Episodes
-
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 day, Hannah, Paul and Anand are going to dig into the big policy announcements, pick apart the manifestos, crunch the numbers, analyse the promises and pledges, and explain what this general election is all about – and what it means for government, for the public finances, for politics and for you.
————
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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 what makes an unsuccessful one. Should politicians resist them or welcome them? How much do they really cost - and does that matter? And how can they make a difference?
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come.
Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Missing episodes?
-
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 universities. So why does it matter? Are UK universities really world leading? How is it funded? Is this sustainable? Are degrees worth the money? And what needs to change?
In this episode, the Expert Factor team take a deep dive into universities - their funding models, what they cost to the taxpayer, how much they contribute to the economy, where they’re failing, and what needs to change.
--------
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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 an early election - or perhaps a very late one?
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come.
Produced by Milo Hynes and Podmasters
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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 explore what an industrial strategy actually means for anyone voting in the general election. When can we tell if an industrial strategy is working? Does Rishi Sunak have an industrial strategy? Has Keir Starmer come up with a plan of his own? What have former prime ministers done with their industrial strategies? Has the UK ever even had a successful industrial strategy?
————
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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 spend on the health service? How well is this money spent and why does the NHS never seem to stick to its budget? Are there better ways it could be funded? And are politicians being honest with the public about what the NHS can provide – and how it should be paid for?
On this week’s Expert Factor, the team examine one of the thorniest questions in politics – and a question that is sure to be asked repeatedly in the general election campaign.
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come.
Produced by Milo Hynes and Podmasters
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
‘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 happening in asylum policy? How many people are trying to claim asylum in the UK, and what does that really mean? What is the government’s approach to asylum, be it by approaching Rwanda to be a ‘third country’ or otherwise, and is it working? And what, if there is one, could be a better approach?On this week’s Expert Factor the team explore asylum policy and how effective the government’s approach has been to date.
————
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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 see more of the same?
What would this mean for the numerous elections set to take place over 2024? Will we see previously fringe candidates rocketing up in the polls? What will happen if Donald Trump wins or loses in the US? Will politics in Europe and beyond lurch to the left or right? Just which voters do these parties most appeal to? And how do we go about improving voters’ faith in their representatives and stop democracy itself coming under threat?
On this week’s Expert Factor the team take a deep dive into populist politics.
————
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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 – returning to the White House, and many Democrats wonder if Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second presidential term, is the best possible candidate.
So what are we to make of American politics? How does their system work? What will happen in the election? What could this mean for the UK? And is politics in the US a guide to what might happen in the UK?
On this week’s Expert Factor the team take a deep breath and take a deep dive into US politics. Mark Landler, London Bureau Chief of the New York Times and a former White House correspondent, joins Hannah, Paul and Anand (who dials in from Boston) to try and make sense of a presidential election that will have consequences across the world.
--------
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come.
Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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 majority at the general election? Are there lessons from the coalition years of 2010-15 or Theresa May’s 2017 deal with the DUP? Are there better ways for minority governments to govern? What should Westminster learn from the devolved administrations? And why have we seen an outbreak of hung parliaments in recent years – and should we prepare for more?
On this week’s Expert Factor the team take a deep dive into the confusing – and often chaotic – world of hung parliaments.
--------
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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 decisions in government are taken in Cabinet meetings attended by over 30 ministers? And if, say, you are Rishi Sunak with five pledges or Keir Starmer with five missions, and you win the general election, then how would redesigning the centre of government help you achieve those aims?
This week’s Expert Factor sees Hannah, Paul and Anand take a deep dive into the heart of UK government – and explore why the centre doesn’t work, and what needs to be done to fix it.
————
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
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 parties have any power to stop them? Or will things only get worse in a general election year?
Tim Bale, professor of politics at London’s Queen Mary University, joins Hannah White and Paul Johnson for an Expert Factor deep dive into the increasingly fraught political landscape.
--------
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Jeremy Hunt will reveal his 2024 Spring Budget on Wednesday March 6th. So what can we expect from the chancellor? Has the fiscal situation improved – or worsened – over the last few months? Are tax cuts really plausible given the state of public service performance? How will Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves respond? Will this be the last budget before the general election? And could this be the moment that Rishi Sunak turns around his government’s fortunes?
