Why Brighton
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In The Room
Conference season is in full swing – and this week, it unfolded across two very different political stages. In Birmingham, the Conservatives came to town. As Kemi Badenoch continues to win strong approval ratings - despite the Conservatives struggling to recover from their 2024 defeat - her conference speech doubled down on a classic Tory pitch: a smaller state, lower taxes, and a return to economic aspiration. Cleo, a veteran of Tory conferences, breaks down the mood in Birmingham and weighs up whether Badenoch’s promises add up. Meanwhile, in Brighton, the Greens held their largest conference to date - but it was dominated by controversy. Members passed a motion declaring Zionism a form of racism, sparking fierce backlash from Jewish community leaders and MPs within the party. Green Party leader Zack Polanski was largely absent, busy campaigning in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. We ask: can the Greens turn controversy into momentum - or has this motion cost them credibility? New episodes of In The Room come out weekly. Listen to the latest on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch on YouTube.
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How life-changing war injuries have transformed people in Gaza
Since October 2023, Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 74,000 people, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The retaliatory strikes followed Hamas’ bloody October 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. For people in Palestine, the October 7 anniversary brings another day living with the results of Israel’s retaliatory strikes. Many people in Gaza are adjusting to their life-changing injuries. Homes, hospitals, universities, and places of worship are now damaged or reduced to rubble. Najwa Abu Eita, 42, showed the Associated Press a photo of herself before she was injured in a bombing in 2024. Her daughter was killed in the strike. She says she is unable to work or afford medical treatment, and her children avoid her because “they are afraid of me and my appearance.”
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Horrifying moment out-of-control hayride flips leaving a dozen injured
More than a dozen children were thrown from a wagon after a tractor flipped during a hayride in upstate New York. Chemung Conty Sheriff’s released surveillance video of the crash which happened at the German Baptist youth group gathering in Wellsburg on October 4. Initially, more than 20 youngsters were onboard but five leapt off when the brakes started smoking and the driver began struggling with mechanical issues, according to witnesses. The ride traveled along for more than a mile and a half before flipping at an intersection and tossing the remaining fifteen people across the road. Most suffered abrasions but the 16-year-old driver remains in a critical condition.
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Kemi Badenoch reveals final message Jeffrey Archer sent her on the day he died
Kemi Badenoch said Jeffrey Archer complimented her on her opening speech at the Conservative Party conference in his final message to her before his death at age 86. The former politician turned bestselling writer died suddenly on Monday (5 October), his publisher said. Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, the Tory leader said: “At 8am yesterday, he sent me a message saying, ‘Great outfit, great speech, no need to reply. And I read it, and I smiled, and I was absolutely shocked in the evening when I heard that he'd passed away.”
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Happy update for more than 80 dogs found in ‘squalid’ faeces-covered home
More than 80 dogs rescued from a “squalid” home in South Yorkshire have found new homes after being discovered living in appalling conditions. The 84 dogs, mostly Springer Spaniels, were rescued from a property in Tickhill, near Doncaster, in April 2025. RSPCA officers discovered many rooms in the house were covered from floor to ceiling in faeces and dirt several inches thick. All but one of the rescued dogs have now been rehomed. Social worker David Parkes, 61, had denied owning or having responsibility for the animals, but was found guilty of three animal welfare offences. His wife Delphine Parkes, 60, and son Sam Parkes, 28, who lived in the same house, both pleaded guilty to three animal welfare offences. All three defendants will be sentenced on 9 December at Doncaster Magistrates' Court.
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Robert Jenrick confronts man for ‘stealing Dr Pepper from Greggs’ in Brixton
Robert Jenrick confronted an alleged shoplifter who he said had taken a bottle of Dr Pepper from a Greggs in Brixton, London. Reform UK’s treasury spokesman released a video of himself on Friday (2 October), showing him approaching a man and telling him: “ I think you just nicked that, didn't you? Well, we just watched you take it. Do you wanna give it back?” The man denies stealing the drink and responds: “Yeah, I’ll give it back.” When Mr Jenrick asked “Why do you think you’re above the law?”, the alleged thief replied: “Because they always give us drinks.” The politician later put the drink in a Greggs fridge. Jenrick previously released a video of himself confronting alleged fare dodgers on the London Underground, as he claimed lawbreakers are “chipping away at society”.
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We like Andy Burnham – but will he be able to keep his promises?
