New: The Saturday Five Extra

The broadcast's top stories included Donald Trump saying during a Dublin visit with the Irish prime minister that he would love to see a united Ireland, a remark he later downplayed, and his meeting with President Catherine Connolly at Phoenix Park while more than 10,000 people marched against him. Reform UK received a second £36 million donation in two days from Christopher Harborne, matching Ben Delo's earlier gift and bringing the party's total raised this year to over £86 million, which Nigel Farage said left him honoured and humbled. In Portsmouth, three people were arrested during rival protests, including a 76-year-old man suspected of concealing his identity under a new face-covering ban, while police also arrested a 33-year-old for obstructing a highway and a 16-year-old for violent disorder linked to an earlier protest. A man reportedly died after a fire in a tower block apartment in Poplar, east London, which around 70 firefighters brought under control before seven o'clock.

Later, the programme covered Andy Burnham defending Labour's welfare and defence spending approach, saying national security cannot come at the expense of social security. He backed reaching 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035 and rejected Conservative plans for £4 billion in benefits cuts, including housing benefit, while Kemi Badenoch accused him of putting welfare ahead of national security. The panel then debated the issue, with participants discussing possible cuts to welfare and the trade-offs between social and national security.

The broadcast also reported on Boy George and Pink criticising Macklemore for a pro-Palestine message during Ed Sheeran's concerts. Macklemore defended his stance, saying criticism of Israel is not criticism of Jewish people, and both Boy George and Pink were said to have been cancelled online. An entertainment journalist discussed the broader reluctance of music artists to speak out on such issues, referencing the October 7th attacks and a song by John Ondrasik, known as Five for Fighting, about the aftermath.