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Hello and welcome to Coffee House Shots, the Spectator's Daily Politics Podcast.

I'm Oscar Edmondson and I'm joined today by Katie Balls and Rupert Harrison, former chief of staff to George Osborne.

And we're going to be talking about Davos, which is where the Chancellor is today, banging the drum for Britain and trying to encourage investment.

Katie, do you think she arrives in a strong

position? Well, she arrives in an awkward position just in the sense. Clearly, things have not

gone to plan for Rachel Reeves in the first six months or so of the Labour government. And

that's just if you look at, you know, there are figures today in terms of the UK borrowing

more than was expected in the month of December.

Yes, Rich Ruse has some slightly good news on inflation last week,

but you've had bond market nerves to start the year.

And unemployment figures are suggesting that potentially some of the budget moves that she announced,

such as employer national assurance, are having negative effect in terms of attracting

business and encouraging business to hire people. So I think all those things are tricky.

It's not as though she is going there, I think, as the exciting guest of Davos.

As has been pointed out, she doesn't have a set slot, but she does have lots in her agenda.

So various roundtables, she's already done a fireside chat this morning.

The business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, is also there.

And I think we're already getting a sense of the message she wants to put out there.

So I think for Rachel Reeves and her team is almost Davos is an opportunity to try and reset the narrative a bit

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