Humza Yousaf resigns as Scotland’s first minister and Macron’s warning
James Harding and three guests debate what they think should lead the news.
What should lead the news and why? Come inside our newsroom, every Monday and Friday, to hear three journalists pitch the story they think matters most to editor James Harding.
Book your place at an upcoming live recording of The News Meeting at our newsroom in central London.
Latest episodes
India’s election and why pupils in England are facing their worst exam results in decades
David Aaronovitch and the Tortoise team debate what should lead the news in front of an audience in the newsroom.
Brexit, austerity and how Labour could fix Britain
In ‘The State We’re In’ Will Hutton wrote about the role of government and the free market post-Thatcher. Now, after more than a decade of Conservative-led government, he’s written a new book called ‘This Time No Mistakes’. In this bonus episode he tells James how it might influence Labour’s thinking on issues like Britain’s relationship with the EU and economic reform.
Sunak’s Rwanda showdown and the Met’s apology to an antisemitism campaigner
What propels something to the top of the news agenda? James Harding is joined by three guests who each pitch the story they think should lead the news.
Christiana Figueres on the Dubai floods and Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban
Former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres joins the Tortoise team to tell them what she thinks should lead the news.
Iran attacks Israel and Trump’s hush money trial
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think should lead the news to Tortoise’s deputy editor Giles Whittell.
Swiss women win landmark climate case and Zeinab Badawi on a year of war in Sudan
The journalist and president of SOAS pitches the story she thinks should lead the news and discusses her new book ‘An African History of Africa’.
Solar eclipse conspiracy theories and is Thames Water facing the end game?
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s deputy editor Giles Whittell.
Aid worker deaths in Gaza and a Westminster honey trap
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s deputy editor Giles Whittell.
Elizabeth Day on Baltimore bridge conspiracies and Trump’s Truth Social
The host of How To Fail joins the Tortoise team to pitch the story she thinks should lead the news and to talk about her book Friendaholic: Confessions of a Friendship Addict.
What the Moscow attack means for Putin and Chinese hacking
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s deputy editor Giles Whittell.
Men-only clubs and a smoking ban for some, but not all
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding.
News Meeting: Lessons from a World War Two disinformation campaign
Sefton Delmer was a British propagandist who targeted the Nazi regime. In this bonus episode, the journalist Peter Pomerantsev explains what his story can teach us about modern information wars.
Boris Johnson’s Venezuela meeting and should we change the way we fund the police?
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding.
Disgraced Tory donor Frank Hester and has levelling-up made any difference?
Tortoise understands that the Conservatives have received an as-yet-undeclared £5 million sum from Frank Hester, the party donor embroiled in a race row.
Who is the real Keir Starmer?
Tom Baldwin has written a biography about the Labour leader. In this bonus episode he tells Giles Whittell and Cat Neilan how the book came about, Keir Starmer’s upbringing and what sort of prime minister he might be.
News Meeting: Sathnam Sanghera on that Kate photo and reparations for slavery
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think should lead the news to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding.
Starvation in Gaza and why pensioners are the biggest budget losers
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think should lead the news to Tortoise’s deputy editor Giles Whitttell.
Hopes for a Gaza ceasefire and Joe Biden’s political problems
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding.
The Couzens report, America’s airports and Taylor Swift’s political power
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding.
Chris Anderson on why the internet is making us meaner
The head of TED sits down with Tortoise editor James Harding to discuss his concerns about artificial intelligence and how his religious upbringing made him want to spread the idea of infectious generosity.
Sudan’s forgotten war and Britain’s drink-spiking epidemic
What should lead the news? Chris Anderson, head of TED and author of Infectious Generosity, pitches his story to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding.
Investigating a failing children’s prison and a nuclear missile misfires
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding.
Alexei Navalny’s death and the fake restaurants registered on Companies House
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding.
UK in recession and has the vegan bubble burst?
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s deputy editor Giles Whittell.
Israel’s Rafah offensive and Keir Starmer under pressure over antisemitism
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s deputy editor Giles Whittell.
A Labour u-turn and a failed peace agreement
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding.
Strikes against the Houthis and the rising demand for ADHD medication
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding.
What does David Miliband think should lead the news?
The former UK foreign secretary and president of the IRC discusses Israel’s Gaza offensive, EU aid for Ukraine, Northern Ireland and Elon Musk’s pay.
Why big events ultimately come down to chance
In this bonus episode the Tortoise team are joined by Dr Brian Klaas, Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London and author of ‘Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters’.
