i'm alex armstrong.ancellor says there's no choice but to engage with china as she seeks to restart britain's formal economic relationship with the nation. let's take a listen to what she's been saying in the past few hours. >> the fiscal rules that i set out in my budget in october are non—negotiable, and growth is the number one mission of this government to make our country better off. and that is why i am in china to unlock tangible benefits for british businesses exporting and trading around the world, to ensure that we have greater access to the second biggest economy in the world. and when we have these pragmatic conversations with chinese leaders and indeed with chinese businesses, we will always be acting in britain's national interest. >> well, rachel reeves continues to face widespread criticism over her decision to go ahead with the visit, as borrowing costs have surged to a 27 year high and fears about the economy flatlining are intensifying . at flatlining are intensifying. at a time when e

gb news presenter alex armstrong and the journalist jonathan les. esther, i'll start with you.u think yvette cooper is basically just messed everything up? i mean, if so, why is she still in a job? well. >> i don't think she should be home secretary for various reasons, but, i mea

this is the saturday five with me, alex armstrong. and before you ask, i know everyone's burning to get to know where where on earth darren grimes is. well, all that chatter about butterworth's adventures in syria and the middle east last weekend, i half expected to darren to embark on his own little crusade. but no. our very own political maverick isn't gallivanting in the foreign lands. he's decided to wage his own cultural war right here on home soil. he's up north, gates crashing, and it's tory candidates birthday party in yorkshire. i actually think that might be a little bit more dangerous from him for him than going to the middle east. but tonight i'm joined by peter barnes, the political strategist who seems to have mastered the art of losing gracefully. and if you mean losing gracefully, it's still defending the tories after taking a tanking in the polls. and it turns out, calling reform voters farage and alienating the base isn't quite a winning strategy. he thought it was. and now, instead of crafting campaign slogans, he's

and as ever, let me know your views at gbnews.com/yoursay and send your opinions to me on x at alex h. armstrongt now it's time for the news bulletins with sam francis. >> alex, thank you very much and good evening to you. just coming up to 8:02. we're following weeks of pressure. the home secretary has today announced a major shift in tackling grooming gangs. yvette cooper has ordered a nationwide review of evidence, with five government backed local inquiries and a rapid three month audit. but the review stopped short of a national inquiry, prompting criticism from the conservative party and some labour mps. even elon musk has weighed in, calling it a step in the right direction, but says results will speak for themselves. yvette cooper promised there will be a clear timetable for action, though, and vowed that shameful progress so far must change all those national inquiries, reports and hundreds of recommendations. >> far too little action has been taken and shamefully little progress has been made. most important task should be to increase police investigations into these horrific crimes an

and as ever, let me know your views at gbnews.com/yoursay and send your opinions to me on x at alex h. armstrongt now it's time for the news bulletins with sam francis. >> alex, thank you very much and good evening to you. just coming up to 8:02. we're following weeks of pressure. the home secretary has today announced a major shift in tackling grooming gangs. yvette cooper has ordered a nationwide review of evidence, with five government backed local inquiries and a rapid three month audit. but the review stopped short of a national inquiry, prompting criticism from the conservative party and some labour mps. even elon musk has weighed in, calling it a step in the right direction, but says results will speak for themselves. yvette cooper promised there will be a clear timetable for action, though, and vowed that shameful progress so far must change all those national inquiries, reports and hundreds of recommendations. >> far too little action has been taken and shamefully little progress has been made. most important task should be to increase police investigations into these horrific crimes an

