The Story

The Supreme Court has ruled that only people who are born female should be protected from discrimination as women under the Equality Act. What does the ruling change and how did we get here?Guest: Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at Sex Matters and author of Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality. https://oneworld-publications.com/work/trans/Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Shabnam Grewal and Rosie Stopher.Clips: Times Radio, Supreme Court, BBC News Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

The government has taken control of one of the last steel-making plants in the UK, after its Chinese owners threatened to close it. Some ministers have accused China of sabotaging British Steel to force us to import from China. But is that what happened? Or, when it comes to steel-making, did this country long ago sabotage itself?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: Dominic O’Connell, Business Correspondent, Times Radio.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Taryn Siegel.Clips: Times Radio, Parliament TV, British Film Institute/Getty Images.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com  

Recreational use of the Class B drug doubled in 2024. A Sunday Times investigation has looked into where it's coming from and why it's so hard to police.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: Katie Gatens, Commissioning Editor, The Sunday Times News Review.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.Further reading: One gram of ketamine and its 4,000-mile journey to the UK. Further listening: The truth behind the drama AdolescenceIf you or someone you know needs drugs help or advice, visit talktofrank.comPhoto: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

The US Constitution seems to be clear, but that hasn’t stopped President Trump and his allies from dangling the possibility that Trump won’t vacate the office in 2029. Is this just media trolling, or is there actually an argument to be made here? We asked a constitutional expert for the answer.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:Will Pavia, New York Correspondent, The Times.Suzanna Sherry, Herman O. Loewenstein Chair in Law Emerita, Vanderbilt UniversityHost: Luke Jones.Producer: Taryn Siegel.Further reading: These Jack Kerouac letters are selling for $250,000. I read themClips: NBC News, CNN, NewsNation, Newsmax, The White House. Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com  

This episode was originally published last November.As inquiries about relocating to the Emirati city from the UK have risen four-fold in the past five years; what does its allure say about life back home?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryFurther reading: Dubai’s allure to UK youth should raise alarmhttps://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/allure-dubai-uk-youth-raise-alarm-xq7s8d8sgGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.ukGuest: Will Lloyd, reporter at The Sunday Times.Host: Luke Jones.Producer: Will Roe.Photo: Getty images.

10 Downing Street is a rabbit warren of offices in a Georgian townhouse, and the centre of power in Britain. But how much control does it really exert over the rest of government, does it matter who has what job, and should we turn the whole thing into a museum?The political masterminds discuss how number 10 really works, and Polly explains why her husband thinks Canada is worse than North Korea.Send questions, comments and voicenotes to howtowin@thetimes.co.uk.

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are locked in a tit-for-tat trade war, as both sides refuse to back down from retaliatory tariffs. China was hit with a whopping 125 per cent levy on exports to the US, and has fought back with 84% tariffs on American goods. So who will blink first? 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: Rana Mitter, ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Sam Chantarasak.Clips: Reuters, CBS News. Photo: Times Design.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com 

As news unexpectedly emerged that the US and Iran are to hold talks in Oman this weekend, President Trump warned Tehran that it must either cut a deal to cease all nuclear weapons development, or face the very real threat of military strikes. But just as the Trump Administration is divided on whether or not to attack, so Iranian society is split between those who fear war and those who support removal of the regime at any cost.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: Sanam Vakil, Director of Middle East and North Africa programme, Chatham House and Holly Dagres, Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute. Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Edith Rousselot.Further reading: Iran has every incentive to make a nuclear deal with TrumpClips: Sky News, Fox News, TikTok, Al Jazeera, Straight Arrow News, Reuters.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com 

Britain’s obsessed with chicken - we eat more than a billion birds a year. And to (literally) feed our hunger, many farmers have turned to fast-growing birds. But now, a new initiative is persuading supermarkets and restaurants to try a slower-growing breed. Will it mean higher-welfare birds? 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: Harry Wallop, Columist and Feature Writer, The Times.Host: Luke Jones.Producer: Olivia Case.Clips: Internet Archive / Prelinger Archives / The Chicken of Tomorrow (1948).Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com