The death penalty and does Iran want a war with the United States?
The Tortoise team are joined by Dr Brian Klaas, Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London to discuss the US troops killed in a drone strike, the first ever execution by nitrogen inhalation and Donald Trump’s defamation trial.
Trump wins again and why the British military is in such a state
Jane Martinson, journalist and academic, joins the Tortoise team for a recording in front of an audience in the newsroom.
Tata Steel job losses and why are measles cases rising?
The Tortoise team are joined by Labour MP Liam Byrne to discuss the closure of the Port Talbot blast furnaces, Britain’s measles outbreak and a judge’s ruling against a manager who wanted to work from home.
How important will immigration be at the next election?
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise editor Ceri Thomas.
Iowa decides, but does it matter?
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to special guest host Liz Moseley.
Who are the Houthis?
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s deputy editor Giles Whittell.
The Westminster Accounts: one year on, what have we learned?
A year ago Tortoise and Sky News launched the first fully searchable database of the money being used to oil the machinery of British politics. What did we learn?
The Joe Biden problem and should the Post Office scandal be leading the news?
James Harding and the Tortoise team are back with the first regular episode of 2024.
Robert Peston on why politicians need to get a grip of AI
James Harding sits down with ITV political editor Robert Peston to discuss his new book ‘Bust?: Saving the economy, democracy and our sanity’.
News Meeting: What was the biggest story of 2023?
In this special Christmas episode with Intelligence Squared the Tortoise team are joined by Robert Peston and an audience at The Tabernacle in Notting Hill to discuss the biggest stories of the year.
News Meeting: Michelle Mone’s change of tone and Jimmy Lai on trial
What should lead the news? The Tortoise team are joined by best-selling author and journalist Tim Marshall.
Was COP28 a success and why do politicians lie?
The Tortoise team were joined by Rob Burley, former editor of the BBC’s political programmes and The Andrew Marr show, for a special episode in front of an audience in the newsroom.
How to fix the economy
In this bonus episode James Harding sits down with Torsten Bell, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, to talk about how to end the toxic combination of slow growth and high inequality.
How Russia wins
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding.
In this episode Chris Morris, chief executive of fact-checking organisation Full Fact, joins the team to discuss the risk of Ukraine fatigue, Cop28 and why a US university president was forced to quit.
Rishi’s Rwanda revolt and Boris Johnson at the Covid inquiry
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s editor James Harding.
Green MP Caroline Lucas joins the Tortoise team to pitch the story she thinks should lead the news and political editor Cat Neilan has the latest on the Tory revolt over the government’s Rwanda policy.
Starmer praises Thatcher and is Farage’s time in the jungle backfiring?
What should lead the news? Three people pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise’s deputy editor Giles Whittell.
The Tortoise team are joined by politics lecturer and author Remi Adekoya to discuss the backlash against Keir Starmer praising Margaret Thatcher, an assasination plot in the US and Nigel Farage on I’m A Celebrity.
Was Henry Kissinger a force for good and has Elon Musk finally gone too far?
The Tortoise team are joined by economist Linda Yueh to discuss the former US secretary of state’s record, Elon Musk’s tirade and Cop28.
The Elgin marbles debate and could a pause in fighting become a ceasefire in Gaza?
David Aaronovitch joins the Tortoise team to talk about his new series and what should lead the news.
When is a tax cut not a tax cut?
After Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement Tortoise was joined by the FT’s Claer Barrett to record a special episode in front of an audience in the newsroom.
Open warfare at OpenAI and Jess Phillips on her resignation
The Labour MP joins the Tortoise team to talk about quitting her frontbench role to vote for a ceasefire in Gaza. They also discuss Sam Altman’s firing, housing for vulnerable people and when protest becomes intimidation.
After Rwanda, what next and could Israel’s raid on a Gaza hospital be a turning point?
James Harding and the Tortoise team make sense of a busy week in British politics, Israel’s raid on Al-Shifa hospital and whether water should be traded like a commodity.
Bonus episode: Rory Stewart on Westminster’s failures and his political future
The former cabinet minister and author of ‘Politics on the Edge’ talks to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding about his political career, Westminster’s dysfunction and what he might do next.
Rory Stewart on David Cameron’s return and Suella Braverman’s sacking
Rishi Sunak has sacked his home secretary and appointed a former prime minister as foreign secretary. Rory Stewart, former cabinet minister and author of ‘Politics on the Edge’, joins the Tortoise team to discuss that and the situation in Gaza.
