The Expert Factor

Satisfaction with the healthcare system is at its lowest level since 1997 – but the issue has been consistently rising as a priority for voters over the past two years. Waiting lists are at record levels. The damage caused by the Covid pandemic continues to be felt across the NHS. More money has been thrown at staffing, but productivity continues to lag. So what is the answer to the NHS’s problems? How do you pay for a bigger workforce – and how can it be done while simultaneously reducing immigration numbers? How can you ensure you meet the needs of the entire healthcare system? And how do you future-proof the healthcare systems against future challenges, like another pandemic? On this week’s episode, the Expert Factor take a deep dive into the state of the NHS – and explore how this or a future government could provide a long-term plans to fix the NHS. –––––– 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 month marks four years since the 2019 general election, when Boris Johnson bulldozed his way to a Conservative majority with his promise to ‘get Brexit done’ – and Labour sank to its worst election result since 1935. But so much has changed since then. We’ve had a global pandemic. The partygate scandal. Two changes of prime minister. A huge economic downturn. War has returned to Europe. And for the last two years, Labour has held a poll lead over the Conservatives of around 20 points. So what are the public really thinking about British politics right now – and what might the next general election look like? On this episode of The Expert Factor, Hannah White, Paul Johnson and Anand Menon take a deep dive intothe issues that could shape the next election – and explore what voters’ priorities are likely to be as they head to the polls. After numerous scandals around the ministerial code, MP’s behaviour and transparency, are voters more concerned with competence than anything else? Will this be the first non-Brexit election we’ve had in almost a decade? Are the Conservatives resigned to electoral defeat - and has Labour done enough to win back those voters they lost in 2019? 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 and Podmasters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Education. Education. Education. General election slogans often zero in on education, and now Rishi Sunak has made building a “world class education system” as one of his top priorities. But just how well are English schools performing? Has enough to been done to make up for learning lost during the pandemic? Do Labour and the Conservatives disagree on education policy? And what can be done to fix our crumbling schools and recruit more teachers? In this episode, the Expert Factor take a deep dive into the state of our schools and explore the dividing lines in education policy and explore the state of our education system. A general election is looming. Manifestos are being drafted. The battle of ideas is intensifying. From tackling climate change to turning around the economy, rethinking Britain’s place in the world to restoring trust in politics, the UK is facing huge challenges. So how can we make sense of it all? Produced by Milo Hynes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rishi Sunak and his chancellor Jeremy Hunt have spent weeks poring over the books, squinting at the balance sheets, and crunching the numbers in the hope of sharing good economic news with the country – and setting out some policies – which excite Conservative MPs and entice the electorate. Yes, the wait for the Autumn Statement is nearly over. So what might the numbers reveal? How much room for manoeuvre do Sunak and Hunt have? Are tax cuts likely – and should they be? And how much do these fiscal events really shift the narrative? In this episode, the Expert Factor preview Wednesday’s big event in parliament and ask what difference the Autumn Statement might make. A general election is looming. Manifestos are being drafted. The battle of ideas is intensifying. From tackling climate change to turning around the economy, rethinking Britain’s place in the world to restoring trust in politics, the UK is facing huge challenges. So how can we make sense of it all? 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 Rozy Harsanyi, Milo Hynes and Podmasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For decades governments have grappled with immigration – arguably it was one of the key reasons for the 2016 Brexit vote. But what has “taking back control” meant for the UK’s immigration statistics? How might numbers change in the years ahead? To what extent does the UK need immigration to bolster its labour market? Where does the row over small boats fit in? And where are we in terms of voter attitudes? In this episode, the Expert Factor team take a deep dive into one of the most controversial questions faced by politicians of all parties – and a possible wedge issue at the next general election. A general election is looming. Manifestos are being drafted. The battle of ideas is intensifying. From tackling climate change to turning around the economy, rethinking Britain’s place in the world to restoring trust in politics, the UK is facing huge challenges. So how can we make sense of it all? 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 Rozy Harsanyi, Milo Hynes and Podmasters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Climate change used to be that rarest of things in British politics – an issue over which there was broad interparty consensus. That consensus saw Ed Miliband oversee the passing of the Climate Change Act in 2008, committing the UK to an 80 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; Theresa May enshrining of the target of net zero in law; and Boris Johnson going further still, increasing the target for 2030 reductions to 68%. But recently we have seen a divergence from this consensus, with Rishi Sunak pushing back the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK from 2030 to 2035. In this episode, the Experts team drill down into this changing landscape. What do voters think about Sunak’s changes? How is Labour going to respond? What are the key steps to achieving net zero? And what are the economic costs involved? –––––– A general election is looming. Manifestos are being drafted. The battle of ideas is intensifying. From tackling climate change to turning around the economy, rethinking Britain’s place in the world to restoring trust in politics, the UK is facing huge challenges. So how can we make sense of it all? 