Reality Check

‘Devolution is not a growth plan’: Andy Haldane on Burnham, Badenoch & the Budget

Andy Burnham’s first Budget as Prime Minister is approaching – but higher borrowing costs have already made the sums more difficult. Former Bank of England chief economis

Fraser Nelson exposes Britain's welfare pipeline

Is Britain’s welfare state still a safety net or has it become a pipeline for long-term dependency? Almost one in ten six-year-olds are now categorised as disabled throug

LIVE: Why aren't Britain's young people working? | with Laura Trott

For this special edition of Reality Check, economics editor Michael Simmons hosts a panel from Conservative Party conference on Britain’s growing NEETs crisis: the hundre

A history of the bond markets – with Robin Wigglesworth

Will the next debt crisis arrive as a sudden market rout – or is Britain already in the foothills of a slower one? Bond markets are back in the headlines, with every move

LIVE: ‘Taxpayers are subsidising crappy jobs’ – TUC boss Paul Nowak

Michael Simmons is joined live at Labour conference by TUC general secretary Paul Nowak to discuss the state of Britain’s labour market. Are higher wages and stronger emp

Labour doesn’t HAVE to raise taxes at the Budget

What is fiscal ‘headroom’ – and why does it matter? Michael Simmons explains how Britain’s fiscal rules really work, why changes in borrowing costs can wipe billions off

The AI apocalypse is just good marketing

Some whistleblowers from the AI industry claim there is a more than 10% chance that artificial intelligence could wipe out humanity within a few years. A group of mostly

Wealth tax debate LIVE: Arthur Laffer vs Aaron Bastani

Arthur Laffer, the economist, former adviser to Ronald Reagan and architect of the Laffer Curve, goes head-to-head with journalist and left-wing author Aaron Bastani over

Budget 2026: who is left to tax?

With two months to go until Andy Burnham and John Healey’s first Budget, speculation about tax rises is already beginning. But how much should we believe? Michael Simmon

The ADHD boom: are we medicalising normal behaviour?

The backlash to Channel 4’s The Great ADHD Myth has reignited a fierce debate over how we diagnose ADHD – and whether that debate itself is becoming impossible to have.

Heatwave: the truth about Britain’s water crisis – and what it means for net zero

Britain is in the grip of another hot, dry summer, with hosepipe bans in force and fears growing about the country’s water supply. But are we really running out of water?

Britain’s AI problem isn’t data centres – it’s electricity

Britain wants to become an AI superpower – but does it have the electricity to power one? Data centres underpin everything from online banking and streaming to artificial

Labour doesn’t understand business and it shows – with Oliver Shah

Oliver Shah is a former journalist at The Sunday Times and now runs Newcome Advisory. On this week's Reality Check Oliver and Michael discuss why Labour can't build trust

Social care reform: what the sector needs & what it doesn't – with David Goodhart

Andy Burnham has launched a major push to overhaul adult social care in England, seeking cross-party consensus for a new National Care Service. He has refused to rule out

Could women be the solution to Britain's prison problem?

Amid rising backlash over the early prisoner release scheme, Kemi Badenoch has called for emergency legislation to stop the plans going ahead. The new Prime Minister Andy

The real problem behind Britain's homelessness & why Burnham won't fix it

Andy Burnham has laid out some of his top policy agendas for his premiership. Top of the list is to tackle homelessness – something the former Manchester mayor pledged to

Fact check: Rupert Lowe on Joe Rogan

Last week, the Joe Rogan Experience podcast released a two-hour interview with Rupert Lowe, leader of the Restore party. Was Lowe there merely to create content – or is R

The white working class ceiling, private schools & why Britain's failing – with Joanna Marchong

A report has suggested that white working class children are being failed by the education system that is 'not serving in [their] interests'. Burnham blames a lack of asp

Burnham's bid to bridge the North-South divide

Andy Burnham has laid out his plans to 'level up the North'. Something we have heard with almost every Prime Minister pledge to do – but with very little clarity over how

Labour's dilemma: is Burnham's economic agenda doomed?

With Andy Burnham set to replace Keir Starmer in Downing Street, Michael Simmons and John O’Neill take a look at what kind of economic agenda agenda may lie ahead, who th