Bonus episode: James O’Brien on the people who broke Britain and how we fix it
The LBC presenter talks to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding about the people who he thinks broke Britain, why there aren’t any rules anymore and his approach to journalism.
James O’Brien on Suella Braverman and why Shell is suing Greenpeace
James Harding and the Tortoise team are joined by the LBC presenter to discuss the home secretary’s attack on the police, a topsy-turvy week in US politics and the oil giant taking environmental campaigners to court.
Should pro-Palestinian marches go ahead on Armistice Day?
James Harding and the Tortoise team are joined by economist Ian Goldin to discuss the pro-Palestinian protests in the UK, attitudes towards immigration and whether we should feel sorry for Sam Bankman-Fried
What we learnt from the Covid inquiry and what’s been happening at Bletchley Park?
James Harding and the Tortoise team are joined by former BBC editor Katy Searle to discuss the Covid inquiry, Israel’s response to the Hamas attack and the prime minister’s AI summit.
Who is the new US House Speaker?
Plus: what happened at Dagestan’s Makhachkala airport, and the impct of the new Levelling Up Act on house building
What does Saudi Arabia want?
Matt Chorley joins the Tortoise team to discuss Saudi Arabia’s role in the Israel-Hamas war and Keir Starmer’s position on the conflict. Plus: bankers’ bonuses and look ahead to the general election
What’s delaying Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza?
As Israel prepares to enter Gaza, former BBC Middle East correspondent Paul Wood explains why the ground offensive hasn’t started yet and how Israel is approaching this war. Plus Labour’s by-election victories and Giorgia Meloni’s family values.
Israel-Hamas war: what role can diplomacy play?
The question of the role and limits of diplomacy hangs over the Middle East. James Harding is joined by Lina Khatib, director of the Middle East Institute at SOAS, former US ambassador Matthew Barzun and Tortoise’s Jess Winch.
Israel and Gaza: Blinken’s diplomacy and Netanyahu’s next move
James Harding is joined from Jerusalem by journalist Noga Tarnopolsky and hears from Yousef Hammash, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s advocacy officer in Gaza.
Israel and Gaza: what happens next?
Lawrence Freedman and Shaina Low join to discuss the BBC’s decision not to call Hamas terrorists, Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to the attack on Israel and the situation in Gaza
Israel at war
Political scientist Yascha Mounk joins James Harding, Basia Cummings and Giles Whittell for this special episode making sense of the Hamas attack on Israel and where it might lead.
How should we cover migration stories and why did Rishi Sunak cancel part of HS2?
James Harding is joined by BBC News and Mastermind presenter Clive Myrie, Jess Winch and Jeevan Vasagar to discuss HS2, migration and the case of soldier Jaysley Beck.
One thing unites the Tories – they’re all unhappy with Sunak
Plus: the water companies wanting to hike bills and the pro-Russia party that just won Slovakia’s election
Why are six young people taking 32 countries to court and what is Suella Braverman up to?
Giles Whittell is joined by comedian Andy Hamilton and Tortoise editors Basia Cummings and Jess Winch to discuss Suella Braverman’s speech about migration, the Portuguese young people taking countries to court and why we’re taking more sick days.
Is HS2 a high-speed failure?
Plus: Adidas’s single-use super shoe and the asteroid sample that could hold the secret to how life began
Are journalists too obsessed with bad news and did Rupert Murdoch make a secret deal with Prince William?
Steven Pinker, Harvard professor and author of Enlightenment Now, criticises the news machine. Plus whether Prince William reached a secret out of court settlement with Rupert Murdoch and News Group over phone hacking and Canada’s row with India.
The Russell Brand allegations and is climate change to blame for the Libya disaster?
Basia Cummings is joined by Giles Whittell, Jeevan Vasagar and Coco Khan to discuss the accusations against Russell Brand, flooding in Libya and the American XL bully ban.
Keir Starmer on the offensive and is the UK in a recession?
Andy Haldane, former Bank of England chief economist, offers his assessment of the UK economy. Plus Keir Starmer begins to set out his stall in two Murdoch-owned papers and Bernard Looney’s resignation from BP.
Why do we struggle to care about climate stories?
James Harding is joined by Jess Winch, Jeevan Vasagar and parliamentary sketchwriter Rob Hutton. They discuss the researcher arrested over alleged spying for China, Woking council cutting services and efforts to reduce global warming.
Isn’t it time The Rolling Stones admitted they’re a PR stunt?
