Change . You tell me and get this the media democracy festival takes place this weekend. Sounds fabulous. What, though, is their first item of discussion . Any guesses how to solve a problem like gb news . A look at here. Conspiracy and bias. Well, look at that. Yes, indeed. Thats all at that. Yes, indeed. Thats all to come over the next hour. Richard tice Angela Phillips keeping me company. But before we get stuck in, lets cross live for tonights latest news headunes. Headlines. Im sophia wenzler in the gb newsroom. Your top story. Kemi badenoch has become the first government minister to say francescas remarks about diane abbott were racist. She welcomed mr hesters apology, but said its Never Acceptable to conflate someones views with the colour of their skin. Its after the conservative partys biggest donor reportedly said miss abbott made him want to hate all black women and she should be shot. Mr hester has now apologised and says he abhors racism. Miss abbott, abhors racism. Miss
Johnson could be deployed to the red wall to campaign for the tories in the next general election. Well be hearing from voters in a tory stronghold and what they think about his potential return. And later in the show, andrea jenkyns, who says this is all absolute codswallop. Thats all coming up in your next hour. Welcome to the show. So yesterday, lee anderson defects to reform, sensationally sending seismic ripples through the tory party today. Oh, call me a cynic. Bofis today. Oh, call me a cynic. Boris johnson is being deployed to the red wall to try and save the conservatives faith. This feels to me like the classic dead cat story. Nothing to see here. Say cc hq , all is fine. Here. Say cc hq, all is fine. Bofis here. Say cc hq, all is fine. Boris will ride in on his white horse with his scruffy hair and save the day, but does the idea have any merit . Would it convince you to stick with the tories after that brexit revolt in 2019, or is it simply curtains for the conservatives
That . Am i just being a dinosaur and i have to accept the future . Or is there something a little bit more sinister at play and the nhs . We know, dont we . It is an absolute shambles right now. 7 million there or thereabouts on the waiting list. And now the boss of a Top Health Insurance company saying, i quote , that the failure presents quote, that the failure presents a Business Opportunity. What do a Business Opportunity. What do you make to that . Is it basic business, common sense or do you firmly disagree with it . Well have it all to come. Fascinating by the way, because ive got a lot on my show tonight. And he also was quite pivotal when it came to removing the ability to pay came to removing the ability to pay cash on public transport. So i cant wait to get into the topics with him. But before we do it, lets get tonights latest headlines with polly middlehurst. Michelle, thank you. Good evening. The top story from the gb news room. The home secretary says lawyers who game t
Polly middlehurst. Michelle, thank you. Good evening to you. Well, the top story tonight on gb news is that teachers are no longer on strike. All four teaching unions in england have accepted a 6. 5 pay in england have accepted a 6. 5 pay rise, meaning all industrial action has been called off. Now it comes after Union Members staged eight days of strike action in state schools since february in their dispute over pay february in their dispute over pay the education secretary, Gillian Keegan welcomed the decision and explain where the money for the pay rise was coming from within the School Budgets with the 2 billion extra that we already got when i was very first in the job at the end of october last year, there was a 3. 5 that schools had budgeted for a pay increase for teachers within that, obviously the strb came back at 6. 5. So the extra 3 is being funded by the department for education. Education. The Prime Minister says the planned expansion of oil and gas drilling in the north
News for the conservatives came in the form of an official recession , with gdp falling 0. 3 recession, with gdp falling 0. 3 in the final few months of last yeah in the final few months of last year. Britain endured two successive quarters of economic contraction. Rishi insists that contraction. Rishi insists that his plan is working, but how much responsibility does he bear for the grim Economic News . Ukrainian forces are on the back foot as they retreat from the eastern town of avdiivka, where Russian Forces threatened to surround them if, as some analysts predict , other european analysts predict, other European Countries will find themselves in a similar shooting match with russia in the next decade , how russia in the next decade, how would they fare . Max jeffrey has just returned from estonia , just returned from estonia, where he observed nato forces taking part in military training exercises. He will join me to discuss what he saw and found , discuss what he saw and found, a