The Fourcast

Can John Healey deliver the growth Britain desperately needs? At Labour’s conference in Liverpool, the Chancellor promised a new age of industrialisation, more opportunities for young people and an era of political hope. But with the government under pressure to control spending, what does that mean for welfare, public investment and the economy?
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to economist Mariana Mazzucato and Times columnist Fraser Nelson. They debate how Britain can grow its economy, whether welfare reform can get more people into work, and whether the government should cut taxes and regulation or invest more heavily in public services and infrastructure.

Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in a two-year between Tigrayan forces and Ethiopia's government which ended in a peace deal in 2022. 
Today the trauma and fear of war creeps back in as both sides accuse each other of launching new offensives. 
Earlier this week the TPLF announced a new coalition alongside other militias - some of whom had previously been bitter opponents.
The so-called Alliance for survival is made up of seven armed rebel groups which have been waging their own battles against the Ethiopian government in different parts of the country.
Tigrayan forces have seized three airports in Tigray, and in response Ethiopian airlines have suspended all flights to the region. 
But why are things escalating now? Is the clock ticking for the Ethiopian government? And will Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed achieve his goal of accessing the Red Sea? 
To understand things better and break it all down we’re joined by Tsedale Lemma, an Ethiopian journalist and founder of the Addis Standard and Nicholas Westcott, former director of the Royal African Society.

US presidents typically welcome foreign leaders at the White House, but on Wednesday Donald Trump laid out the red carpet to greet China’s premier Xi Jinping.In today’s episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban discuss the future being shaped by the two superpowers, what that means for geopolitics and for the economy. Joining us shortly is Bronwen Maddox, CEO of Chatham House, who has written and spoken extensively about China’s attempt to rule a post-American world, and a book called In Defence of America, on how the US has been taken for granted by the rest of the world.

Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned of an "insidious campaign" of hostile foreign interference aimed at stoking domestic division and eroding democratic trust. 
To combat the threat, Burnham announced the creation of the National Centre for Information Defence.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by disinformation expert and author Nina Jankowicz, the Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, Lord Beamish, as well as the Conservative MP Alicia Kearns.
They discuss the threat posed by Russia to the UK, the role of tech platforms and whether the new unit could risk the censoring of free speech.

Can Andy Burnham turn the UK economy around?
With just a few weeks to go until his first Budget, the new prime minister is facing a difficult economic outlook, as he deals with sluggish growth, the rising cost of living and a war in Iran which threatens to send inflation soaring.
In this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to the former chief economist of the Bank of England Andy Haldane and Channel 4’s Economics Editor Helia Ebrahimi.
They discuss cuts to welfare, the pensions triple lock and Britain’s problem with young NEETS: those not in education, employment or training.