Plus: Yalda Hakim on the difference between Melania Trump and Olena Zelenska, and Toyota’s plans to build fuel cells
Is the NHS “fobbing off” the mother of a girl who died of sepsis?
In this special episode of The News Meeting, James Harding is joined by Merope Mills, the mother of 13-year-old Martha who died unnecessarily from sepsis, and Polly Curtis from Demos, who are campaigning for “Martha’s rule” – the right to call for a second opinion – to understand how to make the change happen.
What a needless death teaches us about a toxic NHS culture
James Harding is joined by Tortoise editors Basia Cummings, Jeevan Vasagar and Giles Whittell. They discuss the risk of collapsing schools, an EU report on Kremlin disinformation and why the parents of Martha Mills, who died from sepsis, are campaigning for patients to have the right to a second opinion if they have concerns about their care.
Can the US and China be the best of frenemies?
James Harding and the team are joined by the FT’s US Financial editor Brooke Masters to discuss Gina Raimondo’s trip to China, the ULEZ expansion and massive pandemic relief fraud.
Are the British Museum thefts more than just a whodunnit?
Ben Bradshaw joins to discuss the thefts from the British Museum, Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood u-turn and the Republican primary debate
Bonus episode: After Prigozhin’s reported death, what now?
In this special episode of The News Meeting the team discuss what Yevgeny Prigozhin’s reported death means for Vladimir Putin, the Wagner Group, Ukraine and the West.
Women’s football requires changes – some of them controversial
Plus: Donald Trump’s refusal to attend the Republican primary debate, and why wasn’t Lucy Letby stopped sooner?
Why is the US failing Afghan refugees?
Plus: the ongoing impact of the PSNI data breach and what makes Elon Musk a “space dictator”
What do you do when somebody is dying at the top of a mountain?
Plus: what’s happening in Niger and why King Charles is getting a pay rise
Zelda Perkins on toxic workplace culture
James Harding and the team are joined by campaigner Zelda Perkins. They discuss claims about the culture at ITV, Conservative grumblings over the ECHR and the Ohio vote that delivered a win for abortion rights campaigners
What happens when you’re switched at birth and what does Rishi Sunak believe?
James Harding and the team discuss the jailing of Imran Khan in Pakistan, two Canadian men who discovered they were switched at birth and dozens of swimmers getting sick at the world triathlon championship.
Why is the latest Trump indictment so significant and who cares about wild camping?
Giles Whittell and the team discuss the latest charges against Donald Trump, assisted dying and wild camping returning to Dartmoor.
Why should you care about a coup in Niger and what is carbon capture?
Liz Moseley and the team discuss Rishi Sunak’s new carbon capture scheme in the North Sea, the coup in Niger and the death of Rianna Cleary’s baby in prison.
How do you report climate science and should UFOs ever lead the news?
What should lead the news? Three journalists pitch the story they think matters most to deputy editor Giles Whittell. They discuss a new law that curtails the power of Israel’s Supreme Court, Nigel Farage’s war on Coutts and whether the Gulf Stream will really collapse by 2025. They also find time to talk about the US congressional hearings on UFOs.
Odesa cathedral, green policies reconsidered and Cookham Wood
In this episode Liz Moseley is in the editor’s chair. The team discusses the Russian attack that damaged Odesa cathedral, the fallout from last week’s by-elections and shocking failures at a young offender institution.
Post Office scandal, Starmer benefit row, and grain deal
In this episode, recorded in front of an audience in the Tortoise newsroom, James Harding is joined by Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff, Liz Moseley and Katie Gunning.
European heat storm, inheritance tax, and Hollywood strikes
The team discusses the record-breaking heatwave in southern Europe, potential plans to scrap inheritance tax, and why Hollywood’s actors and writers are going on strike. James also reflects on The Sun’s coverage of the Huw Edwards allegations.
El Niño, mortgage costs, and missing migrant boats
Basia Cummings is in the editor’s chair. She’s joined by Cat Neilan, Claudia Williams and Stephen Armstrong who pitch rising mortgage rates, migrant boats missing in the Atlantic and catastrophic weather in the US.
Bonus episode: the BBC presenter and privacy
In this special episode James Harding explores why the media is reluctant to name the BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager for explicit images. He’s joined by Pia Sarma, editorial legal director at Times newspapers, and former BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw.
BBC presenter suspended, NHS & big pharma, and cluster bombs
Before founding Tortoise James Harding was head of BBC News. In this episode he’s joined by journalists Liz Moseley, Will Brown and Ceri Thomas, a former editor of Radio 4’s Today programme, to discuss the scandal surrounding a BBC presenter and what it means for the corporation.
