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...

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 f...

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...

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 m...

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 at...

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...

 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...

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 experti...

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...

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-...

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 dire...

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