Shows / The Briefing Room
The Briefing Room
David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts and insiders present in-depth explainers on big issues in the news
Episodes
- The Briefing Room
What can the UK learn from other countries about assisted dying?
Euthanasia is currently illegal in the UK. Attempts to change the law have so far failed. However other countries have legalised assisted dying and/or…
- The Briefing Room
Ukraine: what's the counter-offensive latest?
The start of Ukraine’s counter-offensive against occupying Russian forces was hailed as the breakthrough moment of the war so far. Now six months on, we ask…
- The Briefing Room
Net migration: What’s happening in the UK?
UK net migration hit a record 745,000 in 2022 according to recently revised figures from the Office for National Statistics. That means the numbers coming to…
- The Briefing Room
Israel-Gaza war: What's going on in the West Bank?
In recent weeks, and for obvious reasons, all eyes have been on Gaza. But more Palestinians live in the West Bank, the other Palestinian territory, and the…
- The Briefing Room
Israel/Gaza: What happens next?
Israel and Hamas are at war and there are no signs of a quick resolution. But what would a resolution actually look like and who's actually going to try and…
- The Briefing Room
What was Hamas thinking?
David Aaronovitch and guests talk through the thinking behind Hamas's deadly attack on Israel, discuss what might happen next and ask what all this means…
- The Briefing Room
If Trump gets re-elected what does the world do?
David Aaronovitch and guests talk about what a second Trump presidency might mean for America's relationship with the world and discuss what countries are…
- The Briefing Room
What a murder in Canada tells us about India's place in the world
When a Canadian Sikh was murdereed in British Colombia in June few predicted the diplomatic bust up that ensued. What does this say about India's relationship…
- The Briefing Room
The UK’s financial headache
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss how Conservative and Labour preparations for the next election will be dictated by the state of the UK's public finances…
- The Briefing Room
Who do we think we are now?
Two years ago we looked at Britain’s political geography and the role of identity and party loyalty. In this special programme in front of a live audience…
- The Briefing Room
No concrete plans?
Some school buildings in England have been forced to close or do urgent repairs because they’re built with a potentially crumbling material, reinforced…
- The Briefing Room
What's the problem with Airbnb?
The number of holiday lets in England rose by 40% between 2018 and 2021. There's been a similar boom across the UK and governments are at varying stages of…
- The Briefing Room
How much trouble is Donald Trump in?
Former US President Donald Trump now faces multiple criminal and civil cases. Which are the most serious, what do they mean for his presidential campaign and…
- The Briefing Room
The UK and the European Convention on Human Rights
What is the European Convention on Human Rights, how does it impact what the UK government can do and what would the ramifications be if the UK left it?…
- The Briefing Room
What’s behind the Niger coup?
Military unrest in Niger isn't an uncommon phenomenon. There have been five coups in the last 50 years. But what's behind the latest one and is a peaceful…
- The Briefing Room
Is it Saudi's century?
With vast financial resources and a new found desire to engage in regional and global diplomacy, Saudi Arabia has got the world's attention. But just how…
- The Briefing Room
Can we meet the net zero challenge?
As wildfires tear across southern Europe the need for urgent action on climate change becomes ever clearer. Reducing carbon emissions is a global challenge but…
- The Briefing Room
The China Threat
The government needs to radically change its approach to Chinese ambitions in the UK according to a report by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee…
- The Briefing Room
What can schools do about record absences?
The pandemic disrupted schooling everywhere. But since then record numbers of children have not returned to regular schooling. Data from the Department for…
- The Briefing Room
What happened to the Israel/Palestine peace process?
It's 30 years since the signing of the Oslo Accords. That agreement spurred optimism that peace could be forged between Israel and Palestine. It didn't happen…
- The Briefing Room
Why is Britain getting inflation so wrong?
Despite the Prime Minister's pledge to halve inflation by the end of the year it's the Bank of England's job to deliver on that. Why is it struggling and what…
- The Briefing Room
Ukraine: the long game
Ukraine's spring offensive has begun. But what can it realistically achieve? What can be done to prevent this becoming a 'forever war'? And in the meantime…
- The Briefing Room
The Online Safety Bill
The Online Safety Bill is a new set of internet laws to protect children and adults. It will place more responsibility on the technology giants to monitor…
- The Briefing Room
Ukraine: Is it all about to change?
Recent movements by Ukraine and Russia's military forces suggest that the long awaited spring offensive could start any day. David Aaronovitch and guests…
- The Briefing Room
Sudan conflict: what led to this?
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the latest events in Sudan. Fighting has been commonplace ever since Sudan gained independence but what's behind the…
- The Briefing Room
Does Rishi Sunak's maths calculation add up?
Rishi Sunak says the UK has an 'anti maths mindset' and that low levels of numeracy are damaging the economy. Will studying maths until the age of 18 solve the…
- The Briefing Room
The AI Revolution
Artificial intelligence is going to change all our lives. There are seemingly limitless opportunities. But as computers get ever more powerful how much…
- The Briefing Room
Trump's Legal Woes
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss Donald Trump's appearance in a New York court this week, his other looming legal cases and what all this means for him…
- The Briefing Room
The Windsor Framework
David Aaronovitch and guests take a deep dive into the Windsor Framework. The original protocol was deemed unworkable but does this new deal solve Northern…
- The Briefing Room
Who's Afraid of The Wagner Group?
The Briefing Room's David Aaronovitch is joined by a team of experts to find out more about the Wagner group, the mysterious private organisation, that's…
- The Briefing Room
Why was the Turkey-Syria earthquake so bad?
