The Briefing Room Podcast
David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts and insiders present in-depth explainers on big issues in the news
Episodes to download
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What's Trump's tariff hokey cokey all about?
Thu 10 Apr 2025
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the strategy behind Trump's tariff policy.
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What is Putin's bottom line?
Thu 27 Mar 2025
David Aaronovitch asks what it would take for Putin to agree a peace deal in Ukraine.
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What's the government trying to do to the NHS?
Thu 20 Mar 2025
What are the government's plans for reforming the NHS?
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Why is there a crisis in special educational needs?
Thu 13 Mar 2025
Why is there a huge increase in spending on SEND, and why are parents still struggling?
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Explainer: A short history of conflict in Ukraine
Thu 13 Feb 2025
A quick run down on how it developed
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Explainer: Who made the first electric car?
Thu 30 Jan 2025
A short history of electric cars in the UK.
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Explainer: What is a Tariff?
Fri 24 Jan 2025
President Trump likes tariffs - what are they and what happened last time?
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Why does Trump love tariffs?
Thu 9 Jan 2025
How new tariffs could affect the world economy during a second Trump presidency.
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Is the push for the electric cars in trouble?
Thu 2 Jan 2025
The government wants to end the sale of petrol cars by 2030.
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Why we need to care about the Arctic
Boxing Day 2024
What threats and opportunities does the Arctic face?
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Is chainsaw economics working in Argentina?
Thu 19 Dec 2024
President Milei is cutting inflation, government spending and regulations.
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Will new weight loss drugs save or bankrupt the NHS?
Thu 12 Dec 2024
The NHS is set to offer Mounjaro to 3.4m people to tackle obesity.
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Why do we have such overcrowded prisons?
Thu 21 Nov 2024
Britain has the highest number of prisoners per head of population in western Europe.
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European defence in the new Trump era
Thu 14 Nov 2024
What is the future of Nato and European security?
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What does the Budget mean for the UK鈥檚 economy?
Thu 7 Nov 2024
The chancellor attempts to fix the UK鈥檚 finances - will she succeed?
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How do the Lebanon attacks alter the equation in the Middle East?
Mon 23 Sep 2024
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the recent attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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Is Germany in trouble?
Thu 12 Sep 2024
Should Germany worry about the far right's success in regional elections in east Germany?
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How much trouble is the UK economy in?
Thu 5 Sep 2024
Are the UK's finances really as bad as Labour says? And if they are, how do they fix them?
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What we know (and don't know) about the new Mpox outbreak
Thu 29 Aug 2024
David Aaronovitch and guests talk about how worried we should be about the new MPox strain
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Global Tensions 3: Russia and the West—Global Tensions
Thu 22 Aug 2024
Could the Russia Ukraine war lead to further escalation in the region and further afield?
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Global Tensions 2: China, Taiwan and the South China Sea—Global Tensions
Thu 15 Aug 2024
China sees Taiwan as part of its territory. Taiwan thinks otherwise. Is trouble looming?
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Global Tensions 1: The Middle East—Global Tensions
Thu 8 Aug 2024
What happens if the situation in the Middle East spirals out of control?
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Can planning reform really boost economic growth?
Thu 1 Aug 2024
Will Labour's pledge to overhaul planning rules deliver the economic growth they want?
