Labour are celebrating big wins in the Blackpool South by-election, in the local elections and in most of the mayoral races that have declared so far.  
 
The Conservatives could lose up to 500 councillors, though their candidate Ben Houchen did hold on to his role as mayor of Tees Valley. A win which gave the prime minister something to be pleased about and will probably help him keep his job for now. 
 
But are these grim results for the Tories enough to see Labour winning the next election? Sky News's projection is that it won't be. They will be the largest party but short of an overall majority. 
 
On the Sky News Daily Niall Paterson talks to Professor Michael Thrasher who carried out the analysis and Sky's deputy political editor Sam Coates on what signals we can take from these results.  
 
Producer: Emma Rae Woodhouse  
Podcast Promotions Producer: Jada-Kai Meosa John 
Editor: Wendy Parker

Thousands of fans have been left frustrated after Manchester’s newest venue delayed its launch again after a string of technical problems.

The Co-op Live arena will be the UK’s largest indoor arena accommodating 23,500 people at a cost of £365m - but it’s yet to officially open its doors, cancelling tours from Peter Kay, Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Olivia Rodrigo.   

On the Sky News Daily Niall Paterson speaks to Sky’s chief North of England correspondent Greg Milam to find out what is behind the delays as well as Pauline Forster, landlady at a gig venue, which has launched several celebrity careers. They discuss the realities and costs of running a small gig venue and why such spaces are important.  

Also on the podcast, Niall gets the latest from the university protests in the US, where riot police have been firing rubber bullets at protesters refusing to disperse from campus. Sky’s US correspondent Martha Kelner shares her eyewitness account from University of California.  

Producers: Rosie Gillott and Emma Rae Woodhouse  
Podcast Promotions Producer: David Chipakupaku  
Editor: Paul Stanworth

Violent protests over the Israel-Hamas war have reached boiling point across university campuses in the United States.

Pro-Palestinian protesters are demanding their universities cut ties with Israel or any companies that support its ongoing war in Gaza.

On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson gets eyewitness analysis from US correspondent Mark Stone in George Washington University. They discuss the arrests, tear gas and counter-protest violence that is taking over universities. 

Plus, Lauren Lassabe Shepherd, a historian at the University of New Orleans and author of ‘Resistance from the Right: Conservatives and the Campus Wars’, looks at how these protests compare to others the US has seen and analyses if the action could lead to change. 

Producer: Soila Apparicio and Emma Rae Woodhouse
Editor: Philly Beaumont

The King has returned to official public duties for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer. Alongside the Queen, he visited a cancer treatment centre to meet staff and patients as part of his new role as patron of Cancer Research UK.

Sources have stressed that despite his return to public engagements, the King still has cancer and will continue to be treated for the undisclosed form of the disease.

On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by Sky’s royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills and NBC royal commentator Daisy McAndrew to discuss how the Palace has managed this turbulent period and how it has been received on both sides of the Atlantic.    

Producer: Emma Rae Woodhouse and Rosie Gillott
Podcast Promotions Producer: David Chipakupaku  
Editor: Philly Beaumont

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf has resigned – days after he cut the SNP's power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens. 
  
It followed a bitter row over the SNP's climbdown on climate targets as he said the agreement between the parties had "served its purpose". 
  
As a result, his former Green allies teamed up with the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats to get behind two no-confidence motions, one in himself as leader of Scotland and another regarding the entire Scottish government. 
  
Now – attention turns to another SNP leadership contest and what the divisions in Scottish politics could mean for the future of the independence campaign.   
  
On the Sky News Daily, Matt Barbet speaks to Paul Hutcheon, political editor of the Daily Record, and Shona Craven, from The National, about how the SNP can move on after Mr Yousaf's resignation. 
  
Plus, Connor Gillies, our Scotland correspondent, explains how the leadership election will unfold.   

Producer: Rosie Gillott 
Promotions producer: Jada-Kai Meosa John 
Editor: Philly Beaumont

The 2 May local elections will have more than 2,600 seats are at stake across 107 English councils. Labour’s Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham are among the 10 city mayors up for re-election.  

Those in Blackpool South will also be voting for their next MP after ex-Tory Scott Benton broke Commons lobbying rules, triggering a by-election.  

