Jake Berry

Is a high-spending, high-debt economy the new normal?

From our UK edition

35 min listen

After a year battling coronavirus, the UK's debt now totals more than £2 trillion. In an effort to keep the economy afloat, the Treasury has paid wages, given tax relief, and even paid for people to eat out. As recently as five years ago, Conservatives would have thought this spending unsustainable. But with Boris Johnson's government being elected on a promise to 'level up' the country, will this high-spending, high-debt economy become the new normal?With Paul Abberley, CEO of Charles Stanley Wealth Managers; Jake Berry, Conservative MP and chair of the Northern Research Group; and David Miles, an economist at Imperial College London and former member of the Monetary Policy Committee. Presented by Kate Andrews. Sponsored by Charles Stanley Wealth Managers.

The private rented sector is blocking aspiration and isolating families

From our UK edition

The private rented sector is no longer fit for the people it now serves. Almost half of those renting are over 35, and the proportion of privately rented homes has rocketed by 69 per cent. As MPs debate standards in the sector this afternoon, we'll have to recognise that it isn't just Neil and the Young Ones, but families who typify this part of the market, and it needs to change to recognise that. The default tenancy is the Assured Shorthold Tenancy, which allows landlords and tenants to enter into short-term agreements with regular rent reviews and the ability for either party to break after six months with one month's written notice. When they were introduced by the Housing Act in 1988, they were a huge step forward from previously restrictive forms of tenancy.