The Manchester Briefing from The Mill

In today's episode of the Manchester Briefing from The Mill, we're joined by special guest Toby Harnden, author of Bandit Country. For the last three months, Toby and Mill staff writer Jack Dulhanty have been working to unravel the mystery behind the 1996 bombing of Manchester by the IRA. Last week, counter-terror police announced its investigation into the bomb was no longer active, despite no one being charged. Toby and Jack spoke to police sources on both sides of the Irish sea, consulted previously classified documents and travelled to the borderlands of Northern Ireland for a two-part investigation published over the weekend. On the podcast, they talk about their reporting and the trip they took to South Armagh.To read the two parts of their investigation, go to manchestermill.co.uk. If you'd like to sponsor an episode of the Manchester Briefing, email grace@millmediaco.uk.

In today's episode, Joshi is joined by Mill staff writer Lucy McLaughlin, who has just spent a few days speaking to Makerfield residents, guided by a handy map we have built predicting which wards are most likely to vote Labour and Reform. She found plenty of people who aren't voting, and several who like Burnham but say they will vote for Reform or won't vote at all.We also discuss Joshi's widely-shared essay about the elusive 'Burnhamism' and what the mayor really believes.Join us as a paying member NOW to get Lucy's report from Makerfield and our brand new projection of how different parts of the seat will vote - plus the next editions of our special Burnham Blueprint series. You will also be backing the team who have been covering the mayor for years up close.

In the latest episode of the Manchester Briefing from The Mill, Joshi and Jack discuss what might be in store for Greater Manchester's politics without Andy Burnham in the mayor's office, now that he has found an MP willing to step aside for him in Makerfield's Josh Simons. On top of that, we have a live conversation between Jack and Rob Ford - professor of political science at the University of Manchester - about how the Labour party imploded since its landslide election victory in 2024, and why what we're seeing in today's politics is actually a result of some of the strategic mistakes the party made in the build up to that vote.

In a Manchester briefing first, Jack (Dulhanty) and Jack (Walton) discuss the latter's living situation. Jack lives in a shared ownership flat in MediaCityUK, in Salford, a property he part-acquired after being turfed out by his girlfriend. Shared ownership has been in the news recently, as governments national and local push the model as a way for young people to get on the housing ladder. The reality is not so simple. As Jack - and a recent report by the National Audit Office - has discovered, the shared ownership model makes it harder for people to own more of their properties and makes it even harder for them to sell up.Today's episode was sponsored by Colony, you can find out more about their co-working sites here.

In today's episode Ophira speaks to Hannah Spencer - Green candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection - about dirty campaign tactics, whether or not she makes a living as an 'aristocratic heat pump installer', and get her response after Refrom's Matt Goodwin challenges her to a one on one debate.

In this episode of the Manchester Briefing, Jack Dulhanty and Jack Walton discuss our latest ding-dong with the MEN over it paywalling publicly funded journalism; the exodus of staff at HOME; and Jack Walton's recent piece on the Gorton and Denton by-election. Then they take a look at the other runners and riders vying for the seat, and discuss what they're hearing from campaigners on the ground.

In our first podcast episode of 2026 Joshi and Jack round up the first week back at Mill HQ. They discuss the two major resignations caused by our reporting into the University of Greater Manchester, Manchester City Council and Rochdale Council, and round up Ophira's reporting on a mysterious spate of graffiti targeting Manchester businesses. Thanks to our sponsor, Manchester Museum. If you want to find out more about the Africa Hub's work at the museum, click below:https://www.museum.manchester.ac.uk/galleries/africa-hub

In today’s episode, Joshi and Jack sit down to talk about The Mill’s first ever membership campaign. Over the next few weeks, we want 1,000 new members to join The Mill, so we can commit to six pledges to make Manchester a better place. With that new support, we’ll go into schools to talk about misinformation, make subscriptions free for first time voters and open a mentorship program for aspiring young journalists in Greater Manchester. This is about The Mill’s becoming more than just a newspaper, and how you can be a part of it.