on my panel tonight it's the broadcaster and columnist esther krakue, political commentator alex armstrong and ex—labour minister bill rammell. oh, and what's going on here, everybody? get ready. britain, here we go. the king should knight sadiq khan with a machete to make him feel at home. next. >> good evening. it's just gone. 8:00. i'm sophia wenzler with your headlines from the gb newsroom. dubai has just ushered in the new year with a spectacular firework display. japan, australia and new zealand were the first to ring in the new year, with celebrations followed by hong kong and taiwan. thailand and vietnam and india have also rung in the new yearin india have also rung in the new year in the last few hours. but as the world welcomes in 2025, severe weather is set to hamper britain's new year's events. the edinburgh hogmanay celebrations have been cancelled due to severe weather conditions. heavy rain and high winds are causing disruption in much of the country, with blizzards forecast in scotland and widespread travel disruption. fireworks displays in newcastle, blackpool and north y

we've got political commentator alex armstrong.so got journalist and broadcaster esther krakue and journalist jonathan less. i shall start with you. i mean, seriously, are we going to end up in a situation where some numpty with blue hair overhears a conversation about a bloke in a woman's toilet and everyone has to go home? >> that's a very specific scenario. have you thought a lot about esther? >> have you joined the women's toilet? >> thank you. >> thank you. >> yeah. go on. >> but what you're highlighting there is the incompatibility with this new sort of employment bill and the actual reality of the workplace. and the bigger question it draws is obviously labour's priorities. right. they're not talking about creating more 1527 00:09:5

we've got, as you can see on your screens, if you're watching us on television, alex armstrong, that g us live in the studio. alex, you're not on the saturday five. you've gone on to cover ben. leo. and you'll be on at 9:00. what have you got coming up in your show? >> well, i thought we could just make this the saturday six, seeing as i'm already here. darren. well, you know, besides that, because we can't do it tonight. we're going to have an explosive show this evening. of course, we're coming off the back of that groundbreaking grooming gang documentary headed up grooming gang documentary headed ”p by grooming gang documentary headed up by charlie peters. we're going to have all the analysis coming up at 9 pm, so please do tune in to hear more. we've got ben habib going up against gwen towers as well. that's going to be a massive head to head. you're not going to want to miss that. they're going to be talking about whether nigel farage, his leadership is under threat. we're 1502 00:09:

i'm alex armstrong and this is ben leo tonight. but don't worry, ben will be back in a couple of weeks. he's taking some hard earned time off with his wife and kids. ben, if you're watching, have a good one, mate. but while ben's away, rest assured that you're going to get the same forthright opinions that ben bastions on this show from me coming up tonight on the show. >> ten minutes. that case never crossed my desk. >> a shame on both their houses, the tories and labour are playing a disgraceful game of politics, while victims sit voiceless on the sidelines and very difficult for us to think we should take back people. >> shamima begum and others are instinctively, instinctively. it's not something i want to do. >> yes, farage under fire. we've got political heavyweights ben habib and gordon taylor going head to head , discussing nigel head to head, discussing nigel farage's position after he's allegedly faced misleading headunes allegedly faced misleading headlines and a slew of criticism. plus a cheeky treat, my criticism. plus

on my panel tonight is broadcaster and columnist esther krakow, commentator alex armstrong and journalistjonathan lis. oh, and yeah, huge earthquake in nepal, sadly leaving at least 95 people dead. meanwhile, here in britain, well, trains are cancelled because unions tell their drivers not to walk through a bit of snow. get ready britain, here we go. guns, knives and rapes. is anywhere safe anymore? next. >> patrick. thank you. the top story is a 14 year old boy has been stabbed to death on a bus in woolwich in south—east london. the metropolitan police says an investigation has now been launched. the incident occurred on a route 472 bus on woolwich church road. a police statement says paramedics treated him but the boy died shortly after paramedics arrived onto the scene. superintendent louise sergeant said the alarm was initially raised by a local police officer out on patrol. no arrests have yet been made, but they're appealing for witnesses to come forward. in other news, jess phillips says she has more important things to be thinking about than elon musk after he accused her of being

