Podcasts

And they're off. Latest polls carried out in last two days gives Tories 24 point lead over Labour. the Labour leader will make his first big speech of the campaign later - insisting the result's not a "foregone conclusion". Jeremy Corbyn is promising 'not to play by the rules' of the establishment - if he's elected prime minister in June.

Rising food and fuel prices are putting pressure on firms operating in the UK supply chain, according to research from an insolvency firm. Begbies Traynor says almost 22,000 firms were facing "significant financial distress" in sectors such as logistics and wholesale - up by a quarter in the past 12 months.

Former Chancellor George Osborne is to stand down as an MP. How will he be remembered? James Brydges reports.

To get the latest company results, Nigel Cassidy was joined by Mike Ingram, Market Strategist at BGC Partners. Department store chain Debenhams plc, like the rest of the retail sector, faces challenges of rising inflation, fierce competition and a switch in consumer spending habits.

FIFA is finding that potential sponsors and partners are shunning the World Cup in Russia next year, citing concerns of reputational risk for their brands and the financial cost of advertising. The football organisation currently has only half the number of corporate partners on board as it did during the last tournament in Brazil. To find out more about what this means for the upcoming World Cup, Ed Bowsher was joined by Joe Hall, sports business journalist with City A.M.

It's time to talk politics. Today: MPs have overwhelmingly backed the Prime Minister's call for a fresh election - but Theresa May refuses to consider a TV debate.

The first round of the French Presidential election is rapidly approaching, taking place on Sunday. The two candidates with the most votes will then fight out a final round two weeks later. Still in the race are Emmanuel Macron, Francois Fillon, Marine Le Pen, and Jean-Luc Melenchon. Who will make the final ballot? To discuss the runners and riders, Ed Bowsher spoke to James Shields, Professor of French Politics at Aston University.

Following the announcement by Theresa May calling for a snap General Election on June 8th, the Prime Minister has urged Britons to trust her and that a vote now will help the UK make a success of Brexit. Others suggest that she could be using the election to consolidate Tory power through a landslide victory. To get more on the unfolding political events, Ed Bowsher was joined by John Ashmore, chief reporter of Politics Home.

Chancellor Philip Hammond has for the first time admitted the UK Government’s stake in RBS may be sold at a loss for the taxpayer. He told MPs that “We have to live in the real world.” The Treasury bailed out the bank by buying a 72% stake in 2008 during the Financial Crisis. For more on this and the other latest company news, Ed Bowsher spoke to Chris Bailey, founder of Financial Orbit.com

The strong pound has pushed the FTSE 100 down negative for the year, Sterling having been buoyed up by the calls for a General Election by Theresa May. For this and more of the day’s big macro news, Ben Kumar, Investment Manager at Seven Investment Management joined Share Radio’s Ed Bowsher.