs and gains been so far, what's yet to be sorted out, and how has our relationship with our European neighbours changed?

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:

Maddy Thimont Jack, associate director on the Institute for Government's Brexit team

Sam McBride, Northern Ireland editor of the Belfast Telegraph & Sunday Independent

Katya Adler, BBC Europe Editor

Peter Foster, editor of the Financial Times newsletter 'Britain After Brexit'.

Anand Menon, director at UK in a Changing Europe

Producers: Rosamund Jones, Kirsteen Knight, Ben Carter and Ben Henderson Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinators Sophie Hill and Siobhan Reed Editor: Richard Vadon

Four recent by-elections in the UK - Airdrie and Schotts, Hartlepool, Amersham and Chesham, and Batley and Spen - tell us four different stories about who we are and what determines who we vote for.

So how well do we know who we are and how has that ‘who’ changed over the last thirty years?

Joining David Aaronovitch in the Briefing Room are:

James Kanagasoorium, CEO of Stack Data Strategy Paula Surridge, political sociologist from the University of Bristol Rosie Campbell, Professor of Politics at King's College, London Rob Ford, Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester

Producers: John Murphy, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Editor: Jasper Corbett Sound Mix: Graham Puddifoot

Image: Liverpool by night Credit: Jenna Goodwin / EyeEm / Getty

Could space be the next frontier for conflict? And what would it look like? Recently the astronauts in the International Space Station had to shelter in their escape pods, after Russia destroyed one of its own satellites using a missile and leaving a dangerous trail of debris orbiting the earth. While not a deliberately aggressive act, the destruction of the satellite was an indication of the kind of weaponry that could be used in space. This summer, on the occasion of the official opening of UK Space Command, the head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, warned that any global conflict would “most likely be won or lost in space.” What is the likelihood of a space war, what form would it take and what are the laws that govern activity in space?

Joining David Aaronovitch in the Briefing Room are:

Dr Bleddyn Bowen, lecturer in International Relations, University of Leicester Michelle Hanlon, Professor of Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi, United States Alexandra Stickings, Space Strategy Lead at the consultancy Frazer-Nash Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor, The Economist

Producers: John Murphy, Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight Sound Engineer: Andy Garratt Production Coordinator: Siobhan Reed Editor: Richard Vadon

Image: The International Space Station in orbit Credit: Nasa / EPA

Russian troops are amassed close to the Ukrainian border - could this mean war, or is something else going on?

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia aren't new, particularly since the annexation of the Crimea in 2014 and fighting with separatists, backed by Russia, in eastern Ukraine.

The West has warned Russia of dire consequences if it invades Ukraine. Russia says it is not planning to and has the right to put its troops anywhere within its territory. So what is going on?

What does President Putin want and what can NATO and the West do?

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:

Sarah Rainsford, BBC Moscow Correspondent

Anton Barbashin, political analyst and editorial director of Riddle Russia

Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri, Associate Professor of International Relations, School of Oriental and African Studies, also director of the US Programme at Chatham House

Orysia Lutsevych, Research Fellow and manager of the Ukraine Forum, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House

Dr Liana Fix, Russia expert, Körber Foundation, Berlin

Programme producers: John Murphy, Kirsteen Knight and Chris Flynn Studio mix by James Beard Programme Editor: Richard Vadon

Image: Ukranian servicemen on a front line near Svetlodarsk. Credit: EPA/Anatoli Stepanov

From insurgency to government - the challenges for the Taliban and the West.

Four months ago the Taliban stunned the world - maybe even themselves - when they entered Kabul and took power in Afghanistan. Since then they have had to move from 20 years of fighting to setting up a central government.

That has not proven easy. In the meantime the people of Afghanistan are suffering food shortages and an economic crisis. So what is going on and what might happen next?

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room:

Secunder Kermani, BBC Pakistan & Afghanistan correspondent

Dr. Mike Martin, visiting fellow in the War Studies department, King's College London.

Laurel Miller, director of the International Crisis Group’s Asia programme.

Ahmed Rashid, journalist and author.

Ashley Jackson, co-director of the Centre for the Study of Armed Groups at the global affairs think tank ODI.

