Did austerity work?

With England through to the knockout stages of the World Cup and hopes rising that football might finally be coming home, Westminster is watching nervously — and closely. The beautiful game shapes the national mood like little else. For politicians, that creates both huge opportu ...  Show more

The Greater Manchester mayoralty made Andy Burnham famous. Now he's hoping he can take the approach he developed in the city to the whole country. This week on Westminster Insider, host Sascha O'Sullivan speaks to four serving mayors — and one former one about whether the role wi ...  Show more

The chancellor unveiled a £55bn plan for fiscal tightening this week, with the biggest drop in living standards for 70 years. We unpack all of the fiscal forecasts, tax rises, spending cuts and how Rishi Sunak can navigate the tricky politics. Plus, we also examine whethe ...

Why was the chancellor buoyed by forecasts that the UK would avoid a technical recession when the economy is still set to shrink? We dissect the economic and political implications of  Jeremy Hunt’s Budget, including his giveaway on pension limits - set to benefit the cou ...

Last week, the government unveiled around £30bn worth of cuts to public services as it attempts to plug a fiscal hole. Governments have attempted to rein in spending in the past and struggled to do so.Philip Coggan takes a look at why public spending tends to rise in the long run ...  Show more

Rishi Sunak says the time has come to cut taxes, but how much are we really paying? Patrick Maguire asks how much they pay in Europe and America, and what, if anything, the Chancellor can do about them in this week's Autumn Statement.

Plus: Columnists Rachel Syl ...