Rachel Wolf

Tuesday

Rachel Wolf

How do we stop Britain’s decline?

From our UK edition

This has been an abysmal decade for Britain. Even if you are sanguine about the economic impact of Brexit, which the public voted for ten years ago today, you cannot argue it has ushered in an era of triumphant governance. There has been policy distraction, endless leadership churn and a huge decline in political trust. As a country, we are poorer and therefore angrier than we were a decade ago. I’ve lost count of the number of conversations I’ve had, on the left and right, where everyone has nodded about the problem of the triple lock, then proceeded to argue for it publicly Given all this, it is unsurprising that the voters of Makerfield voted for Andy Burnham. In focus groups he represented hope – not so much for a different future but for a return to a nicer past.

Friday

Rachel Wolf

Who has a winning vision for Labour – Blair, Burnham or Starmer?

From our UK edition

15 min listen

When it comes to political vision, Keir Starmer’s premiership has been something of a vacuum – and power abhors a vacuum. So cue Tony Blair, who this week has rushed in with a 5,000-word essay on what is wrong with Labour and, depending on who you listen to, either an outdated or radical view of where Britain should be as a country. This has galvanised Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting and (finally) Keir Starmer to put down on paper their vision for the country and how to solve the biggest issues we face. But whose is more convincing? Oscar Edmondson discusses the question with James Heale and Rachel Wolf, founding partner at Public First and author of the 2019 manifesto. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Labour’s vision vacuum: Blair vs Burnham vs Starmer

Tuesday

Rachel Wolf

Why Reform’s rise isn’t a surprise

From our UK edition

13 min listen

It’s day five of recriminations after the local elections, with politicians, pollsters and journalists alike still trying to make sense of what just happened. On today’s podcast, Rachel Wolf gives her verdict: we should not be shocked by Reform’s surge. She argues that Nigel Farage’s success should have been predicted – that it’s the same, distinctly anti-political silent majority who ‘surprised’ us during Brexit, ‘surprised’ us in 2019 and are ‘surprising’ us now.  How will Labour respond? Will they U-turn on winter fuel? And is Boris Johnson the only one who can win back these disillusioned voters for the Tories? Oscar Edmondson speaks to James Heale and Rachel Wolf, CEO of Public First and former adviser to Boris Johnson.

Thursday

Rachel Wolf

Buckle up: the Liz Truss era begins

From our UK edition

35 min listen

In this week’s episode: As the Liz Truss era begins, we assess the bumpy road that lies ahead of her. James Forsyth and Rachel Wolf, co-author of the 2019 conservative manifesto, join the Edition podcast (01:04). Also this week: From generation rent to generation buy: has Help to Buy been a success or a failure? Emma Hollender speaks with economist – and ‘Trussketeer’ – Dr Gerard Lyons (12:29). And finally: is metal detecting becoming popular? Nigel Richardson discusses this in his piece in The Spectator this week and is joined by Julian Evan-Hart, editor of Treasure Hunting magazine (25:17). Hosted by Lara Prendergast and William Moore. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Thursday

Rachel Wolf

The green games: Boris’s plan to rebrand Britain

From our UK edition

37 min listen

In this week’s podcast, Katy Balls expands on her cover story, analysing Number 10’s hopes for November’s COP26 summit in Glasgow (01:10). She’s joined by Boris Johnson’s former advisor and co-author of the last Conservative election manifesto, Rachel Wolf and together, they ponder whether the much-anticipated green jamboree signposts a supercharged boost not only for global climate policy, post Covid but also the Johnson premiership?

Tuesday

Rachel Wolf

Weathering the pandemic: has cloud computing become essential?

From our UK edition

28 min listen

The pandemic has led to a surge in digitisation in so many aspects of our lives. Cloud computing, in particular, has been a cornerstone of this time - not least for stay at home employees to maintain their productivity during a turbulent time. But what actually is cloud computing, and is it all that it's set out to be? Are privacy and security concerns adequately addressed? Kate Andrews speaks to DCMS Minister Matt Warman and Public First's Rachel Wolf about its potentials and pitfalls.Sponsored by AWS.

Thursday

Thursday

Rachel Wolf

Bad grammar

From our UK edition

It is almost mandatory, if you want to discuss grammar schools, to swap personal histories. Here’s mine: I am the beneficiary of three generations of social mobility, three generations of academic selection. My grandfather won a free scholarship to a public school (Christ’s Hospital) and left school at 16: his family needed him to work. But his education allowed him to become achartered surveyor. Both of my parents enjoyed free, selective education in schools that now charge about £16,000 a year. My brothers and I won scholarships to private secondaries. The alternative comprehensives were poor quality and a bit scary — my parents were faced with terrible state-school options. Then the story gets better.

Saturday

Rachel Wolf

Why not start your own school?

From our UK edition

Parents who can’t afford to move into the right catchment area, let alone pay expensive fees, are often desperately worried about the local schools. Teachers are worried about schools too: brilliant teachers who have worked in some of the worst classrooms in the country know they can do better. Charities are longing to work where they’re needed most. That’s why in four months we at the New Schools Network have been contacted by hundreds of parents, teachers and charities who all want to set up new state schools. And their first question is: ‘how do we do it?’ The answer isn’t simple. At the moment it’s very difficult to set up a school. Unless there aren’t enough places for the children in the area, it’s rarely possible.