Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

World Service,08 May 2026,27 mins

Right-wing populist party makes big gains in UK elections

Global News Podcast

Available for 88 days

Britain's right-wing populist party Reform makes gains as votes are counted in local elections. With a promise to reduce immigration, the party looks set to win council seats across the country, mostly at the expense of the more centrist Labour and Conservatives. Also: South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa faces calls to resign after a court rules he will be investigated over the theft of more than half-a-million dollars. Instagram is ending the option to send direct messages with super secure privacy technology after years of saying it was the future of the platform. The move has been praised by law enforcement groups. And China's new snooker world champion receives a hero's welcome on his return home.

Programme Website
More episodes