Will The Tories Make A Pact With Reform?

The Newscast episode begins with a lively exchange between Chris Mason and Adam Fleming about the atmosphere at the Conservative Party conference, where the mood is described as 'chipper.' Chris provides insight into Kemi Badenoch's leadership, noting that she is polling better than the party itself, despite overall poor poll ratings for the Conservatives. Badenoch emphasizes the importance of presenting her party as the credible alternative to Labour in a potentially multi-party landscape ahead of the next election.

They discuss the Conservatives’ pledges and the challenge of winning the next election given their current standing in opinion polls. A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the speculation surrounding a suspected case of plague in Russia, including details about a woman who worked at a plague institute and related media speculation. Experts on the episode provide clarification regarding the nature of plague and under what conditions it might pose a risk, while also examining the implications of distrust in information within Russia.