now it's back to alex armstrong for the very latest gb news direct to your smartphone, sign up to news alerts by scanning the qr code or go to. >> gbnews.com/alerts. >> gbnews.com/alerts. >> i'm going to tell you the a shocking amount of times the mayor of london has failed to adequately respond to questions about grooming gangs. why does the mayor of london seemingly not know the definition of the statement grooming gangs? well, this week at city hall, london's mayor sadiq khan was asked a very simple and straightforward question by london assembly member susan hall. take a look at this. >> i asked you this question last week and you found every which way, but not to answer it. just how many grooming gangs have we got in london? >> vie portland misunderstanding. can she define what she means by that? >> yes. if you look at what's gone on in rotherham, in where there are people taking young girls, grooming them for sex, thatis girls, grooming them for sex, that is what i'm talking about. >> well, we know in london that there are issues about exploitation of young people, but they're no

we've got, as you can see on your screens, if you're watching us on television, alex armstrong, thatng us live in the studio. armstrong, that traitor joining us live in the s

it's 9:00 pm and this is ben low tonight with me, alex armstrong. ben is taking a well—earned holiday, but don't worry, he's back as usual from next week. but you've got nothing to worry about. though you'll still get up front and hard hitting opinions while i'm in the hot seat. nothing is off limits tonight on the show. britain is the prime minister plotting to overturn brexit through the back door with his ramona friends in europe. and bev turner is joining us all the way from washington, dc as she gives us the inside scoop on trump's impending inauguration. plus, as over 70 people have been arrested at a pro—palestine march in london today, we're asking , why the hell are these asking, why the hell are these marches still happening? even after a ceasefire deal has been done? also, reform uk's party chairman is joining us live from washington dc as well. i'll be asking him if nigel and elon have kissed and made up. and is it all falling apart for american hustlers harry and meghan? a major publication that used to have their backs has now gone on

it's 9:00 pm and this is ben low tonight with me, alex armstrong. it is my last night covering for ben. he'll be back as usual with you all next weekend. but in the meantime, i promise i'll give you all of my upfront opinions and hard hitting facts tonight on the show. the uk has now surpassed italy in illegal migrant arrivals. italy's prime minister has slashed illegal crossings by 59% while ours continue to soar. i'm going to give you the cold, hard facts, so brace yourselves because it's going to sting and bev turner is joining us all the way from washington, dc as she gives us the inside scoop on trump's impending inauguration. and we'll be giving you an exclusive sneak peek at her interview with nigel farage. you won't want to miss that. plus, as another heartbroken mother tells of her grief after hearing lyrics referencing her son's murder. i'll be asking, is it finally time to ban violent lyrics in music? also, a leaked report reveals that south yorkshire police ignored grooming gangs to meet home office targets set by the last labour governm

tonight with me, alex armstrong. yes, i'm looking after the show while ben finally gets some well deserved downtime with his wife and kids. but rest assured, i'm still going to give you the same hard hitting, honest opinions that ben champions here on this show every weekend. coming up tonight, brace yourselves, because i'm going to expose the devastating cost of this labour government on your bank account. and rumours are swirling that the chancellor might slash disability taxes. will the left explode in outrage? will ask carl manion, head of a leading social care provider, how he thinks the social care crisis could be solved overnight? >> we understand your anger and your frustrations at the inheritance tax and we're with you. >> we're with you, say, morrisons. our guests go head to head on the government's crumbling inheritance tax raid on farmers. with a major supermarket now backing them. >> i want to talk to you about my lived experience with the metropolitan police. last night had my phone stolen. 75,000 peopl

but falling ill just as alex armstrong discovers a taste for television, it's a little bit too coincidental for me. i can confirm to gb news viewers tonight that i've contacted northumbria police, and they are indeed investigating whether alex has been tampering with my greggs pastries and pastries in his mission to claim this chair. >> funny, because ben and patrick were also there as well, but. >> alex has alleged sabotaged my friend. it goes further. doesn't stop there. one of our panellists tonight, poor willie, has also been struck down. and let me tell you, my friends, i strongly suspect alex has rubbed him up the wrong way. quite literally. look at him. he's sitting there, stiff as a board, upright to attention, like he's auditioning for the advert of a little blue pill. honestly, it's a miracle he's still functioning. but don't worry, my folks. willie's determined to expose alex's schemes to turn the saturday five into the saturday one, getting filthy mitts off and joining us to help keep things from spiralling completely out of control is britain's most glamorous gp doctor, renee.

