Ten Minutes On… Rachel Reeves, the £20bn deficit and austerity

TEN MINUTES ON…

The UK's Labour Chancellor (finance minister) Rachel Reeves is in the news this week for announcing her plans to cut winter fuel allowance as part of a reponse to the public deficit left by the previous Conservative government. Her argument echoes similar claims made by the Conservatives when they came to power and justified their decision to implement austerity measures - and which led to a legacy of a declined and underresourced public services. But what is austerity and how does it work and why? Why do governments resort to the idea and can it ever work? Listen and find out!

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