The Policy Factory Podcast

In the concluding episode of this two-part series, Professor Steven King (Nottingham Trent University) and Professor Glen O’Hara (Oxford Brookes University) discuss what lessons Keir Starmer might learn from the last time Labour was in government.In this second part, the two discuss:* Dealing with the 2008 financial crisis.* How New Labour sought to reform the NHS and if it worked.* Will Keir Starmer’s Labour be so tough on crime and the causes of crime?* Are Starmer and Reeves cut from the same

In the first episode of a two-part series, Steven King and Glen O’Hara discuss what lessons Keir Starmer might learn from the last time Labour was in government.In this first part, the two discuss:- What New Labour was and how it compares to the current iteration of the Labour Party- How both New Labour and present Labour came to power after a series of major election defeats- How Tony Blair and Keir Starmer compare in their approaches and characters- New Labour’s attempts at welfare reform versus

In this episode, first recorded in September 2024, Steven King and Cat Gower are joined by historians Dr Geoff Monks and Dr Carol Beardmore to discuss Britain's 'Sicknote Culture'. Is it merely the media's latest fixation or is it symptomatic of something bigger?Be sure to subscribe to the Policy Factory podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and check out our brand-new website. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

In this episode recorded in September 2024 Steven King and Cat Gower discuss King's latest book, Fraudulent Lives: Imagining Welfare Cheats from the Poor Law to the Present (Montreal, 2024) and how his research into Britain's past welfare systems has shaped his thoughts on directions for future welfare policy provision.For more on the book, see the De Gruyter Brill website.Be sure to subscribe to the Policy Factory podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and check out our brand-new website. This is