Producers: John Murphy, Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight Studio Manager: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Richard Vadon

Image: Boy in Balkh camp, Afghanistan 13th November 2021. Credit: Sayed Khodaiberdi Sadat/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

What are variants? Where do they come from? Why do they develop and how do they take over? Currently Delta is the dominant variant in the UK and across much of the world; but now Omicron, first identified in South Africa, looks like it could take over. How does that happen? And what can we do about variants?

Joining David Aaronovitch in the Briefing Room are:

Emma Thomson, Professor of infectious diseases at the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. Dr. Jeff Barrett, Director of the Covid-19 genomics initiative at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Dr. Charlotte Houldcroft, virologist from the University of Cambridge.

Producers: John Murphy, Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight Studio Manager: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Richard Vadon

As parts of Europe struggle to contain Covid cases we ask what that means for them and us. The World Health Organisation has warned that another 500,000 people in Europe could die of Covid by March next year unless countries take urgent action to control the spread of the virus.

Austria – the country with the lowest vaccination rate in western Europe - has become the first country to legally require people to have the vaccine from next February. The German health minister has said the country is in a national emergency that could result in another national lockdown. There have been riots in the Netherlands in response to new Covid restrictions.

So why is the situation so dire, what’s being done about it and what risk does the crisis on the continent pose to the UK?

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:

Dr Louise Blair, Lead analyst in vaccines and covid variants at the health analytics firm, Airfinity. Dr Clemens Auer, Special Envoy for Health for the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection of Austria. He was Austria’s Covid co-ordinator until March. Professor Martin McKee, Professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Professor Sheena Cruickshank, Immunologist at the University of Manchester. Dr Raghib Ali, Senior Clinical Research Associate, University of Cambridge

Producers: Ben Carter, John Murphy and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Richard Vadon Studio Engineer: Rod Farquhar Production Co-ordinator: Siobhan Reed

For years China has been perhaps the most important economic engine driving growth around the world. Earlier this year it bounced back from the Covid shutdowns with double-digit growth. Global demand for Chinese-made products has been booming. But this week growth figures have dropped dramatically. The country has been experiencing an energy and property crisis. So, is the bubble bursting? And should we be worried?

Joining David Aaronovitch in the Briefing Room are:

Celia Hatton, the BBC's Asia Pacific Editor Dr. Philip Andrews-Speed, Senior Principal Fellow at the Energy Studies Institute of the National University of Singapore George Magnus, Research Associate at the China Centre, Oxford University Tom Orlik, Chief Economist at Bloomberg Economics Dr. Keyu Jin, Associate Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics

Producers: John Murphy, Soila Apparicio, Kirsteen Knight Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Jasper Corbett

Image: Chenzhou in China during a blackout Credit: Alamy

David Aaronovitch and guests assess the fallout from France's EU elections and President Macron's subsequent decision to call parliamentary elections later this month.

Guests:

Hugh Schofield, BBC Paris Correspondent Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief at The Economist Mujtaba Rahman, Managing Director for Europe at Eurasia Group who advise investors on political risk Dr Françoise Boucek, Visiting Research Fellow, Centre for European Research in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary University of London

Production team: Caroline Bayley, Miriam Quayyum, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound engineers: Sarah Hockley and Rod Farquhar

For decades the difficult problem of social care - how to fund it, how to provide it - has been kicked into the long grass by government after government. But last month the Prime Minister announced a policy which he said meant no-one would have to sell their house to fund their social care. He also promised more money for social care - though not immediately. A "health and social care levy" is to be created through an increase in National Insurance contributions. So is the problem of social care being fixed? Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:

Alison Holt, BBC Social Affairs Editor Peter Beresford, visiting Professor in the School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia Sally Warren, Director of Social Policy at the King's Fund Jill Manthorpe, Professor of Social Work and Director, NIHR Health & Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King's College London.

