# Does anyone in Burnham’s government understand economics?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/coffee-house-shots-496891/does-anyone-in-burnham-s-government-understand-economics
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/coffee-house-shots-496891/does-anyone-in-burnham-s-government-understand-economics.md
Podcast: [Coffee House Shots](https://stenobird.com/podcast/coffee-house-shots-496891)
Published: 2026-08-21T10:28:38+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/coffee-house-shots/episodes/does-anyone-in-burnhams-government-understand-economics
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68359028e1abc4be6b032cd1/e/6a882856b0d5e24ea419cd05/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=dauVGMDpiW2q44sIxyl1kIGL4L7CUBohBkZ7kt-PnUQ
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Duration seconds: 559

## Resource

There’s more gloomy economic news for Andy Burnham as unemployment disappoints, inflation rises and the public finances take another hit. With welfare spending and debt interest climbing, how much room does the government really have to deliver on its promises? Meanwhile, Burnham has pledged to be the ‘cost of living’ Prime Minister – but one Treasury insider tells Michael Simmons that there is ‘not a single special adviser in this government who understands economics’. Is optimism in No. 10 about to collide with economic reality? James Heale, Tim Shipman and Michael Simmons discuss. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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