esther mcvey gb news presenter alex armstrong and journalist jonathan lees.h, and why is this roly poly rapper in the news? >> i can fit in this car. >> not believe. >> not believe. >> me, you can't. yes i can. believe me. so i'm sorry. >> get ready britain. here we go. it's time to sack home office staff. next. >> very good evening to you from the newsroom. it is just after 9:00. the top story tonight. the uk's population is set to soar by nearly 5 million people over the next decade, driven almost entirely by net migration, according to new figures from the office for national statistics. that means that by the middle of 2032, the uk population will hit 72.5 million, sparking concerns over pressure on resources and services. campaigners are also sounding the alarm over social care, with the number of over 85 set to double to 3.3 million by 2047. that's as the sector is already struggling to meet current demand. the conservatives are calling for a legal cap on visas, but downing street has rejected that idea, insisting their own policies will tackle the issu

it's columnist and broadcaster esther krakue , gb broadcaster esther krakue, gb news superstar alex armstrongnd journalist jonathan liz. oh, and journalist jonathan liz. oh, and can you tell me, please, what's going on here? >> on navalny? labuschagne manifested. >> get ready britain, here we go. a transsexual, an illegal migrant and a climate denier walk into a pub next. >> very good evening to you. at just after 9:00. the top story tonight, rachel reeves has been grilled in parliament today after her trip to china sparked political outrage. she defended that visit, though, highlighting agreements she reached with the world's second largest economic power. >> the opportunity to make working people off by making britain better off. that is the mandate that this government had, has, and this is what we will deliver. >> well, despite calls for her sacking, the prime minister, sir keir starmer, insists she will remain as chancellor until the next election. but the shadow chancellor, mel stride, slammed reeves for leaving financial turmoil here at home, calling it a crisis made in downing street.

gb news presenter alex armstrong and the journalist jonathan les. esther, i'll start with you.you think yvette cooper is basically just messed everything up? i mean, if so, why is she still in a job? well. >> i don't think she should be home secretary for various reasons, but, i mean, if you want to delve into the individual circumstances, it's sort of individual situations that she's messed up. i mean, where do we begin? we have to look at this woman's background before we think, why has she messed this all up? well, because she has no real life experience. this is this is like much of the cabinet, studied ppe at oxford, worked as a special adviser in 20 something. you know, in our 20s when we're trying not to burn pasta. yeah, most of us are not special advisers of anything. but somehow she became a special adviser to senior members of the government at the time, including harriet harman. she had two years, two count them two years of actual work experience outside of politics before she became an mp in 1997, and she's basically done that for her entire life. she has no idea

i'm alex armstrong, and i can promise you that you're in for a very lively show.et's crack on with tonight's first debate, and i'm going to kick us off, because this has been the biggest topic of the week. this week, ministers like jess phillips have finally been exposed over their hypocrisy on the grooming gang epidemic. but one man, not even in the country right now, is finally facing his long overdue accountability. that man is our prime minister, sir keir starmer. and if he hadnt sir keir starmer. and if he hadn't said it enough already. starmer was the head of the crown prosecution service from 2009 to 2013. for years under his watch, the cps covered up, buned his watch, the cps covered up, buried its head in the sand and turned the other cheek to countless victims of sexual assault and grooming rape gangs. why? all for the sake of diversity. starmer himself admitted that his authorities were too scared to prosecute grooming gangs because they were afraid of being called racist. in one of the most devastating cases in 2009, nine months after keir starmer had