The Story

Andy Burnham is facing the first big test of his premiership. With jails reaching a crisis point, the government has announced an emergency early release scheme to avoid running out of prison spaces by the end of this year. But Burnham’s proposals have faced an outcry from victims. So what options are left?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests:Oliver Wright, policy editor, The Times.Andrew Neilson, Director of Campaigns, The Howard League for Penal Reform. Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Micaela Arneson, Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Who is in our overflowing prisons — and why?Clips: Thames Valley Police, BBC, Sky, TalkTV.Photo: Getty Images.

Nigel Farage has had a tricky summer. With his party down in the polls and beset by scandal, it hasn’t been ideal preparation for Thursday’s by-election. So Times Radio's Rosie Wright heads to the seaside in Essex to see how locals are feeling about the vote, before asking one of our politicos if the whole stunt has actually backfired.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Josh Glancy, associate editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Rosie Wright, Times Radio breakfast show presenter.Producers: Harry Stott.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: To stop Reform’s slump, Nigel Farage needs to win places like thisFurther listening: Posh George: the criminal behind FarageClips: The Telegraph / Youtube, LBC, BBC, Whitehall Sources, Rupert Lowe / X.Photo: Getty Images.

The UK produces around half of the food we eat but this year's droughts have led to shriveling crops and farmers struggling to feed their animals. Is our changing climate jeopardising our food security?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests:Olly Harrison, cereals farmer.Ben Cooke, environment correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Drained reservoirs may not prevent harvest being worst on recordFurther listening: Why young high achievers are leaving BritainClips: Sky News. Photo: Getty Images.

This week, Jason Arday, who made history as Cambridge’s youngest black professor, resigned after facing serious allegations of plagiarism. How did Arday's dramatic downfall unfold? And why has this academic row sparked global headlines? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Emma Yeomans, news reporter, The TimesHost: Manveen RanaProducer: Sophie McNultyWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Jason Arday: Times analysis finds ‘impossible’ data in his workClips: Channel 5, Sky News, Channel 4, BBC, The Telegraph.Photo: Joshua Bratt for The Times.

The Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harila smashed the speed record for the world’s 14 highest peaks. But soon after, her career unravelled. Could she have done more to help another mountaineer in trouble?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryRead by: Matthew Campbell, foreign features editor, The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Emily Webb.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comPhoto: Getty Images.

In the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, citizens are facing escalating missile attacks from Russia and the country is out of interceptor missiles to prevent them. But behind the scenes, Ukraine has been plotting to bring down Russia’s biggest online retailer, Wildberries. If successful, it could be ruinous for the Russian economy.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Catherine Philp, world affairs editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Emily Webb.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Ukraine is hammering Wildberries warehouses. What is its strategy?Clips: BBC, Sky News, CNN, The i Paper, Radio Free Europe, CBC.Photo: Getty Images.

After breaking the story of a secret scheme to sell off the World Cup, our reporter unpacks the growing rebellion threatening to end Gianni Infantino's presidency. But how did Infantino’s plans unravel so quickly? And can FIFA be redeemed after yet another leadership scandal?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Martyn Ziegler, chief sports reporter, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Harry Stott, Jennifer Kennedy.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: How Gianni Infantino engineered World Cup to sell his doomed planFurther listening: Who is the “king of soccer" Gianni Infantino?Clips: Sky News, Sky Sports News, 7News, BBC News, CBC, TalkSport.Photo: Getty Images.

‘There’s something wrong when aspirational high achievers see no future for themselves here,’ says Times columnist Cindy Yu. The exodus is small, but growing - the Office for National Statistics says there’s been a fivefold increase in 25-to-34-year-old British nationals leaving the UK since 2022. But why are they off, what are they searching for, and could anything encourage them to stay?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests: Cindy Yu, columnist and contributing editor, The Times and The Sunday Times.Dan Lowe, physiotherapist and content creator.Jessica Ye, doctor.Host: Luke JonesProducers: Olivia Case, Jennifer Kennedy, Shabnam GrewalWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Why my friends talk about leaving Britain.Photo: Getty Images

The largest single illegal border crossing in the history of the European Union took place last week as 60,000 migrants arrived in the Spanish city of Ceuta on the north coast of Africa. But why did they all come at once? Was a Spanish legal change to blame, or foreign actors annoyed at Spain’s lenient migration policy? And how did it reignite questions about migration in the UK?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests:Katie Gatens, Europe correspondent, The Sunday Times.Peter Frankopan, Professor of Global History at Oxford University.Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Olivia Case and Jennifer Kennedy.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Reform pledges to send in the navy to stop small boat crossingsFurther listening: Europe on fireClips: Al Jazeera, GB News, CSPAN, 9 News Australia, The Mirror, Reform UK, El Debate, The New York Post. Photo: Getty Images.