Producers: John Murphy, Soila Apparicio, Kirsteen Knight Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Jasper Corbett

According to campaigners, Britain has some of the dirtiest rivers in Europe. Sewage, slurry from farms and chemicals are all a problem, too often ending up in our rivers. The parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee estimates that the discharge of raw sewage accounts for 55% of rivers in England and Wales failing to reach good ecological status. Not one river has good chemical status. So what's going wrong and what can be done to fix it? Joining David Aaronovitch in the Briefing Room are:

Olivia Rudgard, Environment Correspondent for the Daily Telegraph Peter Hammond, retired Professor of Computational Biology at University College London Rachel Salvidge, Deputy Editor of ENDS Report Steve Ormerod, Professor of Ecology and Co-Director of the Water Research Institute, Cardiff University

Producers: John Murphy, Kirsteen Knight, Soila Apparicio Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Jasper Corbett

Photo: Chemical Pollution from Industrial Outfall Pouring into River Mersey UK. Credit: Avalon/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

When a collage of digital images was sold in New York earlier this year for £50 million, the art world was convulsed. The reason? The picture couldn't be hung on a wall and was only visible online.

What had been bought and sold was the non-fungible token - or NFT - relating to the collage. David Aaronovitch and his guests discover how NFTs work for those who sell and those who buy them and also consider if NFTs are a passing fad or an aspect of our culture that is becoming increasingly common and might lead to the emergence of a future John Constable or Tracy Emin, eventually spreading to and influencing other art forms.

Enter the Briefing Room and find out why collectors are investing in NFTs; how easy it is to spot a fake and what you can do about it; and whether non-fungibles will be an enduring part of the artistic - and investment - worlds in the years ahead.

Those taking part include: Georgina Adam of The Art Newspaper; investor in NFTs and co-founder and chief executive of the Arts and culture portal Vastari, Bernardine Bröcker Wieder; and the art historian, former art dealer and presenter of the BBC FOUR series, Britain's Lost Masterpieces, Bendor Grosvenor.

Producers Simon Coates and Bob Howard Editor Jasper Corbett

Image: Visitors to "Machine Hallucinations - Space: Metaverse" by Refik Anadol, which will be auctioned online as an NFT at Sothebys, at the Digital Art Fair, Hong Kong Credit: REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

The Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, has said there is 'no question of the lights going out' this winter as a result of a huge rise in gas prices. But many smaller energy companies are struggling to stay afloat as they are unable to pass on the higher wholesale costs of gas to their customers because of the energy price cap. Labour has accused the government of complacency when it comes to energy supplies. Some Conservatives have warned of a tricky winter ahead. So what lies behind the current problems, and what can be done to stop it happening again?

Joining David Aaronovitch are :

David Sheppard, Energy Editor at the Financial Times Dr Sharon George, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, University of Keele Michael Bradshaw Professor of Global Energy at the Warwick Business School Sir Dieter Helm, Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford

Producers: John Murphy, Kirsteen Knight, Soila Apparicio Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Jasper Corbett

Government ministers have been blowing hot and cold about vaccine passports. Now the Westminster government says it is not planning to introduce them to England, though they're being kept as an option should things change. The Welsh government is thinking about them, while Northern Ireland has rejected them for now. In Scotland vaccine passports are coming in on October 1st for nightclubs and large venues. But booster jabs are coming across the UK. The roll-out for over-50s, frontline health workers and vulnerable groups will begin in days.

Joining David Aaronovitch to ask if we need vaccine passports and boosters are:

Laure Millet, head of the healthcare policy programme at the Institut Montaigne in Paris Melinda Mills, Professor of Demography at the University of Oxford and Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science Azra Ghani, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London Natasha Loder, Health Policy Editor at The Economist

Producers: John Murphy, Kirsteen Knight, Soila Apparicio Editor: Jasper Corbett

At the start of the first pandemic lockdown the government announced a £20 uplift for those receiving Universal Credit, the benefit designed to help those of working age with their living costs. It made clear at the time that the extra money was temporary and, in the coming weeks, payments will start to be reduced.

But is a cliff-edge drop in the income of more than two-and-a-half million families the right step to be taking? And how best are the UK's poorest to be supported with the country still recovering from the pandemic?

David Aaronovitch and his guests evaluate how well Universal Credit has been helping those in and out of work and what the uplift has achieved for families and single person households.

Is giving more money to claimants the most effective way of helping them in the post-pandemic economy? Or, with prices rising for household essentials, should the government now be thinking about other measures to help those struggling to make ends meet?

How do we help the least well-off while being fair to taxpayers and not subsidising employers paying low wages?

Those taking part (in order of appearance): Fran Bennett of the Department for Social Policy & Intervention at Oxford University; Tom Waters, Senior Research Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies; Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government; and Deven Ghelani, founder of the social policy business, Policy in Practice.

