This Is Why

The UK is providing jets, drones and our only operational Type 45 destroyer – HMS Dragon – as part of a multinational mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

Thousands of tankers and cargo ships remain stranded after the Strait was closed at the end of February due to the Iran war.

Defence Secretary John Healey has stressed the deployment is a defensive measure to secure freedom of navigation – but will only be used once a ceasefire is in place.

Will these military assets actually make a difference, and how does the Ministry of Defence operate at a time of such political uncertainty?

Niall is joined by military analyst Professor Michael Clarke to find out more about the mission and the equipment the UK is sending.

For more on HMS Dragon, you can listen to our episode with defence analyst Tom Sharpe here.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: why@sky.uk

Keir Starmer is on the brink, as more and more Labour MPs and ministers call for his resignation – less than two years after he walked into Number 10.

He remains defiant (for now), but whatever the fate of the prime minister, his predicament is one we've seen repeated over the past decade in a seemingly never-ending cycle of chopping and changing leaders.

Since David Cameron's resignation in 2016 – after Britain voted to leave the European Union – no prime minister has served a full parliamentary term.

Gareth Barlow speaks to pollster and founder at Merlin Strategy Scarlett Maguire about our impatience with politics and why the country feels ungovernable.

Have you got a question for the show? Email us: why@sky.uk

Despite a disastrous set of local and national election results, the prime minister has vowed to carry on regardless. But dozens of Sir Keir Starmer's Labour MPs have now called on him to resign – or at least set out a timetable for when he will leave Downing Street.

Surely choosing a replacement – or even triggering a leadership contest – should be straightforward? However, even though there are any number of potential challengers, the PM could well be safer than you think.

Niall is joined by Sky’s political correspondent, Lucy McDaid, to discuss the Labour leadership election process, how it differs from the Tories and what needs to happen for Starmer to be ousted.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email the show: why@sky.uk

The annual Victory Day parade in Moscow will be a much smaller affair this year, without an intercontinental ballistic missile in sight.

Why? Well, the threat of a Ukrainian drone attack is certainly one reason. But is there any credibility in reports of another threat - this time against Vladimir Putin himself?

An anonymous European intelligence agency has claimed the Russian president is spooked over the prospect of a potential coup or even a possible assassination attempt.

The alleged plotter is being named as former Putin ally and shunned ex-defence minister Sergei Shoigu. But how credible is this report, and is the president's paranoia justified?

Our Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett joins Niall to discuss whether Shoigu is really plotting to oust Putin, and what it means if the leader's grip on power is slipping.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email the show: why@sky.uk

The emergence of the United States as an energy superpower has reshaped the global economy. Good news for its allies, right? Well, not necessarily...

In Texas, fracking has turned America from a major importer into the world's biggest energy producer, effectively creating "another Saudi Arabia" almost overnight.

But as Europe looks to the US to plug the energy gap caused by wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the reality on the ground is more complicated.

Ed Conway, our economics and data editor, joins Niall to explore why the US can't simply ride to the rescue and what that means for the UK's energy security.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email the show: why@sky.uk