In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, IEA Director of Communications Callum Price is joined by Director General Lord Hannan and Head of Lifestyle Economics Dr Christopher Snowdon to discuss the first days of Andy Burnham’s premiership, Britain’s welfare crisis, and the reshuffle at the Department of Energy and Net Zero.
The conversation opens with Burnham’s early policy moves, including the VAT cut on domestic fuel and the bus fare cap, before turning to the wider economic philosophy behind “Burnhamism” and its scepticism of 1980s privatisation. Lord Hannan and Dr Snowdon debate whether Burnham can govern within his own fiscal rules and backbench pressures, and whether an early general election is now more likely than markets expect. The discussion then turns to Britain’s welfare bill, examining why nearly one in four Britons now claim some form of disability, the incentives created by the benefits system since the pandemic, and the case for reform. The episode closes with a look at the new Secretary of State for Energy and Net Zero following Ed Miliband’s move to the Foreign Office, and what her background at the New Economics Foundation could mean for North Sea licensing, fracking, and the future of Britain’s net zero strategy.
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