Broadcast timeline
Newsnight, followed by Weather
Monday 5 October 2026 · 22:30 BST · 30m · 3 stories · 12 annotated moments · 29 of 30 min on news stories (96%)
Broadcast overview
An AI-generated overview based on this broadcast's transcript.
The Conservatives said that if they won power they would build what they called a Britannia shield, modelled on Israel's Iron Dome, a new integrated air and missile defence system to protect Britain from attack, with a £10 billion commitment over ten years. Richard Fuller, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said it would ultimately cover all of the UK and have a deterrent effect, and that the Conservatives had a fully costed plan to reach 3% of GDP on defence, though he accepted questions about pace after General Sir Richard Barrons estimated an Iron Dome-like capability over major metropolitan areas could cost between $75 billion and more than $100 billion over ten years. Fuller also discussed using £33 billion of welfare savings and other reallocations to fund tax cuts and defence. Nick Watt then reported from the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham that tax cuts were the talk of the conference, with Shadow Chancellor Andrew Griffith saying he wanted to scrap at least one tax a year, remove the planned tax on homes worth over £2 million, and potentially reduce the 60% effective marginal rate on incomes between £100,000 and £125,000 to 50%. Watt said the question was whether Kemi Badenoch would commit in her Wednesday speech to reducing or scrapping inheritance tax.
In the studio discussion, Green MP Ellie Chowns said there was no evidence that spending £10 billion on such a shield was the most strategic or urgent priority, described it as politicking, and said security should also include economic security, the climate crisis, cyber attacks and pandemic preparedness. Lord Finkelstein said he had always been sympathetic to ballistic missile defence and thought the proposal moved in the right direction if it was compatible with deficit reduction, arguing that with the United States backing away from the Atlantic Alliance, the UK had to consider how to protect itself. Chowns said she would not support the £10 billion shield because there was no evidence it was an effective use of money, while Finkelstein said he preferred defensive mechanisms of this kind.
The programme later discussed the Green Party conference vote to define Zionism as racism, reporting that nine Labour MPs had reported the party to Sussex Police for possible anti-Semitic offences and more than a dozen had referred it to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and that Holocaust survivor and Green Party member Stephen Kapos supported the motion. Ellie Chowns said she opposed it as polarising and divisive and that it passed on a vote involving just over 1,000 members in a party of 240,000, while stressing the need to distinguish criticism of the Israeli government from anti-Semitism. Lord Finkelstein said the motion meant people like him, by going to synagogue, were committing a racist act, and that an amendment to protect members who attended so-called Zionist synagogues had been defeated; he said the leadership had lost control of the party. Chowns said the motion would not take action against anyone for attending synagogue, regretted the amendment was not passed, expressed confidence in Zack Polanski's leadership while saying she would have made a different decision, and urged Jewish members considering leaving to stay. The programme also reported that George Fenton, composer of the Newsnight theme tune, had died aged 76.
- 1:11
- 1:13
Claim Conservatives unveil 10 billion pound Britannia Shield defence system
The Conservatives announced a £10 billion Britannia Shield defence system to protect the UK and its overseas bases.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 5 October 2026, 1:13-1:22
- 1:13
Claim Conservatives unveil 10 billion pound Britannia Shield defence system
The Conservatives announced a £10 billion Britannia Shield defence system to protect the UK and its overseas bases.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 5 October 2026, 1:13-1:22
- 1:39
Claim Conservatives unveil 10 billion pound Britannia Shield defence system
The Conservatives announced a £10 billion Britannia Shield defence system to protect the UK and its overseas bases.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 5 October 2026, 1:39-1:44
- 2:17
Claim Conservatives unveil 10 billion pound Britannia Shield defence system
General Sir Richard Barrons said an Iron Dome-like capability over major UK metropolitan areas could cost between 75 billion and more than 100 billion dollars over 10 years.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 5 October 2026, 2:17-2:33
- 2:23
Claim Conservatives unveil 10 billion pound Britannia Shield defence system
General Sir Richard Barrons said an Iron Dome-like capability over major UK metropolitan areas could cost between 75 billion and more than 100 billion dollars over 10 years.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 5 October 2026, 2:23-2:33
- 3:02
Claim Conservatives unveil 10 billion pound Britannia Shield defence system
Richard Fuller said the current Labour government has committed only 790 million pounds of additional funding to integrated missile and air defence.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 5 October 2026, 3:02-3:11
- 19:18 Story begins Green Party conference faces row over Zionism motion
- 19:47
Charged quote Green Party conference faces row over Zionism motion
to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. 88-year-old Stephen Kapos is a Green Party member and a survivor of the Holocaust. At least 15 members of his family perished in gas ovens. He supported the motion that Zionism is racism. And I know the people who authored the motion that was passed, and their intentions,
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 5 October 2026, 19:47-19:51
- 21:02
Charged quote Green Party conference faces row over Zionism motion
I think that was quite a good way of describing what the Green Party has become. The Green Party has passed a motion which means that people like myself, by going to synagogue, are committing a racist defence, a racist act. And whatever your interlocutor just said, I'm afraid that is quite threatening to a lot of Jewish people,
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 5 October 2026, 21:02-21:06
- 25:24
Charged quote Green Party conference faces row over Zionism motion
because this is, I think, a betrayal by the Green Party, of Jewish people who live here quite peacefully in this country and are now being told that by going to their place of worship, they are engaged in a racist act. I understand the concerns of members of our Jewish communities and more widely in the country.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 5 October 2026, 25:24-25:26
- 29:40
- 29:40
Claim George Fenton, composer of Newsnight theme, dies aged 76
George Fenton died aged 76.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 5 October 2026, 29:40-29:49
- 29:43
Claim George Fenton, composer of Newsnight theme, dies aged 76
George Fenton composed the Newsnight theme tune.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 5 October 2026, 29:43-29:46
- 29:49
Claim George Fenton, composer of Newsnight theme, dies aged 76
George Fenton was asked to update the Newsnight theme in 2019.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 5 October 2026, 29:49-29:53
Source: BBC TWO, "Newsnight, followed by Weather", Monday 5 October 2026. Transcript excerpts and stills are shown only to support the analysis annotated alongside them. Search-result excerpts are distinct from the editorial annotations — see our copyright basis. The full broadcast is not reproduced.