With the Conservatives lagging behind Labour in the polls, the outcome will offer some insight on how voters in England and Wales feel ahead of the general election. 

On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by Sky’s deputy political editor Sam Coates to discuss why the elections are so important for the prime minister’s future and where the key political backgrounds are.   

Producers: Emma Rae Woodhouse and Soila Apparicio 
Podcast promotions producer: Iona Brunker 
Editor: Paul Stanworth

Labour have promised to renationalise nearly all passenger railways within their first term if they win the next election. But will it leave the railways better off?  

On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to Sky's political correspondent Sam Coates to discuss the details of Labour's plan and assess if a Great British Railway would be more efficient and cost-effective than the current privatised system. 

Niall also speaks to the editor of Rail magazine, Nigel Harris, to discuss the current state of our railways and what he believes needs to change.   

Elsewhere in politics, the Scottish government has ended its power-sharing agreement with the Greens. Sky's Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies discusses the implications of this for both parties – including a motion of no confidence in First Minister Humza Yousaf.   

Producers: Iona Brunker, Soila Apparicio, Emma Rae Woodhouse 
Editor: Paul Stanworth

Only two months ago Joe Biden joined the social media platform TikTok with a video captioned "lol hey guys". Now, the US president is poised to sign a bill that could ban the popular app - unless its parent company sells it.  
  
The country is concerned that TikTok's owner, Beijing-based tech firm ByteDance, could be forced by Chinese authorities to hand over the user data of almost 170 million American app users.  
  
On this episode, Niall Paterson unpicks the possible ban with Arthi Nachiappan, our technology correspondent. Plus, Chris Stokel-Walker, author of TikTok Boom: China's Dynamite App And The Superpower Race For Social Media, joins Niall to discuss the app's impact in the US - as well as China's influence on technology. 

Since recording this episode, TikTok CEO, Shou Chew said in a statement: "This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court. We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail.

"As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a space where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired."


Producer: Emma Rae Woodhouse 
Assistant producer: Iona Brunker
Promotions producer: David Chipakupaku 
Editor: Paul Stanworth 
 

After months of parliamentary ping-pong between the House of Commons and the Lords, Rishi Sunak's Rwanda Bill has passed. The prime minister called it a "landmark" law, saying that "nothing will stand in our way" of getting flights off the ground within 10 to 12 weeks.  
  
However, the scheme could face yet more hurdles, with the potential for it to be held up by challenges in court.  
  
On this episode, Matt Barbet takes stock of the bill with Adam Parsons, Sky's Europe editor in France, who has been watching migrant boats cross the English Channel even after the bill's passing.  
  
Sky's communities correspondent Becky Johnson also joins Matt to share some of the stories from those asylum seekers already in the UK and what they might expect from the Rwanda bill.  
  
And Dr Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, details the potential impact this new legislation might have on migration figures. 
  
Producer: Rosie Gillott  
Interviews producer: Melissa Tutesigensi-Charles  
Promotions producer: David Chipakupaku    
Editor: Philly Beaumont   

As the first of Donald Trump's four criminal trials begins this week, will it have any effect on his chances of re-election in November? 
  
The former president faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to $130,000 paid to porn star Stormy Daniels. He is accused of falsifying internal business records as part of an alleged scheme to bury stories that he thought might hurt his presidential campaign in 2016. 
  
With all eyes on the New York courtroom, Daily host Matt Barbet speaks to US correspondent James Matthews from outside the first trial Trump will face this year... plus, Washington-based pollster John Zogby explains what it could mean for his popularity amongst voters.   
 
Producer: Emma Rae Woodhouse  
Interviews producer: Melissa Tutesigensi-Charles 
Podcast Promotions Producer: David Chipakupaku   
Editor: Philly Beaumont  

An Israeli missile has struck Iran, in response to the unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel over the weekend by the Iranians.  

It seems an airfield outside of the city of Isfahan was targeted, but Tehran has played down the incident and has indicated it has no plans to retaliate.   

On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by military analyst Sean Bell to find out what exactly happened in the latest attack and what it says about Israel's and Iran's respective military strengths.  

Plus, Niall is also joined by Sky's international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn to analyse where this leaves tension in the Middle East.   

Producer: Rosie Gillott & Emma Rae Woodhouse 
Podcast Promotions Producer: David Chipakupaku  
Editor: Wendy Parker