In The Room hits Liverpool for Labour Party Conference. Cleo heads into the hall, fringe events, protests and the media pen, talking to delegates, campaigners and lobbyists to get a feel for Andy Burnham’s Labour. Helen takes a different route, moving between Shelter, the Future Governance Forum and the receptions where senior figures are talking about what comes next. The mood is unusually upbeat, united and hopeful. But beneath the optimism, how much anxiety is there about turning the Burnham bounce into something that lasts? New episodes of In The Room come out weekly. Listen to the latest on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch on YouTube.
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Donald Trump calls Google CEO Sundar Pichai ‘monster’ at ‘Super Intelligence’ summit
Donald Trump called Google CEO Sundar Pichai a “monster” during a White House “Super Intelligence” summit on Tuesday (29 September). The US president appeared to use the term as a compliment and said: "This guy is a monster, and nobody knows. What a great life, to be a monster and not have to go through this," while introducing Mr Pichai to reporters and technology leaders gathered for the event. Pichai responded briefly before Trump continued with the exchange. The remarks came as Trump hosted leading technology executives to discuss the future of AI and announced the US government would officially refer to artificial intelligence as “Super Intelligence”, or SI.
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Watch: Driver ‘too drunk to stand’ arrested after killing motorway worker
A man who was “too drunk to stand up” has been jailed for 10 years after he drove into a coned-off area of motorway roadworks and crashed into a highways worker who had only stepped out of his vehicle seconds earlier. Vilius Domarkas, 38, had just flown into Stansted Airport from his native country Lithuania where he had been in rehab for his drinking problem when the fatal crash on the M23 occurred in the early hours of 8 July. Bodycam footage shows Domarkas slurring his words and taking a breathalyser after the fatality. Lewes Crown Court heard that the builder, who had just split from his wife, had been seen driving “erratically” and drifting between lanes moments before he hit and killed 65-year-old Anthony Howe from Kent. Domarkas, who pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, was also disqualified from driving for 16 years and eight months and the judge ordered the forfeiture of his van.
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Rubio addresses concerns after five suspects in RAF Fairford plot released on bail
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he understood why people were “disturbed” after five suspects arrested over a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford were released on bail on Monday (28 September). Rubio said some of those arrested were still being investigated and had been “very cooperative and very helpful” in what he described as a “very serious incident”. US President Donald Trump said he would not have released the suspects, adding the plot “might be” connected to Iran. The five British men were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and preparing a terrorist act and remain under investigation.
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Dangerous driver clocks 115mph with nine-year-old child in car
A dangerous driver travelled at speeds of more than 115mph with a nine-year-old child in the passenger seat in Nottinghamshire. Johnpaul Allen, 32, of Park Hall Road, Mansfield Woodhouse, narrowly avoided an oncoming car when he swerved past an unmarked police vehicle on the A60 between Worksop and Cuckney. Officers had to drive at more than 115mph to keep up with him. Allen was jailed for six months and banned from holding a licence for 16 months after pleading guilty to dangerous driving at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday (15 September).
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Watch: Salman Rushdie denounces ‘horrifying’ behaviour of ‘thin-skinned’ Trump
Sir Salman Rushdie said he looked forward to the “demolition” of Donald Trump in a wide-ranging interview with The Independent's editor-in-chief, Geordie Greig. The Booker Prize-winning author criticised the US president’s decision to rip down the White House’s East Wing to replace it with a ballroom, and described Trump’s planned 250-foot triumphal arch as “ridiculous.” “We’ll see if he builds it,” the author told The Talk Show. “I look forward to the day when there is no more Trump and every ugly thing he's built gets torn down.”
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Rory Stewart reveals family’s reaction to viral Newsnight moment
Rory Stewart has revealed his family’s reaction to his viral moment on BBC Newsnight. The former Conservative minister spun in his chair and stared at a fellow panelist, New Statesman political editor Ailbhe Rea, during his appearance on 18 September. Presenter Matt Chorley later told The Guardian that he believed Stewart was genuinely “probably just intently listening to what Ailbhe had to say, and that behaviours that look normal in person can appear to be strange on screen. Stewart later said his family told him to disable all of his social media on his phone.
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Rory Stewart reveals family’s reaction to viral Newsnight moment
Rory Stewart has revealed his family’s reaction to his viral moment on BBC Newsnight. The former Conservative minister spun in his chair and stared at a fellow panelist, New Statesman political editor Ailbhe Rea, during his appearance on 18 September. Presenter Matt Chorley later told The Guardian that he believed Stewart was genuinely “probably just intently listening to what Ailbhe had to say, and that behaviours that look normal in person can appear to be strange on screen. Stewart later said his family told him to disable all of his social media on his phone.