Producers Simon Coates, Jim Booth and Kirsteen Knight Editor Jasper Corbett

The Taliban takeover over of Afghanistan has left millions of people internally displaced and hundreds of thousands more hoping to leave the country soon.

Where will these Afghan refugees try to go and how will they be received by different countries?

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:

Camille Le Coz, Policy Analyst with Migration Policy Institute.

Michael Semple, Professor at the Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen's University Belfast and former UN co-ordinator for the Bamiyan region in Afghanistan.

Peter Walsh, researcher in migration at the Migration Observatory.

Dominic Casciani, BBC Home and Legal correspondent

Producers: Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight and Sharon Hemans Studio Manager: James Beard Production Co-ordinator: Iona Hammond Editors: Alison Gee and Jasper Corbett

HS2, a high-speed railway linking up London, the Midlands and the North of England has been in development for more than a decade. It was described by Boris Johnson as the ‘spine’ of a new network to deal with the ‘great musculoskeletal problem of UK transport’. The ‘spine’ is costing an arm and a leg.

In 2012 the project was priced at £32.7bn. That was revised to £55bn in 2015. Last year a review by civil engineer Doug Oakervee said the final figure could top £100bn. The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has already warned that Covid has severely damaged public finances and that will likely impact decisions made in the comprehensive spending review taking place this autumn.

So how is HS2 progressing and is its completion threatened by its rising costs?

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are -

Nick Kingsley, Managing Editor of Railway Gazette International Bridget Rosewell, Commissioner, National Infrastructure Commission George Parker, political editor at the Financial Times Tony Travers, Professor in the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics

Producers: Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight and Sharon Hemans Editor: Jasper Corbett Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill

‘The likelihood there’s going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely,’ said President Joe Biden six weeks ago. This prediction has not aged well.

One harrowing scene this week saw some Afghans trying to escape their new reality by clinging to the wheels of a US Air Force plane as it took off from Kabul airport. Some of them fell to their deaths.

Amidst growing international condemnation of the United States, President Biden has remained unrepentant about the end of the US mission in Afghanistan, arguing it was never about nation building or creating a unified democracy. It was about preventing a terrorist attack on American homeland.

But what impact will events in Afghanistan this week have on the President's future foreign policy decisions?

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:

Alex Ward, National Security reporter at Politico

Dr Leslie Vinjamuri, Director of the US & Americas programme at Chatham House

Madiha Afzal, Brookings Institution

Prof Michael Clarke, former Director General of RUSI and Professor of Defence Studies at King's College London

Producers: Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight and Sharon Hemans Editor: Penny Murphy Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot

The Taliban’s relentless march across Afghanistan continues – taking control of provincial capitals, rural districts and the financially lucrative border crossings. As the world watches on with increasing concern US President Biden has told Afghan leaders that it’s their battle to win and that they need to come together and fight for their nation. The female Afghan politician and diplomat Shukria Barakzai warned this week that her country is experiencing a ‘human catastrophe’ and Afghanistan will provide a safe haven for militants, which will cause the world huge problems. There’s also the prospect of a huge refugee crisis.

But how are the Taliban succeeding and who’s helping them?

David Aaronovitch is joined in The Briefing Room by:

Laurel Miller, Director of International Crisis Group’s Asia Programme Ashley Jackson, Co-Director, Centre for the Study of Armed Groups Ahmed Rashid, Pakistani journalist and author

Producers: Ben Carter, Sally Abrahams and Kirsteen Knight Sound engineer: James Beard Editor: Penny Murphy

David Aaronovitch and guests discuss Donald Trump's conviction in the hush money case, examine the cases yet to be heard and ask whether any of this hurts his election chances?

Guests:

Anthony Zurcher, BBC North America correspondent Jack Chin, Professor of Criminal Law at the University of California, Davis Wendy Schiller, Professor of Political Science at Brown University

Production team: Caroline Bayley, Miriam Quayyum, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound engineers: Rod Farquhar

Only a handful of small states officially recognise Taiwan as an independent country, though in many ways this democratic territory has the trappings of an independent nation.

But Taiwan's giant neighbour, China, argues that the island is a renegade province that will one day reunify with the mainland - and Beijing reserves the right to use force to accomplish that if need be.