On this week’s Expert Factor the team look ahead to a big day in the Westminster calendar and a hugely significant moment for the country.
--------
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
On the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Expert Factor team assemble to examine what an era of global instability means for the UK, for our government and for British politics. What would the return of Donald Trump to the White House mean for whoever wins the general election? How is the conflict in the Middle East impacting British politics – and the decisions that British politicians need to take? Does the UK have the resources to meet its foreign policy aims and defence needs? What difference has Brexit made to how the UK acts on the world stage – and should we be working more closely with the EU to achieve our priorities?
It is harder than ever to separate what happens in our country with what happens countries that are thousands of miles away. So how prepared is the UK to meet the challenges of an increasingly unstable world?
————
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come.
Producer by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
With Paul Johnson away on holiday, Hannah and Anand are joined by Katy Hayward, professor of political sociology at Queen's University Belfast, for a deep dive into recent dramatic political developments in Northern Ireland.
A deal has finally been struck and power-sharing has been restored in Northern Ireland. So how will it work? What has been the human cost of an absence of government at Stormont? How will this impact Northern Ireland's relationship with the EU? And what could the deal mean for the future of Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland?
--------
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Guess what issue tops the charts of voter concerns? It’s the economy, stupid. Interest rates have soared. We've had high inflation. Mortgage rates have hit eye watering levels. And tax rates are at record highs.
So just how unhealthy is the UK's economy? How might things change in the run up to the next election – and will Rishi Sunak’s pledges work out? Will whoever forms the next government be in for a nightmarish fiscal inheritance – and what does this mean for public services? And what, or who, should we blame for all this economic bad news?
This week's episode of The Expert Factor takes a deep dive into the UK economy.
--------
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
It is four years since the UK left the EU – and nearly eight years since that referendum. So what have we learnt? How has Brexit worked out – and what changes could yet be introduced? What is the current state of UK/EU relations? How might they develop in the future? And could a future government try and renegotiate the UK’s deal with the EU?
This episode of The Expert Factor is a deep dive into how Brexit is working out – and how it might develop in the months and years ahead.
--------
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come.
Producer by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Adam Fleming, presenter of the BBC’s daily Newscast on BBC Sounds and Antisocial on Radio 4 joins us for this special live recording of The Expert Factor! What is the best way to hold politicians to account? Does it matter if a minister is given an official warning for making inaccurate claims? Who reads manifestos and do manifesto pledges actually matter? How can we find out what voters are really worried about? And what is the best way to be an expert in a general election year?
This episode of the Expert Factor was recorded in front of a live audience at the Institute for Government’s annual conference on Tuesday 23 January.
----------
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Power changes hands overnight following a general election. Shadow ministers go from running small offices to being in charge of thousands of civil servants. Their advisers become all-powerful special advisers operating at the heart of government. And the leader of the opposition moves from an office in Parliament to 10 Downing Street, instantly handed the levers of power and a Rolodex of the world’s most important people. So how can oppositions prepare for such a massive change? What goes wrong if they don’t? And with Labour 20 points ahead in the polls, what does Keir Starmer need to do to get ready for the possibility government?
On this week’s episode of The Expert Factor, the team explore how transitions of power work in the UK, the importance of access talks with the civil service, and key lessons from past elections – and parties that did, or didn’t, prepare for government.
Find out more here: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/preparing-for-government
—————-
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
This could be a pivotal year for British politics. A general election is set to take place in 2024. Rishi Sunak is urging voters to stick with the plan. Keir Starmer is pitching this as a year of change.
So when might the general election be held? What is the most likely outcome? How will the economic outlook shape the next government’s options? Will the March Budget shift the dial? What are the big moments to look out for in Parliament before polling day? What could we learn from local and mayoral elections in May? And how might the US election – and a possible second term for President Trump – affect UK politics?
On this week’s episode of the Expert Factor, the team pick out the key moments ahead in 2024 – and explore what the future might mean for British politics and government.
--------
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 election – and the political landscape for years to come. Produced by Milo Hynes
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices - Show more
