The New Statesman | UK politics and culture

Are Labour "clutching at straws" on growth?

Jan 30, 2025

George Eaton, Senior Editor at the New Statesman, and Rachel Cunliffe, Associate Political Editor, dive into the dynamics of Labour's recent growth speech. They discuss whether the party's efforts are genuine or merely a change in rhetoric. The duo also tackles the charisma gap surrounding leaders Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, revealing how this impacts voter connection. Additionally, they explore the media’s treatment of the Liberal Democrats, highlighting the challenges of gaining coverage in a tense political atmosphere.

24:32

Creator website

Episode guests

Rachel Cunliffe

George Eaton

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Labour's recent growth shift aims to improve living standards through higher productivity, yet critics question the effectiveness of their strategies.

The tension between promoting economic growth and adhering to necessary regulations highlights the need for balanced and innovative policy approaches.

Deep dives

Government's Approach to Economic Growth

The government is aiming for economic growth despite concerns that their methods may be misguided. This shift from previous gloomy rhetoric to a focus on growth indicates a response to the dire economic situation, with the Chancellor's recent speech described as an attempt at revitalizing the economy. The government's focus on economic growth is tied to improving living standards and public services, as higher productivity is deemed necessary to support these areas in the long run. Critics, however, question whether the strategy will be effective, pointing to potential challenges and historical parallels with previous government shifts that failed to deliver results.

Intro

2min

Labour's Economic Rhetoric: Growth or Stagnation?

7min

Navigating Good Growth

5min

Labour's Charisma Challenges in Political Messaging

2min

Media and Politics: The Liberal Democrats' Dilemma

10min

Rachel Reeves' latest growth speech has failed to convince one curious listener.

George Eaton and Rachel Cunliffe join Hannah Barnes for a special listener questions episode. They tackle your questions on Labour's latest intervention on growth, which George describes as an "attempt" at a vibe shift.

They also discuss whether Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have a charisma problem, as well as one listener who asks if the media should be giving the Liberal Democrats more attention.

Ask a question for us to answer in a future episode: www.newstatesman.com/youaskus

Get more politics coverage every day direct to your email inbox by signing up for our daily politics newsletter: morningcall.substack.com

Save money on a New Statesman subscription to get full access to all our reporting and analysis from just £5 for your first 5 weeks: www.newstatesman.com/jan25

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

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more