{"podcast":{"title":"IFS Zooms In: The Economy","slug":"ifs-zooms-in-the-economy-638796","podcast_index_feed_id":638796,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/ifs-zooms-in-coronavirus-and-the-economy","website_url":"https://www.ifs.org.uk/podcast","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/5ea004d9fbcc383829c71657/1611670691757-acb69bdbfa16df8b84d3357b86921a11.jpeg","author":"Institute for Fiscal Studies","episode_count":186,"summary":"Step beyond the headlines with in-depth, independent analysis from the experts at the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Hosted by IFS Director Helen Miller, this podcast brings you objective insights from the researchers shaping the debate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-12T04:19:55.371670+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ifs-zooms-in-the-economy-638796"},"episode":{"title":"The tough fiscal reality facing the UK government","slug":"the-tough-fiscal-reality-facing-the-uk-government","published_at":"2026-05-28T15:28:05+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ifs-zooms-in-the-economy-638796/the-tough-fiscal-reality-facing-the-uk-government","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ifs-zooms-in-the-economy-638796","url":"https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/podcasts","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/5ea004d9fbcc383829c71657/e/6a1843d5da0413146c04022d/media.mp3","summary":"Britain’s public finances are under pressure. Public debt is high, borrowing remains high, and the government is spending far more on debt interest than in the past. Taxes are heading towards historic highs, while public services remain under strain and demand on the state continues to rise. In this episode, we set out the fiscal backdrop that will shape British politics over the coming years. Whoever is Prime Minister or Chancellor will face many of the same constraints: expensive borrowing, difficult spending choices and the need to get debt on a more sustainable path. Helen Miller is joined by IFS colleague Max Warner and Chris Giles, economics commentator at the Financial Times, to explain the state of the public finances, why borrowing costs matter, what the government’s fiscal rules do, how realistic current spending plans are, and whether there is any room for a future government to do things differently. Become a member: https://ifs.org.uk/individual-membership Find out more: https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Britain’s public finances are under pressure. Public debt is high, borrowing remains high, and the government is spending far more on debt interest than i…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2847,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ifs-zooms-in-the-economy-638796/episodes/the-tough-fiscal-reality-facing-the-uk-government/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ifs-zooms-in-the-economy-638796/the-tough-fiscal-reality-facing-the-uk-government.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}