Broadcast timeline
Newsnight, followed by Weather
Friday 9 October 2026 · 19:00 BST · 30m · 3 stories · 12 annotated moments · 29 of 30 min on news stories (95%)
Broadcast overview
An AI-generated overview based on this broadcast's transcript.
Newsnight opened with the Green Party, reporting that leader Zack Polanski was under pressure after losing a by-election and amid a row over a motion stating that Zionism is racist. The programme said Andy Burnham's party had held the seat left vacant by Keir Starmer's resignation as an MP, and Polanski attributed the Green loss to people wanting to give the new PM a chance. Members voted for the Zionism motion, Polanski missed the vote and was criticised by Jewish groups, and Caroline Lucas gave a less than full endorsement before clarifying she was not calling for him to step down. The leader of the Jewish Greens group said he should resign unless he apologised. Polanski defended his record, and deputy leader Rachel Milward told the programme she did not think he should resign while the panel debated his leadership and the party's direction.
The programme then examined the Liberal Democrats, after frontbencher Charlie Maynard resigned and called for Sir Ed Davey to be replaced. Deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the vast majority of MPs supported Davey and were furious at the distraction. MP Christine Jardine said she did not think it was time for a new leader, praised Davey's work in securing 72 MPs, and argued that any alternative should explain what it would do differently. The panel discussed the party's visibility and Davey's impact.
Later, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage faced criticism after the party's internal inquiry found no laws were broken when senior officials were recorded by an undercover journalist discussing a possible route to foreign donations. Labour called it a whitewash, and a police inquiry continues. Reform councillor Jamie McIver defended the report, saying it cleared the individuals and criticising the undercover recording, while the panel also raised reported internal tensions involving Zia Yusuf and Robert Jenrick and questions about party donations.
- 0:57
- 1:08
Claim Zack Polanski faces leadership questions after by-election and Zionism motion
Labour's Sagal Abdiwali, a local council leader, won the by-election with 45% of the vote to Zack Polanski's 33%.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 9 October 2026, 1:08-1:15
- 1:29
Charged quote Zack Polanski faces leadership questions after by-election and Zionism motion
they're now down to polling loads not seen for a year. His MPs are in open revolt and some are questioning his future as leader. It comes as the party's engulfed in a row about whether Zionism, the belief in the right to a Jewish homeland, is racist. Party members voted for a motion saying that it is.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 9 October 2026, 1:29-1:35
- 1:35
Claim Zack Polanski faces leadership questions after by-election and Zionism motion
Zack Polanski did not take part in the vote on the Green Party's Zionism motion and said he did not support it or would have voted against it, citing disagreements including a one-state solution.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 9 October 2026, 1:35-1:42
- 2:04
Claim Zack Polanski faces leadership questions after by-election and Zionism motion
Caroline Lucas said Polanski's leadership was missing on Sunday and that it was unclear whether he would provide it.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 9 October 2026, 2:04-2:11
- 5:51
Charged quote Zack Polanski faces leadership questions after by-election and Zionism motion
I understand that however this motion chooses to define Zionism, which is very clear within the motion, that it's about the ethno-nationalist practices of the Israeli state at the moment, which, you know, there are 75,000 Palestinians who've been killed. There are more child amputees than at any other point in modern history.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 9 October 2026, 5:51-5:55
- 5:59
Charged quote Zack Polanski faces leadership questions after by-election and Zionism motion
which is very clear within the motion, that it's about the ethno-nationalist practices of the Israeli state at the moment, which, you know, there are 75,000 Palestinians who've been killed. There are more child amputees than at any other point in modern history. It is a genocide. It is an apartheid.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 9 October 2026, 5:59-6:03
- 6:04
Charged quote Zack Polanski faces leadership questions after by-election and Zionism motion
which, you know, there are 75,000 Palestinians who've been killed. There are more child amputees than at any other point in modern history. It is a genocide. It is an apartheid. It obviously is racist, that practice, but I know, and I'm sure that lots of viewers will feel, that the word Zionism resonates so differently with different people,
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 9 October 2026, 6:04-6:09
- 18:06
- 18:33
Claim Charlie Maynard resigns and calls for Davey replacement
Liberal Democrat frontbencher Charlie Maynard resigned and called for Ed Davey to be replaced as party leader.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 9 October 2026, 18:33-18:38
- 18:42
Claim Charlie Maynard resigns and calls for Davey replacement
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper and Christine Jardine rejected calls to replace Ed Davey, with Cooper saying most Lib Dem MPs support him leading the party into the next election and are angry at the distraction.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 9 October 2026, 18:42-18:49
- 19:00
Claim Charlie Maynard resigns and calls for Davey replacement
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper and Christine Jardine rejected calls to replace Ed Davey, with Cooper saying most Lib Dem MPs support him leading the party into the next election and are angry at the distraction.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 9 October 2026, 19:00-19:02
- 25:55
- 26:11
Claim Reform UK inquiry clears advisers but police investigation continues
Labour called the report a whitewash and pointed to parallel proceedings, including a police investigation and potential Electoral Commission investigations.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 9 October 2026, 26:11-26:17
- 26:24
Claim Reform UK inquiry clears advisers but police investigation continues
Reform UK's internal inquiry cleared two senior advisers over an undercover investigation into party donations and found no evidence that laws were broken.
BBC Two, Newsnight, followed by Weather, 9 October 2026, 26:24-26:34
Source: BBC TWO, "Newsnight, followed by Weather", Friday 9 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.