Podcast
Policy made clear with sponsored podcasts from The Spectator team.
Policy made clear with sponsored podcasts from The Spectator team.
Spectator Briefings
With cases of neurodegenerative conditions rising in the UK, it’s crucial to re-examine how we tackle these diseases. The Spectator’s assistant editor Isabel Hardman speaks to Debbie Abrahams MP (co-chair of the Dementia APPG), Dr Emily Pegg (associate vice president at Eli Lilly), Dr Susan Kohlhaas (executive director at Alzheimer’s Research), and Professor Giovanna Mallucci
Play 46 mins
Spectator Briefings
Freedom of speech is one of the fundamental tenets of a liberal democracy, and yet threats to freedom of speech today don’t so much come from authoritarians abroad as they do from within. The idea of ‘no-platforming’ those you disagree with, or ‘cancelling’ them, has taken root in all forms of public debate, and increasingly
Play 27 mins
Spectator Briefings
How we achieve net zero is more than just a political or environmental decision. It is one that will have huge societal impacts. How we get our energy translates to how we move around, how we heat our homes. It’s a reminder that the energy transition has many trade-offs, as we navigate achieving net zero
Play 40 mins
Spectator Briefings
How should we think of the 26 million people in the UK living with a long-term health condition? Under the current system, only a handful of long-term conditions are prioritised. This leads to a huge strain on NHS resources and capacity later down the road, as long-term health conditions comprise 50 per cent of all
Play 64 mins
Spectator Briefings
Fraud, by some margin, is the biggest crime in Britain. How did it spin out of control? Who is responsible? And who do we call to tackle and prevent the biggest menace in the digital era? The Spectator’s economics editor, Kate Andrews is joined by an esteemed panel for this discussion, kindly sponsored by TSB and hosted
Play 61 mins
Spectator Briefings
The way we use energy is changing. As electric heat pumps and electric vehicles become more popular, and as the government tries to phase out fossil fuels to reach its net zero target, some estimate that our electricity demand will increase by 50 per cent by 2035. But can our energy system take that strain?
Play 33 mins
Spectator Briefings
Philip Morris International is one of the world’s most interesting and controversial companies. Recently, they announced their vision to exit the business of making cigarettes and enter what they describe as a ‘smoke-free world’. But what pace are they moving at? And what are the risks involved? Jacek Olczak the chief executive of Philip Morris
Play
Spectator Briefings
Britain’s high energy prices, insecure supply, and climate change commitments mean people’s relationship with energy will need to change. How could consumers change their attitude to energy consumption so that they use less? Will doing so give them a worse standard of living? On this podcast, Kate Andrews, The Spectator’s economics editor, is joined by Dan
Play 18 mins
Spectator Briefings
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exposed the insecurity of the UK’s energy supply. We may not have been reliant on Russian gas like our European neighbours, but that didn’t mean we avoided higher energy bills. The government had to seriously consider how the UK would cope with a blackout. Britain’s experience this winter has prompted a
Play 32 mins
Spectator Briefings
Covid 19 has been a crisis without borders. In a highly interconnected world, every country has felt the impacts of the pandemic, from supply chain disruption to low productivity and high inflationary pressures. Should the post-pandemic economic recovery be a global project? For decades, the UK has been a key player on the economic world
Play 35 mins
Spectator Briefings
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine shocked the world. Whilst fighting is happening in Europe, repercussions have been felt around the globe. Disruption to trade and supply chains means a rapidly worsening outlook for international development, making it harder to reach those that need support the most. Meanwhile the UK’s Covid recovery and the growing fiscal blackhole
Play 45 mins
Spectator Briefings
It’s fair to say that the tobacco industry is one of the most controversial ones out there, with the phrase ‘Big Tobacco’ almost a meme, a shorthand for unscrupulous business practices. No wonder then that tobacco companies are trying to remake themselves, companies like Philip Morris International. PMI has a history dating back to the
Play 35 mins
Spectator Briefings
As Britons live longer and the population ages, society will soon have to rethink what it means to be of ‘working age’. Training and learning will have to be offered to older age groups who are healthier and more capable of work than their predecessors; while healthcare has room to improve in making sure that
Play 33 mins
Spectator Briefings
When Uber arrived in Britain ten years ago, the app transformed the way people move around cities. All of a sudden, at the click of a button, city dwellers could order a car for a competitive price which would arrive within minutes.To some policymakers, this hailed a new way of working and putting consumers first.
