Coffee House Shots16 Juli 2025

Mel Stride: 'what I would do differently'

Last night, Rachel Reeves was the headline act at the Mansion House dinner. In her speech, she made the case that ‘Britain is open for business’ and that we must ‘stay competitive in the global economy’. Critics would say it is hard to claim to be open for business while having also overseen a £25 billion national insurance tax raid that is now known to be costing thousands of jobs.

She began by stressing that, despite what recent reporting might suggest, she is ‘okay’ – the economic indicators, however, suggest that the economy is far from okay. Just this morning, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that inflation hit 3.6 per cent in the year to June – well above the 2 per cent target.

On this special edition of Coffee House Shots, James Heale and Michael Simmons are joined by shadow chancellor Mel Stride, who offers his prescription for Britain’s ailing economy. He outlines how he would have conducted the speech at Mansion House, how he will spend the recess with business leaders of all descriptions in 'listening mode', and why – when it comes to the big institutions such as the OBR, the Treasury and the Bank of England – he ‘isn’t ruling anything out’.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(3336)

Andy’s promises – who’s paying?

It is day three of Andy Burnham’s premiership, and we have had a tranche of policy announcements and funding commitments. A VAT cut for energy bills, £2 bus fares, and today a business rate cut for pu...

23 Juli 0s

Iain Dale: Standing for Parliament was a 'humiliating experience'

In a busy week for British politics, LBC’s Iain Dale joins Tim Shipman and James Heale to discuss his new book, Have I Said Too Much? Iain speaks frankly about standing as a Conservative candidate at ...

22 Juli 0s

Burnham's northern queens

Appointment into Andy Burnham's new cabinet went late into the evening: Wes Streeting to defence, plus the comeback queens – Louise Haigh, Lucy Powell and Angela Rayner all into senior posts in govern...

21 Juli 0s

Burnham, Healey, Miliband & Mahmood become the big four

Andy Burnham has continued to announce his new cabinet: John Healey as Chancellor, Ed Miliband as Foreign Secretary and Shabana Mahmood remains in the Home Office. Now ten of Starmer's most trusted mi...

20 Juli 0s

Labour's new cabinet – who's in & who's out?

As Andy Burnham unveils his first Cabinet, join Tim Shipman and James Heale for a special live edition of Coffee House. Who’s in, who’s out? What do the appointments reveal about Burnham’s priorities,...

20 Juli 0s

Why MPs must be whipped | Simon Hart

Andy Burnham has promised to turn the whips’ office into an ‘HR department’ – but the former chief whip Simon Hart warns that the approach is ‘naive’ and could leave the new prime minister unable to c...

17 Juli 0s

Happy Coronation Day!

Andy Burnham will today be crowned Labour leader, before entering Downing Street on Monday. His first speech is expected to argue that Labour has lost touch with the working-class communities it was f...

17 Juli 13min

Reeves out, Shabana in?

Rachel Reeves has delivered what is likely to be her valedictory Mansion House speech, defending her record on growth, borrowing and the public finances. But with businesses counting the cost of highe...

16 Juli 14min