The Prime Minister has been hunkered down in his Chequers residence, trying to decide what to do: resign or fight. The pressure on him to step down has now reached fever pitch since Andy Burnham’s by-election win last week. But as ministers jostle for position in a potential new government, who is still telling him to fight on? And if he does give in, how much would actually change under a Prime Minister Burnham? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent, The Times. 

Host: Luke Jones. 

Producers: Micaela Arneson, Harry Stott. 

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: In public, Keir Starmer is defiant. In private, he ‘considers resigning’

Further listening: The State of It: Andy Burnham wins Makerfield: what happens now?

Clips: BBC News, Sky News. 

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

Nearly 7,000 men have played in the World Cup since it began in 1930. To capture some of their extraordinary stories, The Times' football reporter James Gheerbrant set out on a quest to track down 48 players from the 48 countries playing in this year's tournament. We hear the remarkable memories of 3 of them: One of the old surviving players, another who trained under the shadow of gunfire in Vietnam, and a final player whose team endured death threats.

Guest: James Gheerbrant, football reporter, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: 48 countries, 48 players: World Cup through eyes of men who played in it.

Further listening: Who is the “king of soccer" Gianni Infantino?

Clips: ITN, BBC, CNN.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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Sophia Greenwood was adopted as a baby and spent years searching for her biological parents. When she finally met her father at the age of 24, neither could have predicted what happened next. Their relationship would spark controversy, lead to criminal proceedings, and shape the rest of their lives.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Written by: Sophia Greenwood and Helen Croydon.

Read by: Molly Guinness.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: I was 24 when I met my biological father. Then we had an affair

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

Andy Burnham's victory in Makerfield makes him Labour leader and prime minister in waiting. How will the next days and weeks play out? Keir Starmer has said he will stand in a leadership contest if one is triggered. So does that mean a bloody contest rather than a coronation? In a special episode recorded live on Times Radio with Ed Vaizey, we go through the possible scenarios.

Hosts:

• Ed Vaizey, presenter, Times Radio
• Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times
• Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times

Producers: Harry Kitson, Erin Carney

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Picture: Getty Images

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding this week to begin negotiations toward a broader peace agreement in the Middle East. But what does the deal look like inside Iran? And how are ordinary Iranians responding to this moment?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Fatemeh Jamalpour, Iranian journalist in exile and author of For the Sun After Long Nights. 

Host: Luke Jones

Producers: Sophie McNulty, Elle Scott. 

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: In Tehran, Iranians dare to hope this is the death of the regime

Further listening: Will Trump’s Iran peace deal hold?

Clips: NBC, CNN, The Guardian, Donald Trump - Truth Social, PBS, Al Jazeera. 

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

Eighteen firebombings across Europe, including in London, have all been allegedly traced back to one man. Iranian-backed Mohammed al-Saadi was finally caught by the FBI last month. But how did a man no one had heard of come to allegedly execute these orders? And how was he finally caught? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Dipesh Gadher, home affairs correspondent, The Sunday Times.

Host: Luke Jones. 

Producer: Olivia Case.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: How net closed in on ‘mastermind behind UK arson attacks’

Clips: ABC, i24News. 

Photo: FBI, Instagram.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

As England kick off their World Cup campaign tonight, one man will be impossible to ignore: FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Hailed by supporters as the man who transformed football’s governing body and accused by critics of chasing power and influence, he's become one of the most powerful figures in global sport. But who is the man at the centre of football's biggest stage?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Martyn Ziegler chief sports reporter, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producers: Dave Creasey and Edward Drummond.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: The ruthless rise of Gianni Infantino and his Fifa money machine

Further listening: The Game

Clips: BBC News, FIFA, Sky News, Channel 4 News, Fox News, CNN.

Image: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

The government has announced a ban on some social media platforms for under-16s. It’s a move that echoes a similar ban introduced by the Australian government, which came into effect in December. So what are teens actually looking at on social media? And will a ban help? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Mark Sellman, technology correspondent, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Micaela Arneson, Harry Bligh.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Doomscrolling 708 videos a day: how TikTok turned our teens into addicts 

Further listening: How infinite scrolling damages our brains - The Saturday Story

Clips: The Times, Times Radio, Revealing Reality, BBC News, Sky News.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

Donald Trump has announced that his much trailed peace deal with Iran is to be signed this Friday, bringing an end to hostilities between the two countries and opening up the strait of Hormuz. With the fine print still to be worked out, many questions about the deal remain. Can it bring some stability to the world economy? And will it actually bring peace to the Middle East in the long term?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guests: 

• Mohamed El-Erian, economist and former International Monetary Fund Deputy Director 
• Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, former US ambassador and president of the Middle East Policy Council, now senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. 

Hosts: Jane Garvey and Fi Glover.

Producer: Hannah Quinn. 

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Trump’s deal with Iran will make the world’s tyrants smile

Further listening: “Everyone hates you now” - Could Lebanon cost Trump his Iran deal?

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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The annual G7 summit starts today in France. The normally stuffy, formal affair has been shaken up in recent years by Donald Trump, who has sparred with nearly all of America’s allies. So is the G7 still the powerful, united global force it once was? And with China building its own alliance, how should it respond? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Catherine Philp, world affairs editor, The Times. 

Host: Luke Jones. 

Producers: Micaela Arneson. 

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: How the G7 will look by 2050 — and what it means for us

Further listening: Could China become the world's policeman?

Clips: Arirang News, Al Jazeera, BBC News, The Hill, Dawn News English, PBS. 

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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

Following months of police inaction over the disappearance of British tourist Lorna McSorley, we reveal a high-tech breakthrough. A new digital trail reveals potential suspects who might hold the answer to what happened - and seems to confirm the worst of local fears.

This is the final episode of a special three-part investigation.

WARNING: This episode contains graphic descriptions of murder and violence.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Host: Jane Flanagan.

Producer: Harry Stott.

Executive Producers: Taryn Siegel and Kate Lamble.

We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Disappearances stoke fear of more ‘witchcraft murders’ after Briton vanished

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

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