Share
The New Statesman | UK politics and culture
How do we reduce the life expectancy gap?
Where you live could drastically impact how long you live.
According to the Office for National Statistics, a person in South Kensington, one of London’s wealthiest areas, can expect to live up to 16 years longer than someone in a more deprived area, like Blackpool.
In this episode, host Sarah Dawood is joined by a panel of guests to discuss the stark health inequalities across the UK.
- Jennifer Dixon DBE, CEO of The Health Foundation
- Jonathan Ashworth, CEO of Labour Together, former Shadow Secretary for Health, and former Labour MP
- Steve Brine, former Conservative MP, former Minister for Public Health and Primary Care, Chair of Parliament’s Health and Social Care Committee, and host of Prevention Is The New Cure podcast
The panel discusses the social determinants, or building blocks of health, that shape health outcomes and life expectancy. They discuss the need for a cross-government approach to address these inequalities and highlight the urgency of meaningful, coordinated action to improve public health.
We also hear from Dr. Ronny Cheung, Consultant General Paediatrician at Evelina London Children’s Hospital and Officer for Health Services at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
This episode is sponsored by Health Equals, a coalition of 27 organisations campaigning to ‘Make Health Equal’. Visit www.healthequals.org.uk
Show references: Health at the heart of government https://www.health.org.uk/publications/health-at-the-heart-of-government
Health and social care select committee prevention inquiry https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7205/prevention-in-health-and-social-care/
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health – Child health inequalities and poverty toolkit https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/key-topics/child-health-inequalities-poverty
More episodes
View all episodes
The return of America First
27:41|In recent weeks President Trump’s foreign policy pronouncements have been loud and abrasive. American allies watched in barely concealed dismay as the US president shouted at Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval office. Since then Trump has halted military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine and embarked on trade wars with Canada, Mexico, China - and perhaps next, the EU.In this episode Katie Stallard reports on America First - the Trumpian turn in US foreign policy and the end of the world as we knew it.
Lady Gaga and the evolution of the pop icon
30:40|Lady Gaga rewrote the rules of female pop stardom. Now she's back with a new album. Can she do it again?Kate Mossman reviewed Lady Gaga's latest album, Mayhem, for the New Statesman and joins Tom Gatti on the Culture podcast to discuss the changing face - and powerful influence - of pop music.Read Kate's review here: https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music/2025/03/on-mayhem-lady-gaga-makes-a-chaotic-return-to-formMayhem by Lady Gaga is published by Insterscope Records.Excerpts used in this episode are taken from the following for the purposes of criticism and review: Disease (Lady Gaga)Abracadabra (Lady Gaga)Killah (Lady Gaga feat. Gestaffelstein)Die with a smile (Lady Gaga feat. Bruno Mars)
What do Reform voters think of Trump?
23:48|Could Farage’s lack of criticism of Trump damage Reform’s prospects in future UK elections? The team answer listener questions on Trump and Reform, the prospects of the Tories in the local elections, and the point of state visits.Read: The The strange rise of the pro-Russia right, Tories’ anti-Farage opportunitySign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us
Welfare cuts spell trouble ahead for Labour
20:46|The politics team discuss Starmer's week on the world stage and whether he can be the pivotal bridge between Ukraine and the US, as well as the prospective welfare cuts which have been announced ahead of Rachel Reeves' Spring Statement.Hannah Barnes is joined by the New Statesman's political editor Andrew Marr, and senior editor George Eaton.Listen: Europe’s battleground: war or peace?Read: Can Starmer make Labour the security party?Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us
Europe's battleground: war or peace?
31:13|Not even a week ago European countries were hailing the prospects of peace in Ukraine, but after a disastrous visit to the White House for President Zelensky, and the pause of aid from the US government - things have soured. In this episode we’re asking what role Europe can play in the future of Ukraine. Kate Lamble is joined by Sam Greene and Hans Kundnani.
How to protect elections in the age of AI | Sponsored
20:04|The rapid rise of generative AI has revolutionised creativity while also raising significant challenges. The rapid rise of generative AI has revolutionised creativity while also raising significant challenges. In this episode, we explore how responsible innovation can reduce misinformation's impact and protect creators. Host Jon Bernstein is joined by Adobe’s Head of Policy and Government Relations EMEA Stefanie Valdés-Scott, Vale of Glamorgan MP Kanishka Narayan and AI and deepfake expert Henry Ajder.Our panel discusses the balance between risk and opportunity in AI development, as well as how to approach AI innovation ethically. They talk about how government, industry and creators might work together to create a safer, more reliable digital landscape and address the impact new AI copyright laws might have.Learn how government policies and industry initiatives like the Adobe-led Content Authenticity Initiative are fostering innovation and building a more trustworthy and transparent digital ecosystem.
Andrey Kurkov: "Life is now measured in Orwells and Kafkas"
26:35|Reflecting on the passing of the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, award-winning author Andrey Kurkov has written the diary for this week’s New Statesman magazine.In this conversation, with Tom Gatti, Kurkov contemplates daily life in his hometown, Kyiv, and how the war has changed him as a writer.
Starmer & Trump: a (qualified) victory?
20:35|Keir Starmer returns victorious from his meeting with Donald Trump. But was it the success it seems?Andrew Marr, Hannah Barnes and Rachel Cunliffe answer listener questions on the New Statesman podcast.Also in this episode: Has Zelensky "put one over" on Trump with the rare earth minerals deal?Trump's "mob boss" geopoliticsHow the UK could make a radical pivot towards Europe - and have Putin to thank.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us
Andrew Marr: "National service, watch this space"
27:17|Keir Starmer has promised defence spending will reach 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and 3% in the next Parliament. There’s been some sparring over exactly how much money this equates to, has a maths crime been committed? And how far can this money go?Hannah Barnes is joined by political editor Andrew Marr and business editor Will Dunn, and later in the programme byt Phil Whitaker, GP and the New Statesman's health writer, to speak about the shake up at the top of NHS England.Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us