Julian Jessop joins me to discuss what has gone wrong with the British economy and whether the country can still turn things around.
Julian argues that Britain’s problems are largely self-inflicted: weak productivity, high taxes, too much regulation, poor energy policy, a bloated state and politicians choosing popular policies over evidence. We discuss why the state has become too big, why the tax system is holding back growth, and why government intervention in housing, energy and the labour market is making people poorer.
I also ask Julian about Reform, the Greens, Labour, the Conservatives, Makerfield, Liz Truss, Milei, the NHS, digital ID, Brexit, AI, free markets and whether Britain still has a path back to economic sanity.
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 - The State Got Too Big
00:00:57 - What Went Wrong With Britain?
00:03:16 - Productivity, Policy Mistakes and AI
00:04:43 - Did Covid Make Government Too Powerful?
00:06:25 - Is Democracy the Problem?
00:08:10 - Vibe-Based Policy
00:10:21 - Young People and the First Job Problem
00:13:06 - Can Britain Turn This Around?
00:15:36 - Protest Votes and Broken Politics
00:17:29 - Reform’s Policies Under Scrutiny
00:20:15 - The State Helps Big Business
00:21:40 - Britain’s 90 Taxes
00:23:03 - Thatcher, Liz Truss and Economic Competence
00:26:20 - Why Free Markets Are a Hard Sell
00:30:15 - Could Poland Overtake Britain?
00:30:41 - Short-Term Politics and Weak Leadership
00:39:46 - What Is Extreme Now?
00:42:00 - Do Voters Understand the Trade-Offs?
00:45:57 - Does Britain Need a Milei?
00:48:24 - How Big Should the State Be?
00:49:40 - Why People Defend the NHS
00:54:01 - Why Government Tech Fails
00:55:09 - Makerfield, Burnham and Reform
01:01:49 - Restore’s Opportunity
01:04:24 - What Gives Julian Hope?
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CONTACT PETE
› Website – http://petermccormack.com
› Feedback – https://www.petermccormack.com/contact
› Email – me@petermccormack.com
› Instagram – /mccormack555
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CONNECT WITH JULIAN JESSOP
› Twitter – https://x.com/julianHjessop
› Website – https://julianhjessop.com/about/
SPONSORS
› IREN - https://www.iren.com/
› LEDN - https://www.ledn.io/peter
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LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE
› Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/40ruY9K
› Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Wc94Vu
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› YouTube: https://bit.ly/YouTube_PM
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FILMED BY CURTIS TAYLOR
› https://www.curttaylor.co.uk/
EDITED BY CONOR MCCORMACK
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