The Business

Will a re-imagined version of Help to Buy solve Britain's housing crisis? Dominic O’Connell examines whether government mortgage subsidies can rescue Labour's ambitious homebuilding targets.

In this episode of The Business, we explore "Your First Home" - the government's proposed scheme to resurrect Help to Buy and subsidise mortgages for first-time buyers without the bank of mum and dad. With construction stalling across the UK economy, we ask whether restarting Help to Buy will stimulate homebuilding or simply inflate property prices.

Dominic is joined by Jennie Daly, chief executive of Taylor Wimpey - one of Britain's largest house builders - and Carol Lewis, property editor at The Times. Together, they discuss planning delays, red tape, and how changing government fiscal policy impacts British business confidence. They analyse whether mortgage subsidies and supply chain reform can overcome material costs, unlock land development, and deliver long-term economic growth.

“We have to step back and think: what does housebuilding deliver? It’s a fundamental human right,” Jennie Daly said on the show. “New home building is the only route to increasing the housing stock. So there's a fundamental economic and social case for intervention at times in the economic cycle where house building is particularly in danger of contracting.”

Guests:
Jennie Daly, chief executive of Taylor Wimpey
Carol Lewis, property editor at The Times

Presenter:
Dominic O’Connell, Times columnist and Times Radio business correspondent

Producer: Hope Federico
Executive Producer: Miriam Hall and Emily Leahy
Video Producer: Bronwen Latham
Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hear more from The Business:
Why are the super rich leaving Britain?
Does Andy Burnham’s government have the guts to deliver growth?
The rise of the corporate landlord - with Grainger’s Helen Gordon

Read more from The Times:
New home approvals sink to 13-year low as PM revives Help to Buy
How housebuilders won argument to revive help for first-time buyers
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This series is sponsored by PwC.

What can business learn from the high-stakes of Formula 1® racing?

In the fourth and final episode of a special series, host Andy Jaye speaks to 2009 F1® World Champion Jenson Button and Amish Patel, PwC’s UK Transport Lead, about how elite drivers and teams perform under pressure.

Jenson Button shares unique insights from his career in Formula 1® about how to manage talent in high-stress environments, build resilient teams, foster supportive workplace cultures, and allow room to experiment and sometimes fail.

They explore what British business and industry leaders can learn from Formula 1® about execution under pressure, corporate strategy, and driving economic growth when stakes are high.

You can also watch this episode on Times Business channel on YouTube.

Presenter:

Andy Jaye, Broadcaster

Guests:

Jenson Button, 2009 F1® World Champion
Amish Patel, PwC’s UK Transport Lead

Producer: Robert Wallace and Shabnam Grewal

Executive Producer: Emily Leahy

Video Producer: Super Llama

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Labour’s promise of reindustrialisation realistic for the UK economy? Dominic O’Connell explores the future of British manufacturing.

In his speech to the Labour Party conference, Chancellor John Healey promised "a new age of industrialisation". But with UK manufacturing output stagnant and England losing over 6,000 manufacturing businesses in the past five years according to the Office for National Statistics, can government fiscal policy turn the tide?

In this episode of The Business, Dominic O’Connell considers whether genuine reindustrialisation is possible, as well as the obstacles in the way including the impact of high energy costs, skills shortages and the global impact of Chinese manufacturing competition.

Joined by David Smith, economics editor at The Sunday Times, and Liam Sides, director of regional analysis at Oxford Economics, we examine the structural shifts that transformed Britain into a service-based economy over the last 50 years and evaluate what a realistic reindustrialisation strategy looks like for British business, from growing advanced manufacturing sectors like aerospace and pharmaceuticals to regional investment and planning reform.

Guests:
David Smith, Economics Editor at The Sunday Times
Liam Sides, Director of Regional Analysis at Oxford Economics

Presenter:
Dominic O’Connell, Times columnist and Times Radio business correspondent

Producer: Hope Federico
Executive Producers: Emily Leahy and Miriam Hall

Picture: Getty
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What does Labour’s industrial strategy mean for British business? Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds speaks to Hannah Prevett at the Labour Party conference.

In this episode of The Business, recorded live on stage at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds joins Hannah Prevett, associate business editor at The Sunday Times, to outline the government's plans for driving economic growth across the UK economy. Reynolds discusses how Labour’s industrial strategy will operate alongside regional growth plans, what the government's corporate strategy is for taking British Steel into public control, and how fiscal policy will support UK manufacturing and infrastructure. He also shares his perspective on Heathrow expansion, rising diesel costs, and the government's plans to restore business confidence.

Guest:
Jonathan Reynolds, Secretary of State for Business and Trade
Presenter:
Hannah Prevett, associate business editor at The Sunday Times

Producer: Hope Federico
Executive Producer: Miriam Hall and Emily Leahy

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This series is sponsored by PwC.

How has Formula 1® evolved from a legacy sport into a global entertainment powerhouse?

In the third episode of a special series, host Andy Jaye speaks to Charlie Minors, Director of Strategy and Transformation at F1® and Jon Glick, PwC Advisory Marketing Leader to discuss the corporate strategy behind the business’ transformation. They discuss the key drivers of this commercial transformation from the success of the Netflix show Drive To Survive, expanding in the US market and creating engaged communities on social media. And the guests offer practical insights for industry leaders looking to scale modern consumer brands in a fast-changing global trade landscape.

Presenter:

Andy Jaye, Broadcaster

Guests:

Charlie Minors, Director of Strategy and Transformation at F1®

Jon Glick, PwC Advisory Marketing Leader

Producer: Shabnam Grewal

Executive Producer: Emily Leahy

Video Producer: Super Llama

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.