Rachel Reeves faces the numbers - can she cut it?

Electoral Dysfunction

Sky News

News Commentary, Politics, News

4.6 • 659 Ratings

🗓️ 6 June 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As Rachel Reeves prepares for next week’s spending review, Beth explains why it could be a defining moment for the government and the chancellor is faced with difficult choices.

Harriet talks about the two-child benefit cap and whether the government can afford to scrap it.

And as Sir Keir Starmer puts the country on a war footing, Sky's defence correspondent Deborah Haynes joins Beth, Ruth and Harriet to talk about the strategic defence review and why there's no argument across parliament about defence spending.

Deborah also talks about her own podcast The Wargame, which is out next week and simulates an attack on the UK.

Remember you can also watch us on YouTube!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Now time to thank our partner for this episode The Economist.
0:04.3	Let's be honest, between endless news updates, social media hot takes and a 24-7 information cycle,
0:12.3	it's hard to know what to focus on or who to trust.
0:16.5	But for over 180 years, the economists' high-quality journalism has helped readers cut through the noise and makes sense of the world's most important stories.
0:27.5	One recent example was their reporting in Lincolnshire.
0:30.6	It explored whether the regions become one of the most conservative places in Britain and how local issues have shaped Lincolnshire's
0:39.0	deep-rooted right-wing politics. It's the kind of thoughtful reporting that not only informs
0:45.3	but also empowers. You come away feeling smarter, more confident and better equipped to engage
0:51.9	with complex global issues.
0:58.5	Search for the economist and make sense of the world around you.
1:02.0	What might happen if Russia attacked the UK?
1:04.8	This is clearly an enormous show of force.
1:06.7	It is definitely out of the ordinary.
1:10.9	We ran a war game with former ministers back in the hot seat.
1:11.6	Ben Wallace.
1:12.4	Amber Rudd.
1:12.9	Jack Straw.
1:17.0	It's the kind of war game that's genuinely tested inside government.
1:19.9	The Russians are signalling that there may be an attack.
1:22.4	Russian knows our weaknesses, but do you?
1:25.4	I'm Deborah Haynes from Sky News and Tortus.
1:26.6	This is the war game.
	...

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