Deep Dive

All eyes are on Makerfield in Greater Manchester for what looks set to be a tight by-election race between Labour’s ‘King in the North’ Andy Burnham and Reform’s ‘Local Plumber’ Robert Kenyon. Polling gives Burnham a 5-point lead over Kenyon. It is a gap that will be infuriating Nigel Farage, given the presence of a brand new right-wing insurgency hoovering up some of Reform’s natural vote. Host Chris Pleasance speaks to the Daily Mail's policy editor Martin Beckford about Restore Britain, the hardline party founded by Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe after his explosive fallout with Nigel Farage. Then, political editor James Tapsfield breaks down what a Burnham win would mean: a fraught handover battle within Labour, mounting pressure on Keir Starmer, and a possible reckoning for reform. Host: Chris PleasanceProducer: John Rogers Exec Producers: Bella Soames and Joseph Palmer

Twenty seven people are homeless. At least twelve police officers have been injured. Burnt out cars litter the streets.How did this happen?This week, senior reporter James Fielding has been on the ground in Belfast following a vicious stabbing and a spate of anti-immigration riots. He joins Deep Dive host Chris Pleasance to make sense of the unrest as shellshocked communities pick their way through the rubble.Follow James's reporting here: https://www.dailymail.com/profile-345/james-fielding.html.Host: Chris PleasanceEditor: Alex GrahamExecutive Producer: Joseph Luke Palmer

A broken down aircraft carrier. An entire fleet of hunter-attack submarines unfit for war. Dozens of RAF jet pilots stuck in a training backlog. Why are Britain’s armed forces plagued by disaster and delay?This week, defence editor Mark Nicol has been writing about the dire state of Britain’s armed forces, leading the Daily Mail’s Don’t Leave Britain Defenceless campaign.He joins Deep Dive host Chris Pleasance to discuss the near year-long delay to the government's Defence Investment Plan and what Britain's armed forces need to do to prepare for a world where Russia could attack NATO as early as 2030.Read Mark's reporting here: https://www.dailymail.com/profile-881/mark-nicol.htmlHost: Chris PleasanceProducer: Artemis IrvineExecutive Producer: Joseph Luke Palmer

How did some of the worst Nazi war criminals slip through the fingers of the Allies and end up living freely in South America, the Middle East, Africa, and even… the US?Reporter Darren Boyle has written a piece for the Daily Mail about the secret Nazi 'ratlines' - the covert networks that funnelled Hitler's henchmen out of Europe at the end of World War Two.He joins Deep Dive host Chris Pleasance to retrace these routes, exploring how the men did it, what became of them, and whether justice was ever done.Read Darren's full piece here: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15174659/Hitler-Nazi-ratlines-escape-Holocaust.htmlHost: Chris PleasanceProducer: Joe PalmerEditor: Alex Graham Executive Producer: Bella Soames

When the US began bombing Iran back in February, Iran's response was swift: close the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil flows. America has since added its own blockade on top of that, reducing traffic through this artery of global trade to a trickle. At the time, economists warned this could lead to global economic meltdown, but three months later, things feel surprisingly normal. But, three months on, life has largely carried on: petrol is more expensive, energy bills are up, but there's been no economic meltdown. So have we dodged the bullet?Not quite, says economist David Lubin. Deep Dive Host Chris Pleasance is joined by the Chatham House senior research fellow to explain why the real pain is still coming, and why the UK is especially vulnerable. From rising bond yields and interest rate hikes to the spectre of fuel rationing, tax rises, and a potential US stock market crash, Lubin maps out what happens if America and Iran fail to do a deal - and why the longer the strait stays shut, the worse the shock will be to the global economy. Host: Chris PleasanceProducer: Joe Palmer Executive Producer: Bella Soames

In 2009, John Warboys - the so-called black cab rapist - was convicted and jailed, believed to have attacked more than 100 women, making him one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders. Nearly twenty years later, ITV's drama Believe Me has brought his crimes back into the national conversation. Host Nicola Thorpe speaks to two of those survivors: Carrie Johnson, who has written about her experience for the Mail, and "Sarah", who has chosen to remain anonymous. Together, they describe what it took to keep Warboys behind bars - a crowdfunded judicial review that put them at risk of losing their homes if they lost - and the landmark changes to parole board transparency that their campaign helped bring about. This is a story about female friendship, and a justice and policing system that still has a long way to go.Host: Nicola ThorpProducer: Artemis Irvine Content Editor: Joseph Palmer Executive Producer: Bella Soames

Labour is in freefall. After catastrophic local election results - losing 38 councils, nearly 1,500 councillors, their worst-ever showing in Scotland, and a devastating collapse in Wales after 27 years in power - Keir Starmer is clinging to power.Cabinet ministers are briefing against him, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting has already briefed allies that he'll launch a formal leadership challenge. The question is no longer if Starmer goes - but when.Chris Pleasance is joined by the Mail Online's Political Editor James Tapsfield, reporting live from the corridors of Westminster, to untangle the chaotic sequence of WhatsApp rows, 16-minute meetings and backbench rebellions that brought us here. Who can actually replace Starmer? Can Andy Burnham get back into Parliament in time? And is whoever comes next simply inheriting a poisoned chalice?Host: Chris PleasanceGuest: James TapsfieldProducers: Joseph Palmer and John Rogers

Britain goes to the polls on Thursday - and the political map is being redrawn in real time. Daily Mail columnist Guy Adams has spent a week on the campaign trail, canvassing across Wales, and what he found should alarm both Labour and the Conservatives. Labour are losing voters to Reform on the right and the Greens on the left, while the Conservatives are fighting a "rear-guard action". But the story stealing the headlines is the Greens' extraordinary surge under Zack Polanski - a former actor and hypnotherapist who deploys social media with devastating effectiveness. Is he the hard-left Donald Trump? And as thirty Green candidates face antisemitism investigations, what dark forces has he unleashed?More from Guy Adams:https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15783551/Zack-Polanski-huckster-Green-Party-leader.htmlhttps://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15767291/GUY-ADAMS-finds-Labours-grip-Wales-doomed.htmlHost: Chris PleasanceGuest: Guy AdamsProducers: Joseph Palmer and Artemis Irvine

King Charles and Queen Camilla's state visit to the United States is already being hailed as a diplomatic triumph - but can royal charm do what politicians have failed to? Sarah Vine is joined by the Daily Mail's Richard Kay, reporting live from New York, to unpack every extraordinary moment of the first British state visit to the US since 2007. From Charles's barnstorming congressional address, complete with 13 standing ovations and some very cheeky jokes, to the story of HMS Trump's bell and a White House-shaped beehive, the king has navigated a diplomatic minefield with remarkable aplomb. But with Harry taking potshots from Montecito, Andrew lurking in the background, and a new British ambassador already in hot water, there's no shortage of drama. So what does this visit really mean for the special relationship?Hear more from Richard Kay and the Mail's other royal experts on the royal talk show Palace Confidential - on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Host: Sarah VineProducers: Joe Palmer and John RogersExecutive Producer: Bella Soames