Broadcast timeline
Mornings with Jones and Melbourne
Sunday 4 October 2026 · 06:00 BST · 30m · 8 stories · 15 annotated moments · 25 of 30 min on news stories (83%)
Broadcast overview
An AI-generated overview based on this broadcast's transcript.
The government announced it will scrap plans proposed by the former prime minister to remove jury trials for some criminal cases, which had been intended to reduce the Crown Court backlog. Under the revised approach, only technical, lengthy fraud and financial cases will be decided by a single Crown Court judge. Justice Secretary Alex Norris said he had heard the strength of feeling and changed course, with measures including investment in court technology, more resources for judges, longer sentencing powers for magistrates, and ending the right in either-way cases for defendants to choose a Crown Court trial. Political correspondent Amanda Akass reported the Crown Court backlog is nearly 81,000 cases, roughly double since 2020, and the bill returns to Parliament on 13 October. Separately, Reform UK spent £380,000 on social media advertising between 1 August and 25 September, more than all other parties combined, with ads including petitions and migration-related messages, and the party has posted more than 60 job adverts since June and launched apps, a podcast, live-streaming facilities and a YouTube channel.
Farmers told Sky News that soaring diesel prices could lead to disruption to UK food supply, despite Donald Trump ruling out a diesel export ban after the G7 agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil from emergency stockpiles. A report said much food production depends on diesel, haulage costs have nearly doubled since the start of the year, and exclusive analysis showed diesel price rises are adding £35 million a week to hauliers' fuel bills, with running a long-distance lorry up by more than £9,000 a year. In the US, Cornell's president, Michael Kotlikoff, said he was deeply disturbed by the alleged serious sexual assault of a student in 2024, and prosecutors in New York reopened an investigation into allegations that a 20-year-old woman was attacked by seven people from one fraternity; Kotlikoff vowed greater transparency and a review of the role of fraternities and sororities. In Spain, thousands protested in cities demanding better protection for renters, with police using rubber bullets during some protests and arresting three members of a far-right group, after opposition politicians failed to agree on a solution to the housing crisis. Glastonbury tickets went on general sale, with prices above £400 for the first time, making the next festival the most expensive in its history, and the report said headliners were already locked in amid speculation over possible acts.
Sky News reported rare access to a jail in Kurdistan and spoke to a convicted people smuggler who facilitated migrants getting into Europe. The Home Office said people-smuggling gangs have helped more than 19,000 people cross in small boats so far this year. International affairs editor Dominic Waghorn visited Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq and northern France, where the smuggler described hiding about 20 people in a truck under a tarpaulin and said reaching France was treated as being effectively in the UK. The report described Kurdish security forces intercepting a fuel tanker carrying migrants, money markets used to move funds for smuggling, and Kurdish internal security saying it shares intelligence with Britain's National Crime Agency and has tried to reduce the issue within its jurisdiction. It also showed French Coast Guard activity and dinghies in the Channel, and said demand to reach Britain remains strong.
- 1:14
- 2:47
Claim Alex Norris scraps judge-only trials as court backlog set to keep rising
Under the revised approach, only complex or lengthy fraud and financial cases would be heard by a judge alone without a jury.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 2:47-3:01
- 2:47
Claim Alex Norris scraps judge-only trials as court backlog set to keep rising
Under the revised approach, only complex or lengthy fraud and financial cases would be heard by a judge alone without a jury.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 2:47-3:01
- 5:21
- 6:12
Claim Reform UK summer social media ad spend tops all other parties combined
Reform spent £380,000 on social media ads between 1 August and 25 September, with its summer spending exceeding all other parties combined.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 6:12-6:27
- 7:15
Claim Reform UK summer social media ad spend tops all other parties combined
Reform spent £380,000 on social media ads between 1 August and 25 September, with its summer spending exceeding all other parties combined.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 7:15-7:23
- 9:51
- 9:51
Claim Farmers warn diesel prices threaten UK food supply despite G7 fuel release
Farming leaders warned that soaring diesel prices could disrupt UK food supply.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 9:51-9:59
- 9:51
Claim Farmers warn diesel prices threaten UK food supply despite G7 fuel release
Farming leaders warned that soaring diesel prices could disrupt UK food supply.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 9:51-9:59
- 11:45
Claim Farmers warn diesel prices threaten UK food supply despite G7 fuel release
Rising diesel costs are adding £35 million per week to UK hauliers' fuel bills and more than £9,000 per year to operating a long-distance lorry.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 11:45-11:55
- 11:45
Claim Farmers warn diesel prices threaten UK food supply despite G7 fuel release
Rising diesel costs are adding £35 million per week to UK hauliers' fuel bills and more than £9,000 per year to operating a long-distance lorry.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 11:45-11:55
- 13:21
- 13:32
Claim New York governor appoints special prosecutor in Cornell gang rape case
New York prosecutors reopened an investigation into seven Cornell fraternity members accused of gang rape after criticism of how the case was handled.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 13:32-13:40
- 13:40
Claim New York governor appoints special prosecutor in Cornell gang rape case
Cornell University's president said the alleged 2024 gang rape of a student was disturbing.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 13:40-13:49
- 14:18
Claim New York governor appoints special prosecutor in Cornell gang rape case
Cornell University's president said the alleged 2024 gang rape of a student was disturbing.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 14:18-14:26
- 14:27
- 15:06
- 15:15
Claim Glastonbury 2027 tickets sell out within 40 to 45 minutes at £408
Glastonbury weekend tickets for next year's festival cost £408, with prices above £400 for the first time and making it the most expensive in the festival's history.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 15:15-15:24
- 16:28
Claim Glastonbury 2027 tickets sell out within 40 to 45 minutes at £408
Glastonbury weekend tickets for next year's festival cost £408, with prices above £400 for the first time and making it the most expensive in the festival's history.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 16:28-16:33
- 21:19
- 29:35
- 29:44
Contested quote England thrash Croatia 7-0 as Scotland win and Ireland face Israel
Lovely to see you. Morning. How are you? I'm good, I'm good. England did well yesterday. That was a surprise, wasn't it? I mean, it's a friendly, so how much can we read into it? No, it's not friendly. I'm calling them friendlies still. You're incorrect. It's the Nations League. Look, the Nations League actually is building up to be
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 29:44-29:46
- 29:46
Claim England thrash Croatia 7-0 as Scotland win and Ireland face Israel
England faced Croatia in Rijeka in the UEFA Nations League.
Sky News, Mornings with Jones and Melbourne, 4 October 2026, 29:46-29:51
Source: Sky News, "Mornings with Jones and Melbourne", Sunday 4 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.