Spotlight on Policy, from the New Statesman

This episode was initiated and funded by Takeda UK Ltd. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects millions worldwide, yet its presence within the criminal justice system is often misunderstood or overlooked.  In this podcast we navigate the complex landscape where ADHD and the criminal justice system intercept; shedding light on the unique challenges and misconceptions faced by...

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally. It causes more than 800 deaths in the UK each year.   Yet 99.8% of cervical cancer cases are entirely preventable. Regular screening and the introduction of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination are helping to reduce the number of deaths. With smart policy and public health interventions NHS England have set 2040 as...

Fuel poverty is on the rise with millions of households in England having to choose whether to “heat or eat”. Last year, the Government estimated almost 9 million households could be classed as “fuel poor”. This means that, after housing costs, more than 10 per cent of their household income would be spent on heating. Covid supply disruptions and the war in Ukraine have contributed to the problem...

The UK is on course for a huge rise in preventable illness. The Health Foundation charity predicts that by 2040, one in five adults will be living with a serious condition, such as cancer, dementia or heart disease. Meanwhile, economic activity is stagnating, with roughly 2.8 million people currently out of work due to ill health, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statis...

MPs have voted to back Rishi Sunak's progressive smoking ban. Can it work? The Tobacco & Vapes Bill includes new legislation to increase the smoking age by one year, every year, banning the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 1st January 2009. MPs have voted the bill through its second reading and it is now in the committee stage. The tobacco firm Philip Morris International have pledged t...

The world is currently facing multiple crises, from geopolitical conflicts to pandemics and climate change. But amidst this turbulence, international aid budgets are being stretched as domestic issues take precedence. The UK has cut its overseas aid budget significantly, from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of gross national income. Meanwhile, low-income countries need more support than ever, as they deal wit...

The UK is one of the biggest plastic polluters in the world. According to Greenpeace we produce more plastic waste per person than almost any other country, with our supermarkets creating roughly 800,000 tonnes every year. We need to find ways to minimise waste through keeping products and packaging in circulation for as long as possible. This is where the circular economy comes in - a more sustai...

Britain is trapped in “short term thinking”, says the world’s oldest scientific academy. So how should the UK invest in science and technology?    The United Kingdom has a formidable scientific legacy dating back centuries. This has allowed rapid response to global problems such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and provides value to the economy through technological advancements. However t...

New technology means cancer diagnosis is better than ever. Advances in genomic testing and other new technologies mean we are spotting cancer earlier, and getting better at identifying the best treatment for patients. But a greater understanding of the disease – or group of diseases – means a requirement for more tailored treatment plans to improve patient outcomes. This involves challenges for th...

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, nearly a million people aged 50-64 have left the workforce.   Other major economies have seen their employment rates bounce back after the pandemic, and the Financial Times have reported that the UK is the only developed economy where inactivity kept rising after the initial pandemic shock.     In this episode, sponsored by Phoenix Insig...

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide – but it doesn't affect everyone equally.    Data shows wide regional variation of lung cancer diagnoses, as well as huge differentials linked to socio-economic factors and class.  In this episode Becky Slack is joined by a panel including a leading clinical expert, Professor David Baldwin, Lorraine Dallas from the...

20 million people in the UK lack the basic digital skills required to download apps, apply for jobs online, or use the internet with confidence. This results in a £5.5bn loss of earnings to UK employees, and is a serious problem for UK productivity and individual quality of life.   In this special episode, Jon Bernstein from the New Statesman’s Spotlight on Policy team meets Martin McFadyen&n...

With energy prices at record levels over the past year, schools, universities, leisure centres and businesses have been hit by sky-high bills. And as these higher costs are passed on to customers, the difficulties of the cost-of-living crisis have only been compounded further.   But the UK's net zero targets, and the need to transition to a greener economy, hold the key not only to cutting ca...

The need to move to a net zero economy is an urgent one. And as far back as 2021, the context for that transition has been one of additional crisis.   Alongside the ongoing climate and nature crises, turbulence in energy markets – exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year – has changed the playing field, and all of these elements are interlinked.  In this special podcast...

Placemaking – the process of creating quality places that people want to live, work, play and learn in – can contribute significantly to the UK’s productivity. It revitalises public spaces, and can lead to a range of societal and economic benefits, including increased levels of employment, better health and wellbeing, and improved access to culture, skills and education.   In this special epi...

A special podcast from Spotlight, the New Statesman’s policy supplement - The New Statesman podcast will return tomorrow.   In 2020, the UK announced the end of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. At the time, Boris Johnson’s government pledged £1.8bn to support greater uptake of zero emission vehicles, including £1.3bn to rollout more chargepoints for electric vehicles nationwide.   Sin...

In the very near future, your car will use data from your mobile device to help you navigate and stay safe. But vehicles already generate useful data. In the first episode of a three-part special partnered series with Wejo , the smart mobility tech company, a panel of expert guests discuss how connected vehicle data is already changing the world. Real-time data, information generated by vehicles d...

In 2014, the then prime minister  David Cameron  commissioned a review into a worrying global phenomenon: an increase in drug-resistant infections. “If we fail to act,” he warned, “we are looking at an almost unthinkable scenario where antibiotics no longer work and we are cast back into the dark ages of medicine.”    The economist Jim O’Neill, who chaired the review, predicted...