Play 32 mins
Spectator Briefings
28 per cent of the world’s fertiliser supply comes from Russia and Ukraine. Since war broke out in February, fertiliser prices have rocketed to record highs because of the disruption. British farmers are under pressure as the industry deals with higher energy costs at the same time; while consumers are facing higher food prices. Is
Play 17 mins
Spectator Briefings
As the NHS turns 74, the service has never been under so much strain. The pandemic has created record waiting lists of almost seven million in England alone. Every month, tens of thousands of accident and emergency patients are left to wait for more than 12 hours with ambulances queuing up outside. Other long-term challenges
Play 30 mins
Spectator Briefings
The UK was the first country in the world to begin its formal vaccine rollout, starting with the 91 year old Margaret Keenan. In the years since, the pandemic has been almost entirely routed in this country (though its impact on the economy, on healthcare, on the criminal justice system, continue to be suffered). But
Play 39 mins
Spectator Briefings
It’s estimated that the average age of a British farmer is 59. This raises questions about the future of British farming. Are young people just not interested? On this episode, The Spectator’s economics editor, Kate Andrews takes a look at the next few decades for British farming. Young farmers are part of the picture, but
Play 27 mins
Spectator Briefings
Staying on top of your personal finances has never been easier. Anyone can now buy and sell stocks at the tap of a phone screen, with even more progress in fintech just around the corner. What does this bold new world of investing mean for markets, policymakers and everyday investors? Does smart technology mean easy
Play 59 mins
Spectator Briefings
Will the government’s plans for revitalising the north be hampered by its plans for decarbonisation? There’s increasing concern in Whitehall that these agendas contradict each other, but there’s no reason that green jobs and projects can’t benefit Britain’s ‘forgotten communities’ too. How do we ensure the north benefits from a greener, more prosperous future? How
Play 64 mins
Spectator Briefings
The UK’s vaccine programme was hailed by the government as a success story for Global Britain. It became an example of how Britain could speed up regulation, reduce bureaucracy and become a worldwide home for tech and innovation in life sciences. The government recently published a Life Sciences Vision, but how much vision was there?
Play 30 mins
Spectator Briefings
The UK has recently lifted almost every Covid restriction and with that, thousands of commuters will return to their offices. Will those memories of delays, cancellations, costly tickets and overcrowding come back to haunt the commuter? Most of the problems are linked to the patchwork of Victorian infrastructure that has struggled to meet the demands
Play 30 mins
Spectator Briefings
Had Covid-19 not continued to dominate the headlines this year, there’s little doubt that the outcomes of the Brexit deal would have been at the forefront of our policy discussions. Britain has left the EU with a bespoke trade agreement, but it’s far from perfect, as the Northern Ireland Protocol continues to cause problems, especially
Play 32 mins
Spectator Briefings
What are the greener solutions for heating Britain’s homes? The government estimates that heating residential homes accounts for around 15 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason, many households are concerned about the future of their gas boilers and energy bills. The government laid out its heat and building strategy this
Play 30 mins
Spectator Briefings
Everyone knows somebody who has asthma. 5.4 million people in the UK are currently receiving treatment and 200,000 of them have severe asthma. A form of the condition that doesn’t typically respond well to medication. For many, asthma is a severe and debilitating condition but there exists a disconnect between its severity and the organisation
Play 28 mins
Spectator Briefings
The world economy is bouncing back from the impacts of Covid 19. It has been bumpy year of recovery which has included labour shortages and consistent inflationary pressures. But it hasn’t been all doom and gloom. Kate Andrews, the Spectator’s economic’s editor reviews this financial year. She is joined by Martin Vander Weyer, the Spectator’s business
Play 36 mins
Spectator Briefings
We’ve long known that where you live, who you live with, how you grow up, and how much money you have can have long lasting consequences for you health. Those that live in inner city neighbourhoods are far more exposed to health risks such as air pollution or drug abuse compared to leafy suburban residents.
Play 27 mins
Spectator Briefings
When the Glasgow climate jamboree ended after two weeks, COP26 President Alok Sharma broke down in tears and seemed to apologise for his failure to get countries like China and India on side. But now that the dust has settled from Glasgow’s COP26 summit, but how will this one be remembered? There were protestors, no
Play 31 mins
Spectator Briefings
Over the past months, under the weight of a global pandemic, scientists and medical professionals have had to rethink the way they do things. We found not one – but numerous – vaccines within the space of a year; new treatments have been discovered, some repurposed from existing drugs; and manufacturers and politicians alike have
Play 27 mins
Spectator Briefings
As the global shortage of gas continues to drive up energy costs, we take a look at these rising energy prices and the cost of living crisis that looms over the UK. How can we protect people from fuel poverty when bills are predicted to rise by hundreds of pounds? Moreover, as COP26 kicks off,
Play 32 mins