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 Rozy Harsanyi, Milo Hynes and Podmasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you remember when politics was the domain of good chaps and a time when politicians could be trusted to stick to the rules? Ok, so maybe there was never quite such a rose-tinted age – but from lobbying scandals to accusations of minsters bullying their staff, standards in politics seem to have been slipping in recent years. So this week the Expert Factor team take a deep dive into standards and ethics in public life – and how they are meant to be uphold. Why have standards been on the slide? Have the good chaps left the political scene for good? What could Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer do to fix the problem? And do the voters really care? A general election is looming. Manifestos are being drafted. The battle of ideas is intensifying. From tackling climate change to turning around the economy, rethinking Britain’s place in the world to restoring trust in politics, the UK is facing huge challenges. So how can we make sense of it all? 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 and Podmasters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From HS2 cancellations to Heathrow’s still unbuilt third runway, the over-budget Elizabeth Line to the repeated delays to the Hinkley C nuclear reactor, why is the UK so bad at infrastructure projects? This week, the Expert Factor team take a deep dive into what goes wrong when the UK wants to build big things. How did the costs for HS2 get so high? Is there the right level of government expertise to see through big infrastructure projects? Does the UK have a bigger NIMBY problem than other countries? And what could be done to learn from past mistakes? A general election is looming. Manifestos are being drafted. The battle of ideas is intensifying. From tackling climate change to turning around the economy, rethinking Britain’s place in the world to restoring trust in politics, the UK is facing huge challenges. So how can we make sense of it all? 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 and Podmasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rising inflation, a cost-of-living crisis, striking public sector workers, the NHS facing another winter crisis….costs on the public purse are spiralling and government borrowing is being pushed still higher. So is it true to say there is no more money left? This week the Expert Factor team take a deep dive into the state of Britain’s public finances. What would it mean if we stick to current tax and spend policies? What choices are facing this country’s politicians and its public services? What does the country expect its governments to deliver – and how does it expect it to be paid for? And what did we learn from the Labour and Conservative conferences about the two parties’ plans for the economy? Hannah White, Paul Johnson and Anand Menon ask the tricky questions – and come up with the expert answers. -------- A general election is looming. Manifestos are being drafted. The battle of ideas is intensifying. From tackling climate change to turning around the economy, rethinking Britain’s place in the world to restoring trust in politics, the UK is facing huge challenges. So how can we make sense of it all? THE EXPERT FACTOR is the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts. Each week we 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. • Institute for Fiscal Studies: https://ifs.org.uk/ • Institute for Government: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ • UK in a Changing Europe: https://ukandeu.ac.uk/ Written and presented by Paul Johnson, Hannah White and Anand Menon. Audio production by Alex Rees for Podmasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some politicians are keen to talk up global Britain. Others boast that the UK is world leader in, well, just about everything. But some say this is a country in non-stop decline. So what’s the true story? This week the Expert Factor team take a deep dive into Britain’s place in the world. How do other countries view the UK after a tumultuous time in Westminster? What is the state of the UK’s post-pandemic economy compared to other countries? Just how special is the ‘special’ relationship with the US? And what is the true story about what Brexit has meant for the UK? Hannah White, Paul Johnson and Anand Menon ask the tricky questions – and come up with the expert answers. A general election is looming. Manifestos are being drafted. The battle of ideas is intensifying. From tackling climate change to turning around the economy, rethinking Britain’s place in the world to restoring trust in politics, the UK is facing huge challenges. So how can we make sense of it all? THE EXPERT FACTOR is the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts. Each week we 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. • Institute Fiscal Studies: https://ifs.org.uk/ • Institute for Government: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ • UK in a Changing Europe: https://ukandeu.ac.uk/ Written and presented by Paul Johnson, Hannah White and Anand Menon. Audio production by Alex Rees for Podmasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A general election is looming. Manifestos are being drafted. The battle of ideas is intensifying. From tackling climate change to turning around the economy, rethinking Britain’s place in the world to restoring trust in politics, the UK is facing huge challenges. So how can we make sense of it all? The EXPERT FACTOR is the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts. Each week we 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. This week the team look ahead to the party conference season. What are the pressing questions that Keir Starmer needs to answer? How much pressure will Rishi Sunak be under? And what difference do these get-togethers really make? • Institute Fiscal Studies: https://ifs.org.uk/ • Institute for Government: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ • UK in a Changing Europe: https://ukandeu.ac.uk/ Written and presented by Paul Johnson, Hannah White and Anand Menon. Audio production by Alex Rees for Podmasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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