Broadcast timeline
Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow
Thursday 3 September 2026 · 10:00 BST · 30m · 8 stories · 15 annotated moments · 24 of 30 min on news stories (79%)
Broadcast overview
An AI-generated overview based on this broadcast's transcript.
The broadcast opened with the Green Party leader Zack Polanski announcing his candidacy for the by-election in Keir Starmer's former seat of Holborn and St Pancras, with analysis showing a close gap in vote share. It then covered new measures to tackle Channel crossings, including a French surge team of 45 officers and increased intelligence resources, alongside comments from Reform UK's Richard Tice. The King and President Macron visited the Bayeux Tapestry, and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was set to pledge increased defence spending funded by welfare cuts.
The programme reported a World Meteorological Organisation warning that the current El Niño could be the strongest on record, with potential global impacts. It also covered the confirmed deaths of over 1,200 people in Nepal's flash flooding, and a Sky News investigation into children killed in an airstrike on a school in Iran, identifying victims from class 4A. Fresh analysis showed sewage was dumped into England's waterways for over 43,000 hours in July and August, and driverless Ubers launched in London, with a test ride revealing a safety intervention. Finally, President Trump commented on Harry and Meghan's return to the UK, saying he would not have taken Harry back.
- 1:07
- 1:07
Claim Green Party leader Zack Polanski announces by-election bid
Polanski stated in April that he would almost certainly run in a by-election in Starmer's constituency.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 1:07-1:14
- 1:32
Charged quote Green Party leader Zack Polanski announces by-election bid
Andy Burnham in number 10. Well, Zack Polanski has been speaking to the Camden New Journal. The headline there was, Here we go, election frenzy as Green leader steps up for ballot box battle. He then took to X to say, Labour stands up for corporations and big money. I'll stand up for people and our communities.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 1:32-1:37
- 1:38
Charged quote Green Party leader Zack Polanski announces by-election bid
Here we go, election frenzy as Green leader steps up for ballot box battle. He then took to X to say, Labour stands up for corporations and big money. I'll stand up for people and our communities. Let's take a quick look at the seat that Keir vacated. This is what happened at the general election in 2024.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 1:38-1:44
- 4:03
- 4:22
Claim UK and France agree 45 extra police for Channel beaches as smugglers turn to mega-dinghies
France has pledged to deploy 45 additional police officers to patrol beaches.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 4:22-4:32
- 4:22
Claim UK and France agree 45 extra police for Channel beaches as smugglers turn to mega-dinghies
France has pledged to deploy 45 additional police officers to patrol beaches.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 4:22-4:32
- 4:48
Claim UK and France agree 45 extra police for Channel beaches as smugglers turn to mega-dinghies
Overall Channel crossing numbers are down 43% compared to last year.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 4:48-4:52
- 6:21
Contested quote UK and France agree 45 extra police for Channel beaches as smugglers turn to mega-dinghies
says the new Channel crossing measures will not solve the problem. We've got the only policy that will stop the boats, and we shouldn't be spending hundreds and hundreds of millions of pounds of hard-earned British taxpayers' cash to the French who are not doing their job properly. The way to solve this is to pick up rescue and return.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 6:21-6:32
- 7:28
Claim UK and France agree 45 extra police for Channel beaches as smugglers turn to mega-dinghies
Overall Channel crossing numbers are down 43% compared to last year.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 7:28-7:30
- 9:14 Story begins PMQs debate over defence spending and welfare cuts
- 9:22
Claim PMQs debate over defence spending and welfare cuts
Badenoch pledged to reach the NATO target of 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 with a £10 billion increase.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 9:22-9:31
- 10:34 Story begins UK urges food and water stockpiling over El Niño
- 10:52
Claim UK urges food and water stockpiling over El Niño
WaterAid researchers reported that this year's El Niño is on track to be the biggest yet.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 10:52-11:01
- 13:33
Claim UK urges food and water stockpiling over El Niño
For the UK and Western Europe, El Niño could bring a wet autumn and winter.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 13:33-13:50
- 14:13
Claim UK urges food and water stockpiling over El Niño
The El Nino event is expected to raise sea temperatures by more than three degrees above normal and is likely to contribute to 2027 becoming the warmest year on record.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 14:13-14:25
- 15:28 Story begins Airstrike on school in Mahabad, Iran kills children
- 19:25
- 24:36
- 27:09 Story begins Trump says he would not take back Harry and Meghan
- 27:13
Contested quote Trump says he would not take back Harry and Meghan
Rowland Manthorpe, Sky News. The proof will be in the pudding, as they say. Let's just focus on President Trump. Donald's saying that he is happy that Harry and Meghan have returned to the UK. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children making the trip back to the country last week to begin a new life here
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 27:13-27:19
- 27:57
Charged quote Trump says he would not take back Harry and Meghan
He's great, great guy. And I thought they treated the royal family with great disrespect. I didn't like it. I didn't like the way she acted. I thought she was terribly disrespectful to the Queen, to King Charles. And I don't know, maybe I'm different. I wouldn't have taken him back. Coming up later this evening,
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 27:57-28:03
- 28:08
Claim Trump says he would not take back Harry and Meghan
Donald Trump said he would not have taken Prince Harry back into the Royal Family.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 3 September 2026, 28:08-28:09
Source: Sky News, "Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow", Thursday 3 September 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.