No Sacred Cows

Join us in this second episode where the herd are joined by Frank Sharry, a former Kamala Harris adviser and founder of US think tank America’s Voice, to look at whether the centre-left needs to ditch its timidity and how it can talk about and win on the issue of immigration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at the Centre for Progressive Policy’s Inclusive Growth Conference on 28th November, this special episode The Power Test looks at where we are six months into the new Labour government and what it needs to do to deliver its promise of a decade of national renewal.Following the Budget, the reelection of Donald Trump in the US, farmer protests, and a rumoured government ‘relaunch’, Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika, together with Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation Dr Danny Sriskandarajah, CPP’s Director of Place and Practice Annabel Smith, and Power Test regular and Director of the Project on Center-Left Renewal at the Progressive Policy Institute Claire Ainsley, look at what Labour needs to do to deliver, restore trust in politics and survive.Most significantly, “voters need clear proof points on delivery that they can see in their own lives” said Ainsley, arguing that standard economic measures will not be enough to convince Britons to back Labour for a second term. “You have to improve living standards, not just infrastructure and GDP” - a lesson potentially that can be taken from Donald Trump’s victory in the US over an unpopular Democratic Party despite a booming economy on paper.Labour also needs to be telling a story about its approach on the economy - “you need to constantly tell people what you’re doing. The Tories tried several different explanations of their approach - but at least they tried” - with the panel pushing the government to toughen up argument, even on politically challenging issues including taxes on wealth.Smith also raised the somewhat untapped potential Labour mayors can offer the government - “we can reinvigorate Labour representation, with Labour mayors being part of how the government communicates its message”. Mayors are well-known, often well-liked and sometimes higher profile than new cabinet ministers. But Sam Freedman points out that with Andrea Jenkins defecting to Reform, it’s quite possible that Lincolnshire could well have a Reform mayor next year, and the party needs to get a move on - particularly with local elections and those in Scotland due within 18 months to two years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Labour now firmly in the driver’s seat of government, Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika are joined by Power Test co-founder and former Chief Executive of the Centre for Progressive Policy, Charlotte Aldritt, and Ryan Wain, the Executive Director of Politics at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, to look at where Britain goes next.How can Labour get Britain's creaky systems moving in the right direction, and put together a positive, proactive plan for power? From AI in the civil service to Martin Lewis in the (fantasy) cabinet, this is a wide-ranging final discussion for the series. And no season finale would be complete without a few guest stars, so we've invited a few special contributors to send a message to this new government, making their requests and offering their advice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just before we head hurtling into election week, Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika are on hand to take you through the reality of Labour’s pledge on energy - together with think tank Third Way’s Josh Freed who leads its Climate and Energy work and Brett Christophers, author of The Price is Wrong: Why Capitalism Won't Save the Planet.Labour has made reforming a troubled energy market one of its six key pledges, with the creation of a Great British Energy company at the heart of that. But will this guarantee energy security going forward? Is it compatible with our long-term commitment to decarbonisation and Net Zero? And, as voters head to the ballot box, how will it answer their big question: will energy prices be going down?For more, visit THEPOWERTEST.CO.UK Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this special manifesto episode of The Power Test, Ayesha Hazarika and Sam Freedman are joined by two special guests: Nick Pearce, one of the authors of Labour's 2010 manifesto, and Claire Ainsley, who was Keir Starmer's policy guru from 2020 to 2022. Together, this quartet dissect and discuss the Labour party's 2024 manifesto (titled, simply, 'Change'). Does it live up to that name? What are the big policy areas it covers, from housing to the NHS? And are there any notable omissions from the a document that could be foundational to how a Labour government does business?Looking at whether this is a bold statement of the party's intention to change Britain for the better – the key question that The Power Test has been asking for three seasons – or a cautious testament to Starmer's "safety first" mentality, this is your breakdown of the first clear indication of where the country is headed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika sit down with the Chief Executives of the The King's Fund and NHS Confederation, Sarah Woolnough and Matthew Taylor, to discuss Labour's health pledge on waiting lists and what lies ahead.This week as the general election campaign hits full swing, and The Power Test is focused once again on one of the top issues for the voting public: The NHS.To find out more visit ThePowerTest.co.uk and become a Power Member so that you can access episodes early and ad-free. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.