Next Wednesday, Chancellor John Healey will lay out the first Budget of Andy Burnham’s premiership.

Last month, in his first conference speech as Prime Minister, Burnham promised the Labour party faithful ‘a new social contract for the 21st century’: greater public control of water and energy, a National Care Service and more council homes. Although he was careful to say his plans for Britain stretch across multiple Parliaments, next week his Chancellor has to pay for the first step towards that vision - with the nation’s finances under serious strain.

Inflation is higher than in France or Germany, borrowing is £8.1 billion above forecast for the first five months of the year, and national debt is close to 95% of GDP. The 30-year gilt yield, the same bond market measure that brought down Liz Truss, briefly topped 6%, its highest level since the late 1990s.

So, with financial markets breathing down Healey’s neck, what can we actually expect? Tax and spend? Steady as she goes? Or something totally unexpected? And what can you do to protect your hard-earned cash? On this special episode of Deep Dive, This Is Money’s Simon Lambert is joined by Political Editor James Tapsfield, fresh from Prime Minister’s Questions, to speculate.

Host: Simon Lambert

Producer: William Colledge

Executive Producer: Joseph Luke Palmer

Follow the work of the Daily Mail's award-winning Deep Dive team by clicking here: https://www.dailymail.com/news/deep-dive/index.html

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump caught the world’s press by surprise last week, announcing a shock diesel deal with Russia after a phone call with Vladimir Putin meant to be about a suspected plague outbreak in Siberia.

In a Truth Social post, the President promised that 300,000 tonnes of highly coveted diesel would immediately enter global markets, with a further 4.5 million mooted for release in time.

Reaction to the deal at home and abroad has been far from enthusiastic. Six senators, four of them Republicans, demanded it be immediately reversed. Volodymyr Zelenskyy branded it a ‘weak decision’, and in the Mail on Sunday, Trump admirer Boris Johnson described the President’s behaviour as ‘sickening’.

With the backlash still coming thick and fast, we ask: is the deal worth it? Will cheaper diesel actually help Republicans at the ballot box? And how do Ukrainians feel about their biggest backer bankrolling their enemy?

To answer these questions, Chris Pleasance is joined by Chief Foreign Correspondent Andy Jehring, just back in London from Ukraine, and White House Correspondent Jon Michael Raasch.

Host: Chris Pleasance

Producer: William Colledge

Executive Producer: Joseph Luke Palmer

Follow the work of the Daily Mail's award-winning Deep Dive team by clicking here: https://www.dailymail.com/news/deep-dive/index.html

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2017, reports emerged that Britain’s Special Air Service - the country’s most celebrated regiment - was being investigated over allegations that its soldiers had executed scores of captives in Afghanistan. These accusations led to a damaging shift in perceptions of the armed forces, with soldiers widely castigated as war criminals.

But Daily Mail Defence Editor Mark Nicol argues these reports misrepresented the reality of operations in Afghanistan, and the impossible position the SAS was put in.

His new book, Blades: The Untold Story of SAS Operations in Afghanistan, lifts the lid on what really happened and details why he believes Britain’s most elite soldiers were failed by their government.

Mark joins host Chris Pleasance to reveal what he’s uncovered, and the troubling questions his investigation raises about the state of Britain’s armed forces.

Host: Chris Pleasance

Producer: William Colledge

Executive Producer: Joseph Luke Palmer

Follow the work of the Daily Mail's award-winning Deep Dive team by clicking here: https://www.dailymail.com/news/deep-dive/index.html

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.