Nicola Sturgeon has claimed she was deceived by her ex husband Peter Murrell who pled guilty having embezzled tens of thousands of pounds of SNP money. Financial infidelity has become a top reason behind couples divorces. The Times Alice Wright joins Michael Simmons on Reality Check to discuss.

The government have rolled back on plans to impose price caps in supermarkets. Was Reeves wrong to go after them for price gouging? Michael Simmons has the data.

Is the US economy immune to harm? It has been tested this year under Trump's trade tariffs, and inflation fears. Kate Andrews, former economics editor of The Spectator now opinion journalist at the Washington Post and host of the Make it Make Sense podcast returns to Spectator TV with Michael Simmons to discuss the US economy, whether Mamdani is as bad as Zack Polanski, Andrew Bailey vs Kevin Warsh and why we should be worried about the UK's youth unemployment figures.

May local elections have finally arrived. As 5066 local council seats are contested, many are wondering whether there is any point in voting. These councils manage budgets worth hundreds of millions of pounds – budgets decided by national government. Given the amount of statutory spending on areas like SEND and care homes, there is very little room for change inside local government. Michael Simmons has the data. Contributions also from Cllr Max Austin, Wimbledon & Cllr Zander West, Basingstoke & Deane.

Britain has recorded the highest drug deaths in Europe. Green Party leader Zack Polanski has declared that this means the so called 'war on drugs' is not working, and favours a more liberal approach of legalisation. Michael Simmons is joined by John Power to look at the numbers and show why Polanski would likely make drug deaths rise under his policy.

Unemployment unexpectedly fell to 4.9 per cent this week. Some in government may been using this to mark a healthy economy but don't believe the headlines. Whilst unemployment may be down, economic inactivity is up. And figures show its predominately graduates who are struggling to find work. Michael Simmons looks at the data and explains why youth employment is in crisis, and why the government can't blame AI.

Buying a flat in Britain has increasingly become a fool’s errand, driven in part by the leasehold system trapping homeowners into flats. When Labour wrote their manifesto they promised reform to the leasehold system, but it remains a sticking point in Westminster due to heavy lobbying. Michael Simmons is joined by Harry Scoffin, founder from Free Leaseholders who makes the case for the common law system.

Britain has become a freeloader’s paradise. A working family of four will fork out £111 for a trip to the Tower of London, or £108 to visit London Zoo. With one parent on Universal Credit (UC), however, that drops to just £4 and £26 respectively. Welfare-advice websites expose how the public sector is ‘geared permanently to making welfare an increasingly attractive way of living’. Those on welfare are not enduring the cost-of-living crisis in the same way as the rest of us, with successive governments fiddling with prices and prioritising claimants. On its own, UC is not particularly generous by international standards, but health-related top-ups transform the picture, while it is our failure to incentivise people back to work that really makes us stand out. Michael Simmons has the story.

What has the war in Iran got to do with Britain’s house buyers? Michael Simmons takes a look at conflicting predictions from economists and the markets on the impact rising oil prices could have on interest rates. 2026 was expected to be one of the best years for first-time buyers to finally get on the property ladder. Now it looks as if Trump’s war could bring that to an end. But there is a small window for optimism – are the markets wrong?

Today Rachel Reeves promised ‘support for those who need it most’ as she updated MPs on measures the government is taking as the Iran war risks increasing energy bills. Michael Simmons is joined by Spectator writer Ross Clarke to discuss why energy bailouts won’t work, why Reeves is unfair to pile the blame on Liz Truss and understand the complexities behind a means tested method to target those that need help most.

Yesterday Rachel Reeves gave her Mais lecture and said UK would achieve ‘fastest AI adoption in the G7’. Today govt is publishing its position on AI rules that are crucial for keeping AI startups in the UK and not losing them abroad. Michael Simmons uncovers the data that shows just how costly of Britain's energy resources this plan for an AI revolution would be. And how incompatible this is with Ed Miliband's dreams of a net zero future.

Oil prices surged past $100 per barrel as the war with Iran intensified over the weekend. Since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, without a solution to the severe disruption in crude oil flows, how hard will we feel it back in Britain? And why has Britain left itself so vulnerable from its energy policy? Michael Simmons is joined by former advisor to Donald Trump Tyler Goodspeed to discuss why this situation has far greater consequences than Trump’s tariffs, how petroleum is so embedded in our everyday economy and why Ed Miliband could be heading for a Liz situation.

Why are one in five school children classified as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in 2026? The rates of children being diagnosed with neurodiverse conditions have scaled to disproportionate rates and the costs are a major concern for the government. Michael Simmons takes a look at the data and explores why devolution has provided some kind of a solution.

There is an area of public spending nearly double what Britain spends on defence, more than policing borders or our streets. It's servicing the costs of what Britain has borrowed in the past. The growing debt bomb is continuing to climb with real consequences for the taxpayer. Michael Simmons takes a look at the data and speaks to the economist Paul Johnson about what political measures the government will have to take to tackle Britain's debt crisis, what it means for the taxpayer and why the reviving modern monetary theory movement is nonsense.

