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PODCAST

The Expert Factor

The EXPERT FACTOR is the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts. Each week the directors of three leading and respected think tanks – Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Hannah White of the Institute for Government, and Anand Menon of UK in a Changing Europe – get together to discuss, debate and explain the big questions and themes that will shape the upcoming General Election, and the political landscape for years to come.

government

All Episodes

36:57

What is in Rachel Reeves’ £22bn black hole plan?

The Expert Factor ·

2024/08/02

Rachel Reeves has accused the previous government of leaving a £22 billion shortfall in public finances. But do the chancellor’s sums add up or was this all about the politics?Anand, Hannah and Paul examine what could be a defining moment for this government, explore what Reeves is trying to do, and try to make sense of some of the decisions - like scrapping road and hospital building projects, restricting winter fuel payments, and cancelling the imposition of a cap on social care charges – that

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34:32

How can the government meet its foreign policy...

The Expert Factor ·

2024/07/26

The general election was less than a month ago, but Keir Starmer has already had to deal with an assassination attempt in the United States, a NATO summit, and hosting the European Political Community at Blenheim. And there are more challenges ahead. The US election. The question of how to deal with China. And, of course, Gaza and Ukraine will continue to dominate the headlines.So how clear a plan does Labour have? How might it approach these and other challenges? And to what extent does David

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36:57

What can be done to fix the prisons crisis?

The Expert Factor ·

2024/07/19

Within days of winning the general election, Keir Starmer has had to respond to what is undoubtedly a crisis – perhaps even an emergency – in prisons across England and Wales. The equation is a simple one. Too many prisoners, not enough prison places. More prisons are being planned. But even this won’t keep track of the expected rise in prisoner numbers. So how on earth was this allowed to happen? Who is to blame?And has the Labour government come up with a sensible plan to fix the problem – or

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35:53

What does the general election result mean for...

The Expert Factor ·

2024/07/11

It’s not even a week since the British electorate voted to hand power back to Labour. Keir Starmer now leads a government with a huge majority. Rishi Sunak is still – just – leading a massively reduced Conservative opposition. The Liberal Democrats have reclaimed their status as Parliament’s third largest party. The SNP had a terrible night. Reform have established a foothold in Westminster too.British politics has been turned on its head. So what does it mean for how this country is governed? Is

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44:02

Can the next government fix the housing crisis?

The Expert Factor ·

2024/06/28

Whoever wins the general election – and right now it looks set to be Labour – is going to inherit a particularly stacked and complicated in-tray. And most complicated of all might just be housing.It’s a problem that so many people are facing – and it’s a problem that successive governments have completely failed to solve. There aren’t enough houses. There aren’t enough houses being built. Houses are too expensive to buy. In some places they are too expensive to rent. So what is the

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39:39

Do Sunak or Starmer really have a plan for economic...

The Expert Factor ·

2024/06/18

It’s the Holy Grail. The answer to all our problems. The key to, well pretty much anything the next government wants to – and can – achieve. Rishi Sunak made it one of his five pledges. Keir Starmer placed it front and centre of Labour’s manifesto. But does anyone really know how to deliver economic growth? With Paul on his holidays, The Expert Factor is joined by IfG chief economist Gemma Tetlow for a closer look at the questions that could define the next government – and the future of our public

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37:58

What will happen to taxes after the 2024 general...

The Expert Factor ·

2024/06/11

Promises not to raise tax are a feature of every general election campaign, and this year is no different. But what are Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer really saying about tax – and what does it mean for what the government can spend on struggling public services?Which taxes could still rise? What taxes need reform – and how can government go about it? And what does the public really think about tax? Anand, Paul and Hannah crunch the numbers and tell you what the tax rows are all about. Plus: Rise of

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48:34

Are we selecting the best MPs?

The Expert Factor ·

2024/06/06

How do parties decide who gets to stand to be an MP? And are they doing it right? So far this general election has been whirlwind of surprises and unexpected recrimination. Keir Starmer has been accused of purging the Labour Left to install friendly faces in plum seats. And the Conservatives had to search frantically for new candidates to replace record numbers of their MPs who’ve decided to stand down.What does it take to get on the ballot paper? And how do the parties’ choices shape their future

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39:35

Election 2024: What's behind the Starmer-Sunak...

The Expert Factor ·

2024/05/30

It is a week since a rain-soaked Rishi Sunak called a general election. So what on earth is going on? Does Rishi Sunak’s surprise decision make any more sense? Is the idea of national service going to win back the younger voters? Do the claims and counter-claims about tax add up? And will anyone talk about Brexit over the next six weeks? For impartial, insightful and, yes, expert analysis and insight, there is no better podcast to turn to than the Expert Factor.From now until the July 4th polling

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33:42

How can public inquiries make a difference?

The Expert Factor ·

2024/05/24

Hillsborough. Bloody Sunday. Grenfell. Scott. Leveson. Chilcott.And just this week, infected blood, the Post Office and Covid. Public inquiries can make headlines. They can alter the course of political careers. They can bring closure. They can shape all our lives. So in the week that the contaminated blood inquiry’s final report was published, Emma Norris, the IfG’s deputy director and resident public inquiries expert, joins Anand and Paul to examine what makes a successful public inquiry - and

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33:15

What’s going wrong with Britain’s universities?

