Claire Hanna became the leader of the SDLP unopposed in October 2024.

Claire Hanna: SDLP leader says united Ireland is ‘likely’ but not ‘inevitable’ Stormont should not be treated as a “soft-play area” for politicians, the SDLP leader Claire Hanna has said in an in-depth interview with the BelTel podcast. In it, she gave her views on Irish unity, on Stormont reform and on the SDLP’s chances of recovery. Claire Hanna became the leader of the SDLP unopposed in October 2024 having been an MP for south Belfast since 2019. Many commentators say the SDLP has been more stridently pro-unity under Hanna’s leadership. Does she agree? Can she square making Northern Ireland work with not wanting it at all? And can she turn around the SDLP’s long-term decline. Claire Hanna, joined Ciarán Dunbar on the BelTel. 50:09 Epstein files - Keir Starmer on the brink, and Irish connections explored Sir Keir Starmer is trying to drown out an increasingly noisy chorus of politicians and the public calling for him to step down. Last week, the prime minister apologised to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking network as he sought to calm the storm surrounding his previous appointment of Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to the US. Starmer said he regretted the appointment, given Mr Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein. Pressure on the prime minister has since increased dramatically, followed by the resignation of chief of staff Morgan McSweeney on Sunday afternoon, followed by that of director of communications Tim Allan on Monday morning.Host Tabitha Monahan is joined from London by Enda Brady, TRT World presenter, to question if Keir Starmer can survive this scandal. 00:22:23 Lauren Bradford-Clarke – being Colin Howell’s daughter Lauren Bradford-Clarke grew up believing her mother Lesley had taken her own life before finding out the truth – her father was a murderer. She was told her mum Lesley took her own life, eventually being told it was part of an apparent ‘suicide’ pact with a man, Trevor Buchanan – the husband of the woman who would eventually become a mother-like figure to her. That woman was Hazel Stewart, how had been having an affair with Lauren’s father, Colin Howell. Ten 18-years after the deaths, Colin Howell walked into a police station and confessed to murdering them, implicating Steward as his partner in crime. Dr Lauren Bradford-Clarke, now a criminologist, spoke with the Belfast Telegraph’s Claire Williamson. 50:00 Serial train masturbator back in prison after repeating ‘sickening behaviour’ A repeat offender has been jailed again for repeating his “sickening behaviour” of masturbating in front of women on trains, police said.James Gathercole, 40, of Leigham Court Road, London, committed his latest offence only 12 days after being released from prison on licence, according to British Transport Police (BTP).He was handed a prison sentence of two years and four months at Lewes Crown Court, East Sussex, last week after pleading guilty to two counts of exposure and being in breach of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and his prison release licence.A woman on a train from London to East Grinstead, West Sussex, noticed Gathercole staring at her from a nearby seat on the morning of July 15 last year.After passengers in the same carriage left the train at East Croydon, he “fully exposed himself and began masturbating, still staring at the woman”, BTP said.She got off the train at Upper Warlingham and reported the incident to a member of rail staff who contacted police.Officers boarded the train at East Grinstead, found Gathercole asleep on board and arrested him.It later emerged he was in breach of a SHPO and prison release licence conditions.In July 2024 he was jailed for two separate incidents on May 26 of that year when he exposed himself to women on trains in London and masturbated. 1:24

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