- 35 minutes 3 seconds313. Ruth Curtice: middle earners need to be taxed more
How much of a buffer does the chancellor have now? What taxes might we need to put up? How does the tax burden on UK workers compare to other countries? Why might middle earners need to pay more?
Ruth Curtice from the Resolution Foundation is back to tell us about what the Rachel Reeves tax rises did to the UK tax wedge and where this leaves John Healey now.
The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
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Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producer: Bella Soames
General Manager: Tom Whiter
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13 September 2026, 11:10 pm - 42 minutes 16 seconds312. What's missing from Healey's growth plan?
The chancellor says we're turning a corner, but into what? He wants ministers to take more risks, so what does that mean? Why was their nothing that directly addresses the UK’s vulnerability to a debt crisis? The North is getting a new fund for businesses to scale up - will it make a difference? And what can we learn from microchipping cats?
Robert and Steph dissect the Chancellor's first big speech announcing plans to remove barriers for investment, cutting red tape, tackling risk aversion and getting PuFins to invest more in the private sector.
The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
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Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producer: Bella Soames
General Manager: Tom Whiter
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9 September 2026, 11:01 pm - 41 minutes 13 seconds311. Why is the US debt crisis a big problem for Burnham?
Are we at risk of a global financial crisis? What’s driving it? And why is the UK being punished more than other countries? Is reforming the pensions triple lock part of the answer?
It’s been a wild time on the bond markets, with UK gilts yields at record highs. Robert and Steph explain why global inflation, the state of government borrowing and US tech firms turning to the debt markets for AI build out, is a big deal for the UK. Plus they discuss what it means for the chancellor ahead of the Budget on the 28th October.
The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
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For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com
Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producers: Bella Soames and Tom Whiter
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6 September 2026, 11:20 pm - 46 minutes 23 seconds310. Gordon Brown: ‘I’d tell Trump he’s unpopular’
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown says fixing broken communities is an economic emergency, but how do we do it?
Burnham’s fiscal devolution? Could social impact bonds work? How do we extract more tax from the super wealthy? What about the shattered world order—can that be mended? What would he say to Trump now if he were PM? And as the man who gave independence to the Bank of England, does he think it’s still fit for purpose?
Gordon Brown talks to Steph and Robert about his new book, The Future Starts With Us, looking at what needs to happen to rebuild our broken communities and fractured world order. Plus, what this all means for places like Middlesbrough.
The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
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Video Editor: Lorcan Moullier
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producers: Bella Soames and Tom Whiter
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2 September 2026, 11:10 pm - 45 minutes 39 seconds309. Why we’re wasting our time predicting the future of AI
Is it possible for us to shape how AI is used rather than have tech firms decide for us? Should the UK government be looking to create our own ChatGPT? Or would open source AI be better for public services? How do we make sure we don’t hand over all our valuable NHS data to a US tech firm?
Dr Laura Gilbert CBE – senior director of AI at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change talks to Steph about why we should stop asking experts to predict the future of AI because they’re rubbish at it. She also argues for a National Open Source AI Lab. Plus, how she saved the government £40 million pounds in half an hour when she was a civil servant.
The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
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For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com
Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producers: Bella Soames and Tom Whiter
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30 August 2026, 11:20 pm - 46 minutes 43 seconds308. The 4 challenges (and the biggest opportunity) facing the new PM
Does Burnham’s government have a credible growth plan? Are the fiscal rules still fit for purpose? How can Whitehall be reformed for the AI age - and who will pay tax if AI leads to widespread job losses?
Robert discusses the major challenges facing Burnham and Healey with Lord O’Donnell, former Cabinet Secretary under three British prime ministers.
The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify-UK
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Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producers: Bella Soames and Tom Whiter
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26 August 2026, 11:05 pm - 26 minutes 16 seconds307. The world’s most influential economist: how we can deliver "worker-friendly AI"
How damaging to us is the obsession of Anthropic, Google and Open AI with creating AI super intelligence? How can political leaders set a new path for AI, that would enrich workers rather than replace them? And is the falling birth rate actually good for us?
In the second part of Robert’s interview with Nobel prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu, about his influential new book, “what happened to liberal democracy”, we learn whether AI can be tamed to prevent most of the rewards going to trillionaires.
The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify-UK
Buy tickets for The Rest is Fest: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-money-live/
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For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com
Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producers: Bella Soames and Tom Whiter
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23 August 2026, 11:15 pm - 32 minutes 13 seconds306. The world’s most influential economist: Tax wealth and break up big tech
How do we revive living standards and restore confidence in liberal democracy? Is the link between productivity and wages permanently broken? What is working-class liberalism? Why should Andy Burnham’s first budget raise taxes on capital while cutting taxes on employment? And why are tech giants like Google and Amazon twice as wealthy as the British Empire at its peak?
Robert investigates how to safeguard our way of life with Nobel Prize–winning economist Daron Acemoglu. Together, they discuss whether the prescriptions in Acemoglu's influential new book are practical enough to prevent liberal democracy from eroding further.
The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify-UK
Buy tickets for The Rest is Fest: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-money-live/
Advertise with us: [email protected]
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com
Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producers: Bella Soames and Tom Whiter
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19 August 2026, 11:15 pm - 45 minutes 3 seconds305. The Apprentice Unicorn - Euan Blair on rewiring investment and training
Why is it taking so long to get people trained in AI? Should we be devolving education powers to employers instead of Mayors? Is the replacement for the Apprenticeship levy any good? Why is it so hard for companies here to raise money from British investors?
Steph talks to Euan Blair, CEO of Multiverse - the UK’s first British EdTech business valued at over a billion - about the future of work. Plus some spicy chat on Multiverse’s Ofsted rating and why Euan’s dad was wrong to push for 50% of young people into university when he was PM.
The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify-UK
Advertise with us: [email protected]
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com
Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producers: Bella Soames and Tom Whiter
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16 August 2026, 11:10 pm - 49 minutes 55 seconds304. Why Burnham’s best economic policy would be “do nothing”
How can the government persuade UK companies and households to invest and spend their record cash holdings? Why is Donald Trump’s unpredictability failing to destroy economic growth? Why is it so difficult to assess whether a lethal AI bubble currently exists?
Robert discusses the risks and opportunities in today’s world of extreme financial, technological and political risks with Karen Ward, chief market strategist for JP Morgan in EMEA.The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify-UK
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For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com
Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producers: Bella Soames and Tom Whiter
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12 August 2026, 11:15 pm - 1 hour 2 minutes303. Why making schools truly comprehensive is vital for our economy
Why do secondary schools fail so many young people? Whose fault is it? What does good vocational education look like? He says the hard hat is just as important as the graduation cap, but does Andy Burnham really get it?
With A-Level and GCSE results due out, Steph’s launched a day to celebrate the millions of people getting vocational qualifications. To mark this we take the show to a thriving business in Cornwall to look at how they’re solving their skills problem. Also, Robert and Steph unpick the crisis in British education and come up with bold solutions.
The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify-UK.
Advertise with us: [email protected]
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com
Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
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