In recent years the Chinese have built up their military forces substantially, including many aimed at Taiwan, and the rhetoric from Beijing remains that Taiwan belongs to China. Meanwhile calls within Taiwan for full independence have grown louder.

The United States says it is committed to preserving the ambiguous status quo in the region and to opposing any Chinese coercion of the Taiwanese. Japan, too, has recently become more outspoken about supporting the US military forces in any possible conflict over Taiwan.

So could the dispute over Taiwan trigger a war?

Joining David Aaronovitch in the Briefing Room are:

Margaret Hillenbrand, Associate Professor of modern Chinese culture and literature at the University of Oxford.

Dr. Yu Jie, Senior Research Fellow on China in the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House.

J Michael Cole, Taipei-based Senior Fellow with the Taiwan Studies programme at Nottingham University.

Bonnie Glaser, Director of the Asia Programme at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, Washington DC.

Producers: John Murphy, Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight, Jim Frank Sound Mix: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Jasper Corbett

A supermarket chain is offering £1000 welcoming handshakes to new truck drivers - just one indication of the shortages in the haulage industry.

The Road Haulage Association says that there is now a shortfall of 100,000 lorry drivers across the UK and other sectors of the economy are also finding it difficult to find workers, including in hospitality, construction and IT.

The pandemic has shaken things up and Brexit has seen thousands of EU workers returning home - but is this a short-term problem or are there deeper structural changes happening?

Joining David Aaronovitch in the Briefing Room:

Dougie Rankine, editor of Truck and Driver magazine.

Katherine Price, news editor of The Caterer.

Tony Hill, Director of the Institute for Employment Studies.

Yael Selfin, Chief Economist, KMPG UK.

Torsten Bell, Chief Executive at the Resolution Foundation.

Jane Gratton, Head of People Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce.

Producers: John Murphy, Sally Abrahams and Kirsteen Knight. Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Jasper Corbett

Right across the world unpredictable and extreme weather has led to devastating consequences: homes washed away by floods in Europe and China with hundreds dead; extreme heat and giant wildfires in North America and in Siberia, and we now hear that the Amazon rainforest is emitting more carbon dioxide than it is soaking up.

Scientists are clear that man-made climate change is playing a significant role in all this.

In November senior representatives from 197 countries plus the European Union are supposed to be gathering for COP26 in Glasgow. Can this gathering - and the pronouncements made there - help save us from extreme climate change?

Joining David Aaronovitch in the Briefing Room are:

Alina Averchenkova, Distinguished Fellow from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics.

Michael Jacobs, Professor at Sheffield University’s Political Economy Research Institute.

Carly McLachlan, Professor of Climate and Energy Policy, Manchester University, and Director of Tyndall Manchester.

Dr. James Dyke, Senior Lecturer in Global Systems, University of Exeter.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: John Murphy, Sally Abrahams and Kirsteen Knight. Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Jasper Corbett.

Image: People wading through flood waters following heavy rains in Zhengzhou in China's central Henan province. Credit: STR/AFP via Getty Images

Some are calling it Freedom Day. Others are much more circumspect. The lifting of Covid restrictions on 19th July in England is, to a certain extent, an experiment. The UK has one of the best vaccination rates in the world and far fewer people are now dying from coronavirus. But it also has one of the fastest rising infection rates. The development of the vaccines so quickly was, undoubtedly, an extraordinary scientific feat. It did also lead some scientists to predict that we would be through this pandemic by now. So why hasn't that happened? And what do we know about the risks involved in lifting restrictions now? Joining David Aaronovitch in the Briefing Room are:

Azra Ghani, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College, London Tom Chivers, Science journalist and author Linda Bauld, Professor of public health at Edinburgh University Thomas Hale, Associate Professor in Public Policy, University of Oxford

Producers: John Murphy, Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight Studio Manager: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Jasper Corbett

European Union and European Economic Area citizens living in the UK should have applied for so-called settled status in Britain before July 1st. Over five million people have applied - a significantly higher figure than the British government originally estimated would be eligible. But there are fears that, for various reasons, tens of thousands of people failed to meet the deadline. In theory, this means they could lose their right to work, rent housing, or access certain hospital treatment, and are potentially subject to removal from the country. UK citizens living in EU countries are also having to prove their status. To examine what has happened so far - to EU citizens in the UK and to UK citizens in the EU - and what happens next, David Aaronovitch is joined in the Briefing Room by:

Mark Easton, the BBC's Home Affairs Editor Michaela Benson, Professor of Sociology at the University of Lancaster Catherine Barnard, Professor of European Union and Labour Law, Cambridge University. Jill Rutter, former Treasury official and senior fellow at the Institute for Government.