The Expert Factor ·

2024/05/17

UK universities are widely regarded as some of the best in the world. Boasting six of Europe’s top ten universities, it’s easy to see why so many students choose to study in Britain. Yet despite this, Britain faces a major skills shortage. Outcomes vary greatly across students from different backgrounds. And prospective students are increasingly sceptical about whether a degree is worth the money. With the election fast approaching, all parties are laying out their vision for the future of Britain’s

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29:29

What do the 2024 local elections really tell us about...

The Expert Factor ·

2024/05/10

The dust has settled, we've caught up on our sleep, and the Expert Factor team have assembled in the studio to make sense of a big set of local elections. Local Government Chronicle editor Sarah Calkin is this week’s special guest, joining Anand and Paul to explain what these votes were all about and why they matter. So what do these elections mean for Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer? Will the results have any impact on campaign strategies for the general election? Could they even force Sunak to call

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36:46

Why should voters care about the government’s...

The Expert Factor ·

2024/05/03

The general election campaign will probably be all about immigration, the economy, jobs and the NHS, but an industrial strategy – or not, if there isn’t one – could be critical to the future of this country.But what exactly is an industrial strategy? And why should voters pay attention to whether the government has one – and what Labour might do differently? Hannah and Paul are joined on this week’s Expert Factor by Giles Wilkes, who has worked on industrial strategy at the heart of government, to

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32:11

Is there a better way to pay for the NHS?

The Expert Factor ·

2024/04/26

The NHS is front and centre of a general election campaign. Rishi Sunak has placed the NHS at the heart of the five pledges he wants to voters to judge him on, while Keir Starmer has made NHS reform one of the five missions which he says would drive a Labour government. But money is tight, and performance levels are poor. That familiar subject of how to reform the NHS is surfacing again – along with the tricky question of how to pay for our health service. So how is the NHS funded? How much do we

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29:10

What is behind the UK’s asylum policy?

The Expert Factor ·

2024/04/18

‘Stopping the boats’ was one of Rishi Sunak’s five priorities at the start of 2023. The numbers, and the visuals, of small boats arriving on the UK’s southern coast is an issue long seized upon by Nigel Farage and the Reform Party that has, to some extent, spooked both the Conservatives and Labour. And it is a policy problem that has caused massive headaches for the finest minds in government, a succession of ministers as well as the officials trying to implement that policy.So what's actually

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36:27

Will 2024 be the year of (more) populism?

The Expert Factor ·

2024/04/12

With elections being held in the UK, India, the US, Austria, Belgium and for the European Parliament, 2024 is going to be a huge year for politics, politicians and political parties. But could it also be another big year for populists? In recent years populist parties of the right and left have exploited anger towards the political elite, a loss of trusts in governments, and growing democratic dissatisfaction. They have surged in polls and made electoral breakthroughs, but will the coming months

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41:13

Biden v Trump: What is at stake in the 2024 US...

The Expert Factor ·

2024/04/05

On 5 November 2024, up to 161 million American voters will go to the polls to vote for the next president of the United States – and will be faced with a choice between the same two candidates that stood in 2020. Joe Biden, the incumbent, will again face Donald Trump – the former president who lost to Biden in 2020. But polling suggests many voters are less than enthused by the choice. Non-MAGA Republicans feeling queasy about the prospect of Trump – who is still facing a pile of legal challenges –

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37:27

What would a hung parliament mean for the UK?

The Expert Factor ·

2024/03/22

Take a look at the polls and you might be forgiven for thinking that the next general election is heading towards one outcome and one outcome only. But that election could be months away – even next year, and a week, let alone a month, is a long time in politics. Keir Starmer keeps reminding his party not to be complacent, and Peter Mandelson has even predicted that the next election will result in a hung parliament. If so, then what happens?What would it mean for the country if no party wins a

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32:49

What is wrong with the centre of government?

The Expert Factor ·

2024/03/15

A major new report by the Institute for Government says the centre of government – No10, the Treasury and the Cabinet Office – is not capable of meeting the challenges that the UK faces in the 21st century. So what has been going wrong?How has No.10 failed prime ministers from different parties over the last two decades? What does the Cabinet Office actually do, and why has it more than doubled its size in the last ten years? Should the Treasury be split up? Is it right that the most. important

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25:25

Is politically divisive language getting worse?

The Expert Factor ·

2024/03/08

Politics is not for the faint hearted, but it feels like we’re witnessing an outbreak of increasingly divisive language. Lee Anderson has been suspended as a Conservative MP. Suella Braverman’s interventions divide opinion. The Labour Party – no stranger to running into controversy over its politicians or party members – has endured a particularly difficult time in the build-up to the Rochdale by-election. So what’s going wrong? Why are politicians choosing to use this type of language? Do political

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62 results

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