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How much trouble is the UK economy in?

David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the UK economy and ask whether it's as gloomy as the government is warning.

Last month the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, warned that "things would get worse before they got better". The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has already said that there's a 拢22 billion black hole in the government's finances left by the Conservatives. The budget at the end of October, we're told, will be "painful". But just how bad a state is the UK economy really in? And how constrained is the new government by manifesto promises it made not to raise the main taxes on working people?

Guests:

Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies
Mehreen Khan, Economics editor at The TImes
Chris Giles, Economics Commentator at The Financial TImes

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Ben Carter, Caroline Bayley and Kirsteen Knight
Sound engineers: Sarah Hockley and Gareth Jones
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman

Available now

29 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Thu 5 Sep 2024 16:00
  • Mon 9 Sep 2024 20:00

Podcast