Producers: John Murphy, Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight Editor: Jasper Corbett

You might receive an innocuous looking email – it might even look like it’s from your boss – asking you to click on a link. Watch out! It could be the start of a ransomware attack. Over the last year cybersecurity experts say that the number of ransomware attacks has grown exponentially. During the pandemic lockdowns criminal hackers have been able to exploit the vulnerabilities inherent in the increase in homeworking to infiltrate computer systems, shut them down and then demand a ransom to restore services, or even to stop publishing data they’ve stolen. Along with the increased volume of attacks, the level of ransom demands has grown. Using new technology and techniques, this has become a lucrative business for international criminal gangs, with individuals, businesses, schools, hospitals and charities all targeted.

Joining David Aaronovitch in the Briefing Room to discuss ransomware attacks are:

Emily Taylor, CEO of Oxford Information Labs and Editor of Chatham House's Journal of Cyber Policy Sadie Creese, Professor of Cyber Security at the University of Oxford Geoff White, investigative journalist and author and presenter of the BBC’s podcast series, The Lazarus Heist Susan Landau, Bridge Professor of Cyber Security and Policy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the School of Engineering, Department of Computer Science, Tufts University Producers: John Murphy, Sally Abrahams and Imogen Serwotka Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Jasper Corbett

Gaza is one of the most crowded places on earth. Most of its two million residents live in refugee camps and around half are unemployed. Gaza is governed by Hamas, an organisation that many governments regard as a terrorist group. Hamas extended its control over the whole of Gaza in 2007, after it ousted Fatah, which is now based in the West Bank. Since then Hamas has been involved in a number of conflicts with Israel.. Its military capability has grown over the years. Joining David Aaronovitch to explore who Hamas are and what they want are:

Jennifer Jefferis, Teaching Professor at Georgetown University's Security Studies program. She is also author of Hamas: Terrorism, Governance, and its Future in Middle East Politics. Dr Nina Musgrave from the Centre for Defence Studies, Kings College, London. She is the author of a forthcoming book, Hamas and the Arab Uprisings: resistance, allegiance, and the departure from Syria. Fabian Hinz, an independent open source intelligence analyst who specialises in Middle East missiles. Natan Sachs, Director of the Centre for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution, Washington.

Producers: John Murphy, Sally Abrahams, Luke Radcliff Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Jasper Corbett

Hong Kong has long been at the centre of a tussle between mainland China and the outside world - certainly since the British took it as a colony in 1842.

That heralded more than a century of "shame" for the Chinese - but in 1997 the British handed Hong Kong back to China with internationally agreed conditions. The so-called "one country, two systems" principle was meant to last until 2047, but in recent years Beijing has tightened its control over Hong Kong.

Major pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019 were quashed and, in 2020, the authorities introduced a controversial and wide-ranging National Security Law to Hong Kong.

Over recent weeks pro-democracy campaigners have been locked up, troublesome journalists have been censured or fired from their jobs, teachers have been told they will have to explain the benefits of the National Security Law to their pupils. Some argue that this is the end of Hong Kong.

So why is Beijing and its supporters in the Hong Kong legislature taking this action now, and where might it end?

Joining David Aaronovitch on this week's programme:

Hugh Davies, a former diplomat who negotiated the return of Hong Kong

Mary Hui, journalist for Quartz

Yuen Chan, Senior Lecturer, City University of London

Charles Parton, Senior Associate Fellow at Royal United Services Institute

Producers: John Murphy, Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Jasper Corbett

In February India's governing party, the BJP, congratulated itself and its “visionary” leader, the prime minister, Narendra Modi,, for “defeating Covid.” Two months on India is in the midst of what one historian has termed “the gravest crisis the nation has faced since Partition” in 1947. Hundreds of thousands of new infections are reported every day and thousands of deaths. The peak may come in a few weeks. Meanwhile the country is short of hospital beds, oxygen and even wood for the funeral pyres. So what’s gone wrong? And what does India’s plight tell the rest of the world about the trajectory of the pandemic and when it might finally end?