This week Keir Starmer faced the greatest challenge to his premiership yet. So what will this Prime Minister will be remembered for? Policies which hurt young people. From student loan debt crisis, tax thresholds, ISA allowances and the pensions triple lock, what hope is there for young Brits? Michael Simmons has the data.

Michael Simmons speaks to American economist Peter Schiff about the surge in gold prices, the weakness of the US dollar and why he believes the next major economic crisis is approaching. Schiff argues that recent dips in precious metals are a buying opportunity, warns that years of low interest rates and money printing have created a 'bubble economy' and explains why he thinks cryptocurrencies are 'speculative mania'.

Housing minister Steve Reed has been boasting about Britain’s housing market since Labour came into office – but is he right to celebrate? The country’s housing crisis seems to be delivering the worst of both worlds. Young people trying to get on the property ladder are being priced out by stubbornly high costs, while older homeowners looking to downsize find themselves trapped, with too few buyers able to afford their homes. Michael Simmons takes a look at the data.

When Andy Burnham put forward his bid to stand in the Gorton & Denton by-election, the bond markets wobbled. What does this say about the state of Labour and their reputation with the markets? Michael Simmons speaks to former Treasury and Downing Street advisor James Nation about Labour leaders and fiscal policy, why Rishi Sunak was right on inflation and what he has learnt in the private sector since leaving the Treasury.

The SNP announced their budget last week promising to cut taxes for low income earners. Could this be the smallest tax cut in history? Michael Simmons has the data.

Thousands of homes across the South East have been without water for four consecutive days. South East Water’s record on water supply interruptions is one of the worst in the sector. Ofwat, the regulator, has placed it in the bottom three companies for disruptions each year from 2020 to last year. What has happened to the water industry in the past decade? And would nationalisation fix it? Michael Simmons is joined by The Spectator's business editor Martin Vander Weyer.

Reform UK may be leading in the polls on a mandate to hit net zero migration – but could this come sooner than Nigel Farage may think? Michael Simmons returns to Reality Check to explain what's really going behind Britain's migration figures.

From the Chancellor's tears in parliament, to the shambolic budget and the debut interview with Arthur Laffer, Michael Simmons reflects on some of the economic highs and lows of 2025.

Junior doctors, now known as resident doctors, will strike from December 17 to 22, which Wes Streeting has said will ‘wreck Christmas’. The doctors are demanding a 26 per cent salary rise over the next few years to make up for the erosion in their pay in real terms since 2008 – this is on top of a 28.9% increase they have had over the last three years. Michael Simmons takes a look at their claim over the erosion of their pay in real terms, explains why Wes Streeting is right to call them ‘moaning minnies’ and offers an alternative solution instead.

The Chancellor laid out her plans to scrap the two-child benefit cap in the Budget last week. Previously Rachel Reeves and the Prime Minister were against lifting the cap, but pressure from Reform and the back benches meant the government u-turned. The Resolution Foundation has backed this policy, arguing that it will help lift children out of poverty. But is this based on dodgy data? Michael Simmons investigates.

Lifestyle economist Christopher Snowdon joins Michael Simmons to explore how weight-loss drugs like Ozempic could reshape health, policy and the economy. From the WHO’s call for mass production to flawed obesity cost estimates, failing ‘nanny state’ interventions and the future of food companies, Snowdon argues that these drugs are a genuine game-changer – and warns that much of current public health thinking is fast becoming obsolete.

Rachel Reeves is due to deliver her Budget this Wednesday. Throughout the years, the only person permitted to drink inside the House of Commons is the Chancellor. What has been the tipple of choice for each Chancellor dating back to Benjamin Disraeli? Michael Simmons and James Heale drink their way through the ages, discuss the historical context of each budget, and question whether Rachel Reeves has the toughest job yet.

Entrepreneur and investor Luke Johnson joins Michael Simmons to discuss what is going wrong for Britain's business. From soaring taxes and the Employment Rights Bill to net-zero regulation, planning failures and the rise in economic inactivity, Johnson argues the UK is becoming hostile to entrepreneurs — and warns that many are already leaving for good.

Advertising legend and Spectator columnist Rory Sutherland joins Michael Simmons to explain why he thinks Britain’s economic problem isn’t income, tax rates or even inequality — it’s property, rent extraction, and a national belief that housing is the safest and smartest place to store wealth.

Britain is facing a quiet crisis — its data is breaking down, and the government’s numbers are increasingly unreliable. In this episode of Reality Check, economics editor Michael Simmons asks what happens when the state can’t count properly. How can the Bank of England set interest rates or the Treasury balance the books when the data they rely on is wrong? And why are so many “official” statistics now being stripped of their trusted status?

Rachel Reeves is preparing for her first major Budget — but is Brexit really to blame for Britain’s black hole?

Are the rich fleeing Britain? That's what the numbers suggest, but some activist groups have hit back that the data is dodgy. For the second episode of Reality Check The Spectator's economics editor Michael Simmons explains why the data shows that the wealthy are leaving Britain, and why this matters for everyone else.

Arthur Laffer, the man who taught Reagan to cut taxes, tells Michael why Britain’s economy is ‘disappearing’, why the Bank of England shouldn’t exist, and why he still believes low taxes – and a little optimism – can send Britain ‘to the moon and the stars.’