Is The Strait Of Hormuz Actually Open (Or Shut) Right Now?
Newscast
BBC
4.3 • 6.6K Ratings
🗓️ 19 April 2026
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today, Adam joined Laura and Paddy to chew over the latest news from Iran, Scotland, and Downing Street. Ahead of the Prime Minister’s appearance in parliament, they discuss what we’ve learned today about what Sir Keir Starmer knew, or did not know, about the Lord Mandelson’s vetting by the foreign office. Laura spoke to cabinet minister Liz Kendall, who backed the PM and said that Starmer would have blocked the appointment of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador had he known he failed security vetting.
Elsewhere, negotiations continue between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. But is it actually currently open or closed? Has the ceasefire been breached? And what happens next? Paddy has been putting those questions to Lyse Doucet in Tehran.
Plus, Laura has been in Scotland speaking to voters and the party leaders about how those issues and others will affect which way voters go in the May elections.
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New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg, Paddy O'Connell, and Adam Fleming. It was made by Rufus Gray with Adam Chowdhury. The social producer was Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Jonny Hall. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
Transcript
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| 0:07.5 | With American politics, everything seems to be changing by the second. |
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| 0:27.9 | Hello, what day is this? Is it Monday? It's Sunday. |
| 0:31.5 | Oh, right. I've come to work a day early. Did you do it on purpose or by mistake? |
| 0:36.4 | No, on purpose. On purpose. Nice to see you though. It's a while since we've been in the chair, either next to each other or opposite each other. But it's very nice to see you. And we'll be together next weekend too. Yes, because we're doing cast fest on Saturday the 25th of April. We're going to be at the famous BBC Made of Vale Studios, which I've never been to. In London. But lots of famous people have been there, like The Beatles. |
| 0:58.7 | So basically when you go on the Wikipedia page of Madavale Studios, it'll go Beatles, |
| 1:06.0 | Radio One Live Lounge, and then us? And then Adam Fleming. I put Adam Fleming at the top |
| 1:10.6 | if I were you. Well, so that's next Saturday. But on this episode of Sunday's newscast, we're going to talk about a few different things. We're going to talk about the latest in the Mandelson mess. I've been speaking to Cabinet Minister, Liz Kendall, about whether the Prime Minister was terribly let down or whether actually he should have done a bit more homework on Peter Mandelson. |
| 1:29.8 | We'll get the latest on Iran because Leis Doucette is in Iran. So very rare for the BBC to get an opportunity to report from Iran at all, let alone in a wartime period. |
| 1:39.6 | We're not far away from Megamay, those elections in Scotland, Wales and local councils in England. And I've been on the road in Scotland for a few days this week, talking to voters, and all six of the party leaders who are vying for people's votes. So tons to do. Should we get on with it? Oh, and Paddy is going to join us, I believe. My Sunday pal is going to waltz in at some point. He's going to stumble in in a way which I call Laura Kay style because of in the old days when you were a political editor. |
| 2:04.8 | Yeah. leave. My Sunday pal is going to wots in at some point. He's going to stumble in in a way which I call |
| 2:01.5 | Laura Kay style because of in the old days when you were a political editor, doing a million things at once and would be recording an episode of newscast and we're like, well, Laura will appear at some point and then you can hear the door freaking open and be like, all right, here she is. Anyway, so here is your episode of |
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