The WHO have described last week's Turkey-Syria earthquake as one of Europe's worst natural disasters in the last 100 years. David Aaronovitch finds out why it…
- The Briefing Room
How worried should we be about avian flu?
Avian flu has devastated poultry farms and wild bird populations around the world and now it's spread to mammals such as mink and seals. Cases in humans have…
- The Briefing Room
How do we get over-50s back into work?
The government wants hundreds of thousands of over 50s to return the workforce as Britain mounts an economic recovery. More than half million people in that…
- The Briefing Room
How to Fix Britain's Railways
The next round of rail strikes look set to compound long-running problems with Britain's railways. But the problems on the network go far beyond this spate of…
- The Briefing Room
Britain's Energy Crisis: An Update
At the end of 2022, with winter approaching, there were warnings right across Europe of an impending energy crisis. There was talk of potential electricity…
- The Briefing Room
NHS: Are there any quick fixes?
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised 'urgent action' to tackle the NHS crisis. The experts in The Briefing Room with David Aaronovitch this week consider…
- The Briefing Room
Ukraine: How will the war evolve in 2023?
David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts evaluate the current situation in Ukraine and explore how the war might evolve in the remaining winter months and into…
- The Briefing Room
Our Ageing World
For years, the major problem of world demography was thought to be the risk of over-population. Now, it's the fact that the global population is ageing fast…
- The Briefing Room
Can we colonise the Moon?
The first mission in NASA’s Artemis space programme returned to Earth earlier this month, after a journey of over 1.3 million miles around the Moon and back…
- The Briefing Room
Strikes: How can we avoid a return to the 1970s?
In the 1970s the UK was gripped by double-digit inflation driven by energy price shocks. Inflation was controlled by raising interest rates as a recession…
- The Briefing Room
House of Lords reform
Earlier this week Sir Keir Starmer announced that Labour would abolish the House of Lords in its first term if he is elected prime minister. He’d replace it…
- The Briefing Room
China's winter of discontent
Chants of ‘Xi Jinping step down’ were heard on the lips of some demonstrators in China last weekend. A rare example of dissent against the Chinese leader. The…
- The Briefing Room
UK Trade Deals
‘We will now open a new chapter in our national story, striking free trade deals around the world’ said Boris Johnson in December 2020 after the UK struck a…
- The Briefing Room
Could Vladimir Putin use nuclear weapons?
The Russians are on the back foot in the war in Ukraine and have just evacuated the occupied Ukrainian city of Kherson. The setbacks for Moscow have led to…
- The Briefing Room
Public Spending
The volatility on the financial markets is continuing in the wake of the chancellor's announcement of massive tax cuts last month. The government's current…
- The Briefing Room
Protests in Iran
Since mid-September, women and girls in Iran have been staging demonstrations against the regime. Social media has been full of images of female protestors…
- The Briefing Room
Turmoil on the markets
The financial markets have been in turmoil since the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, unveiled a big package of economic measures last Friday. Traders responded to…
- The Briefing Room
Britain's productivity puzzle
This week the new UK government is unveiling its first major package of economic measures. They're aimed at achieving what Prime Minister Liz Truss says is her…
- The Briefing Room
Ukraine: Have we reached a turning point in the war?
Ukraine's military has retaken thousands of square kilometres of territory near the north-eastern city of Kharkiv. The Russians are said to have retreated in…
- The Briefing Room
Can we keep the lights on this winter?
Soaring household bills have made energy the number one issue facing the government and consumers in Britain. But in addition to the cost, there may be another…
- The Briefing Room
The staffing crisis in the NHS
The NHS often appears to be in a state of permanent crisis. Recently, there've been headlines about long waiting times for ambulances and the huge backlog for…
- The Briefing Room
Fighting drought
Despite recent heavy rainfall, much of England is experiencing drought conditions. Both rivers and reservoirs are running low, and the water companies have…
- The Briefing Room
The Cost of Living Crisis
There are growing calls for emergency measures to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Energy bills are now predicted to be hundreds of pounds higher than was…
- The Briefing Room
Scotland's drugs problem
Scotland has the worst figures for drug-related deaths anywhere in Europe. According to National Records for Scotland, 1,330 drug users died in 2021 - a slight…
- The Briefing Room
Adapting to a hotter Britain
Last week, temperatures in the UK reached a record-breaking 40.3 degrees centigrade. As Britons sweltered in their homes and offices, railway lines buckled…
- The Briefing Room
Ukraine: Who is winning?
The war in Ukraine is about to enter its sixth month. The cost of Russia’s invasion has been enormous: millions of refugees; thousands of dead soldiers…
- The Briefing Room
Covid - how worried should we be this time?
More than two years after the emergence of Covid, infection levels are high once again. The Office for National Statistics estimates that 2.7 million people…
- The Briefing Room
What's wrong with the NHS, and how do we fix it?
Last year spending on health and social care in the UK hit nearly £200bn. That’s roughly a fifth of total government spending. Yet the perception has been that…
- The Briefing Room
What's happening in Afghanistan?
Last year the Taliban launched an offensive in Afghanistan that, within a matter of weeks succeeded beyond the West’s wildest nightmares. In August Kabul fell…
- The Briefing Room
Is the crypto bubble bursting?
Last week cryptocurrency suffered it’s ‘black Wednesday’ moment. Investors raced to withdraw their funds and more than $200billion was wiped off the…