- 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
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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
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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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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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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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9 August 2026, 11:15 pm - 38 minutes 23 seconds302. Can the West bridge the gap with China, India and the BRICs+ nations?
How fixable is the schism between the rich developed countries, led by the US, and the faster-growing BRICS+ group, led by China, Russia, and India? Can these emerging powerhouses truly detach themselves from the dollar-dominated financial system? And on which critical issues must we work collaboratively with them to avoid global disaster?
Robert and Steph chat with Lord Jim O’Neill, the former Goldman Sachs chief economist who coined the influential BRIC concept 25 years ago. He has recently launched a new strategy platform and think tank, BRICS+ Thinking, designed to encourage pragmatic entente and policy cooperation with these fast-growing, powerful economies. As an influential crossbench peer who also has the ear of Andy Burnham, his views matter.
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: Chris Sawyer and Tom Whiter
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5 August 2026, 11:15 pm - 51 minutes 37 seconds301. Why the US won't stop China in the AI race
Are we in an AI bubble? Does it matter that Chinese AI firms are banned from using American chips? How big is the chance of an AI crash? Can an AI business survive without energy generation capabilities?
Azeem Azhar – the founder of the leading research platform Exponential View – joins us to tell us about his report on the state of the AI economy. Plus, Robert and Steph find out what Azeem learnt about AI from a visit to a Chinese night club with the Moonshot gang.
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: Chris Sawyer and Tom Whiter
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2 August 2026, 11:15 pm - 42 minutes 53 seconds300. Does Burnham get AI?
What parts of AI does the UK have to control to secure ourselves against enemies? Does Burnham understand how important AI is for growth and security? Are entrepreneurs less welcome in the UK now? Why should the government support a ‘freedom to fail’ funding and business culture?
Matt Clifford wrote Starmer’s AI action plan. He is a tech investor and co-founder of the billion dollar business Entrepreneurs First. He talks to Robert and Steph about UK AI policy and chairing the organisation ARIA that hands out government funding for fundamental tech research. Plus find out what re-freezing the arctic has to do with all this.
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: Chris Sawyer and Tom Whiter
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29 July 2026, 11:15 pm - 46 minutes 46 seconds299. Trump’s new tariffs - can anyone win a trade war?
How has Donald Trump got away with bringing in new tariffs when the last lot were ruled unlawful? Why is the UK in a worse position than the EU now? Are trade wars always bad? Had anyone ever won one without harming themselves? Are we ever going to get back to free trade?
Robert and Steph are joined by economist and FT columnist Soumaya Keynes, self-confessed trade nerd and author of ‘How to win a trade war’ to evaluate the damage from Trump’s new wave of tariffs on 60 countries.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
Email: the[email protected]
X: @TheRestIsMoney
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For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com
Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producers: Chris Sawyer and Tom WhiterLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
27 July 2026, 12:55 pm - 41 minutes 54 seconds298. Why Healey as Chancellor? And can he find the money?
John Healey is the Chancellor to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP, but how will he pay for it? Would war bonds do the trick? Is a cut in electricity VAT and a rise in income tax thresholds helping the right people? What will it take to build enough council houses? With the surprise appointment of former defence secretary John Healey as Burnham's new Chancellor, we look at whether he can revive the UK. Plus Robert and Steph wonder whether the hidden hand of Gordon Brown is behind Healey's appointment. The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer. Email: the[email protected] X: @TheRestIsMoney Instagram: @TheRestIsMoney TikTok: @RestIsMoney Advertise with us: [email protected] For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com Video Editor: Dylan Bonham Producer: Isabelle Bougeard Exec Producers: Chris Sawyer and Tom Whiter
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21 July 2026, 7:36 pm - 39 minutes 10 seconds297. How do we reshape our workforce in the AI era?
What should the government be doing to get us AI ready? How do we make sure people co-exist with AI and aren't just replaced by it? What role should trade unions have? What are 'tech towns' and how important are they in the AI race?
Nobel prize winning economist Simon Johnson is back to tell us about his role as the chair of the government’s AI Institute which will use workplace data shared by over thirty major corporations to track, in real-time, how AI adoption is shifting job availability, wage growth, and macroeconomic productivity across the UK.
The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
Advertise with us: [email protected]
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com
Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producers: Chris Sawyer and Tom Whiter
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19 July 2026, 11:15 pm - 36 minutes 43 seconds296. Gary Stevenson- how would a wealth tax help those on low incomes?
What impact would a 2% wealth tax on people with £10 million have? If you tax the rich more will it bring down the cost of living for everyone else? How will this help the shortfall of affordable homes? What about the North South divide? Will it reduce the one million NEETs the country has? Will it grow the economy?
Inequality economist Gary Stevenson is back to tell us why taxing millionaires is the way to make things fairer. Robert and Steph have a lively debate about whether wealth taxes are enough.
The Rest is Money is brought to you by Octopus Energy, Britain’s smart energy pioneer.
Advertise with us: [email protected]
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com
Video Editor: Dylan Bonham
Producer: Isabelle Bougeard
Exec Producers: Chris Sawyer and Tom Whiter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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