Sky News Daily

It's the morning of Monday 6 October 2025 and Russia has launched a missile strike against the UK. That was the scenario of The Wargame - a gripping five-part Sky News podcast that brought together former government ministers, military chiefs, and top defence experts to explore how the UK might respond to a modern-day crisis. 
 
On the real 6 October, we speak to some of the makers of the series to get a sense of whether our leaders are taking the threat of Russia seriously enough. Would the United States come to the UK's aid if bombings began on British soil? And what do we need to do to improve our defence capabilities?  
 
Niall Paterson is joined by The Wargame's co-creators - Sky’s security and defence editor Deborah Haynes, and Rob Johnson, head of Oxford University's Changing Character of War Centre - as well as Keir Giles, a leading expert on the Russian military who portrays the Russian president in the simulation. 
 
You can listen to The Wargame here: 
https://open.spotify.com/show/4lHtW6x1D6R0E1QmGLkBK1 
 
Producers: Tom Gillespie & Emily Hulme 
Editor: Mike Bovill 

Could the historic appointment of a first female Archbishop of Canterbury cause a split within the Anglican Church?

Dame Sarah Mullally has been chosen for the role while the Church is arguably in a state of crisis - but also at a time when there has been a surge in attendance among young people.

She's the first woman to lead the Church of England in its almost 500-year history - the question now is, what impact she will have on its future.

Who is Dame Sarah and why was she chosen? How big a moment is this for the Church? What challenges will the new archbishop face and what qualities will she need to address them?

Niall is joined by Ruth Gledhill, religious affairs commentator and assistant editor of The Tablet.

Producer: Emily Hulme

Editor: Mike Bovill

Communities in Manchester are once again reeling following a terror attack - this time on a synagogue in Crumpsall during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. 

The prime minister has announced extra security for synagogues, but there had been previous warnings of a rise in religious hatred across the UK.   

Niall speaks to Sky's home editor, Jason Farrell, about the attack and the wider state of national security. 

Warning: This episode contains audio of the moment leading up to police shooting the suspected attacker. 

Producer: Emily Hulme 
Editor: Mike Bovill 

The senior police officer in charge of preventing violence against women and girls has warned the political discourse around asylum seekers risks being a distraction from the "real threat" to women's safety. 

Met Police deputy assistant commissioner Helen Millichap made the remarks after a summer of protests outside hotels housing migrants across the country.

Will the row undermine the government's ambitious target to halve violence against women and girls within a decade? And where should the real focus be when it comes to protecting communities?

Niall is joined by the former victim's commissioner Dame Vera Baird KC and Sky correspondent Mollie Malone.

Producers: Emily Hulme and Tom Gillespie  

Editor: Mike Bovill

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.

Alternatively, you can call Mind's support line on 0300 102 1234, or NHS on 111.

If you suspect you are being abused and need to speak to someone, there are people who can help you.

The National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247

Women's Aid

Respect, the helpline for male domestic abuse victims: 0808 8010 327

Galop, the LGBT+ anti-violence charity: 0800 999 5428

The government has continued to grapple with the subject of immigration during the Labour Party conference - where a desire to fight Reform UK's rhetoric has come up against the political reality of public opinion.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has openly called Reform UK's policies "racist" - at the same time as his new home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has highlighted the need to review the rules over indefinite leave to remain.

Nowhere is this paradox more acute than in Glasgow, where an apparent rise in anti-immigrant sentiment is as much a worry for the SNP as it is for the Westminster government - with both struggling to counter the rise of Nigel Farage's party.

Many are now more comfortable voicing legitimate concerns over housing and other social pressures, but are some people using the current debate as an excuse to stoke racial stereotypes and hatred?

Niall is joined by Sky News' Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies in Glasgow - while political correspondent Rob Powell also speaks to the podcast from the Labour conference in Liverpool.

Producers: Araminta Parker and Tom Gillespie 
Editor: Mike Bovill