They also cover the US government’s decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine, and the links between the NHS and big pharma.
Threads vs. Twitter, OnlyFans billboard, and Horizon membership
The team discusses Meta launching Threads to challenge Twitter, the billboard advertising an explicit OnlyFans account that sparked complaints and the UK edging closer to rejoining the EU’s Horizon programme.
France riots, Ukraine’s counteroffensive, and affirmative action
The team discusses the violence that has erupted in France, Ukraine’s faltering counteroffensive and the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn race-based college admissions.
Russian infighting, Thames Water, and Nicola Bulley’s inquest
James Harding is joined by Tortoise journalists Basia Cummings, Claudia Williams and Cat Neilan. They discuss Russia after the failed Wagner rebellion, the politics of water amid fears that Thames Water could collapse, and a coroner’s ruling that Nicola Bulley’s death was accidental.
Titanic sub, interest rate rise, and short children
James Harding is joined by Tortoise editors Jess Winch, Liz Moseley and Giles Whittell. In this episode they discuss the hunt for the missing Titan submersible, British children being shorter than their international peers and the Bank of England’s latest hike in interest rates.
Jailed for abortion, Pacific warming and peerages
James Harding is joined by Tortoise editors Basia Cummings, Cat Neilan and Giles Whittell. In this episode they discuss a British woman jailed for using abortion pills, the El Niño effect in the Panama Canal and Boris Johnson’s honour’s list.
The News Meeting Live: Trump’s toilet troubles, wildfires and the allegations against Crispin Odey
In this episode, recorded at Kite Festival on Sunday 11th June, James Harding is joined on stage by Tortoise editors Alexi Mostrous, Basia Cummings and Jeevan Vasagar.
Ukraine dam explosion, Saudi sport washing and economic policy
James Harding is joined by Tortoise editors Jess Winch and Giles Whittell, and Tortoise chairman Matthew Barzun who was US ambassador to London. In this episode they discuss the Kakhovka dam, the real difference between the economic policies of major political parties and golf’s PGA Tour merging with its Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf.
MeToo in the media, Whitehall WhatsApps and deep-sea mining
James Harding is joined by Tortoise editors Jeevan Vasagar, Jane Bruton and Giles Whittell. In this episode they discuss the sexual harassment allegations against former Observer columnist Nick Cohen; the Cabinet Office’s battle over Boris Johnson’s WhatApp messages; and a new frontier in the fight against climate change – deep below sea level.
Cardiff riots, rape trials and Tina Turner
James Harding is joined by Tortoise editors Liz Moseley, Keith Blackmore and Mark St Andrew. In this episode they discuss Cardiff police’s response to a fatal e-bike crash which sparked a riot, proposals to block using rape victims’ sexual history as evidence in a trial and the death of music legend, Tina Turner.
The News Meeting Live: immigration, Ron DeSantis and Zelensky’s European tour
James Harding is joined by Tortoise’s Alexi Mostrous, Liz Moseley and Katie Gunning in front of a live audience at London’s Picturehouse Central.
Contraceptives, monarchy and Trump liable for sexual abuse
James Harding is joined by Liz Moseley, Phoebe Davis and Keith Blackmore to discuss the stories they think mattered most this week.
Artificial intelligence, house building and the TV writers strike
Liz Moseley is joined by Tortoise’s political editor Cat Neilan, investigations editor Alexi Mostrous and head of live events Mark St Andrew. In this episode they discuss the American writers strike, the Conservative Party’s problem with housing and dire warnings about the future of artificial intelligence.
Sudan, the resignation of Dominic Raab and Joe Biden
James Harding is joined by Tortoise news editor Jess Winch, political editor Cat Neilan and audio editor Basia Cummings. In this episode they discuss the escalating situation in Sudan, the resignation of Dominic Raab and US President Joe Biden running for reelection.
The News Meeting Live: Fox settles, Musk’s rocket and the SNP
James Harding is joined by comedian Rosie Holt and Tortoise editors Liz Moseley and Giles Whittell in this special episode recorded in front of an audience in the Tortoise newsroom.
Pentagon leaks, China’s war games and sewage dumping
Journalist and broadcaster Rachel Johnson is joined by Tortoise reporter Will Brown, climate editor Jeevan Vasagar and producer Katie Gunning.
In this episode they discuss the leak of classified US intelligence documents, Chinese military exercises around Taiwan and the report which revealed that sewage was dumped in UK waters for almost a million hours last year.