Producers: Tim Mansel, Kirsteen Knight, Paul Moss Studio Engineer: James Beard Editor: Jasper Corbett

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel bows out of politics later this year after 16 years at the head of the German government. She seems likely to be replaced by one of two people; the man Merkel’s party, the CDU, has designated as her successor, Armin Laschet; or the relative political novice, Annalena Baerbock, from the Greens, a party with its origins in the environmental movement. Most commentators agree that however the cards fall after the September election the Greens will be in government, whether at the head of a coalition or as its junior partner. David Aaronovitch asks how the Greens have gained ground so dramatically in such a short time and what a Green German government might mean for Britain.

Producers: Tim Mansel, Paul Connolly, Kirsteen Knight Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Jasper Corbett

The German flag flying in front of the Reichstag, home of the German parliament (Bundestag), Berlin, Germany. Credit BBC.

David Aaronovitch and guests assess the latest developments in Ukraine. In 2022, Russia was expected to win the war easily. That didn't happen. But is Russia gaining the upper hand now?

Guests:

James Waterhouse, BBC’s Ukraine Correspondent Polina Ivanova, FT correspondent covering Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia Michael Clarke, Professor of Defence Studies at Kings College London and Specialist Advisor to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy Ann Marie Dailey, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and policy researcher at RAND

Production team: Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound engineers: Neil Churchill

There’s been violence on the streets of Northern Ireland in recent days, most of it in Protestant areas. On occasion it spilled over the sectarian divide.

The proximate cause appears to be twofold: the refusal of the Northern Ireland prosecution service to bring charges against Sinn Fein members who apparently broke lockdown rules to attend a funeral last summer; and the Northern Ireland Protocol, which under the Brexit deal, means that checks apply to goods travelling from Britain to Northern Ireland.

There are other, longer term grievances, in particular a perception that the Good Friday Agreement privileged the Catholic community at the expense of Protestants.

Many fingers are now pointing at Westminster where the British government is accused of inactivity and indifference. More protests have been promised.

So, how fragile is the peace process?

Producers: Tim Mansel, Kirsteen Knight, Paul Moss Editor: Jasper Corbett

When the 400 metre long Ultra Large Container Vessel, Ever Given, got wedged diagonally across the Suez Canal at the end of March, it brought one of the world’s most important trade routes to a standstill for six days. Around ten per cent of global shipping passes through the canal. Shipping itself is responsible for some 90 per cent of global trade. The blockage served to revive worries that global supply chains have become a source of vulnerability for economies that rely on international trade. The immediate effect of the Ever Given accident for the UK may not become clear for several weeks. The Briefing Room asks what longer term vulnerabilities has it exposed and how might these best be mitigated?

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Production team: Tim Mansel, Paul Moss and Kirsteen Knight

Satellite image shows stranded container ship Ever Given in Suez canal. Egypt March 25th 2021. Credit: Reuters

No crisis has had the global reach and impact of Covid-19. There have been more than 120 million recorded cases of the Coronavirus and 2.7 million people have died and curbs on people’s freedoms have become a familiar part of daily life in many parts of the world.

Just over a year since the world started to get to grips with the first global pandemic in more than a century, what can we say about how different countries have dealt it?

Which countries have been worst-affected and why? Which public health systems have held up best? Why did test and trace work in some countries but not in others?

Around the world governments have propped up their economies accruing eye-watering amounts of debt, but was it money well spent?

Where and why has the vaccine roll out been most successful? And what could be the lasting legacy of the pandemic?

Contributors:

Dr.Thomas Hale, Oxford University

Prof. Martin McKee, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Nazmeera Moola, Ninety One, a South African asset management company

Dr Monica DeBolle, Peterson Institute for International Economics

Jerome Kim, Director General of the International Vaccine Initiative

Rasmus Bech Hansen, founder and CEO of Airfinity

Dr. Jennifer Cole, Royal Holloway, University of London

Kishore Mahbubani, Asia Research Institute at National University of Singapore

Producers: Tim Mansel, Paul Moss, Kirsteen Knight Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Jasper Corbett