Reality Check
Episodes
How the leasehold mafia screwed a generation of homeowners
16 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Buying a flat in Britain has increasingly become a fool's errand, driven in part by the leasehold system trapping homeowners into flats. When Labour w...
Benefits Britain exposed: are you paying for someone else's day out?
09 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Britain has become a freeloader’s paradise. A working family of four will fork out £111 for a trip to the Tower of London, or £108 to visit London...
Could the Iran war wreck your mortgage?
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What has the war in Iran got to do with Britain’s house buyers? Michael Simmons takes a look at conflicting predictions from economists and the mark...
Energy bailout? Why Britain can’t afford a cap on household bills
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today Rachel Reeves promised ‘support for those who need it most’ as she updated MPs on measures the government is taking as the Iran war risks in...
Britain can have AI or Net Zero – but it can’t have both
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday Rachel Reeves gave her Mais lecture and said UK would achieve ‘fastest AI adoption in the G7’. Today govt is publishing its position on ...
This oil crisis could be the worst we've ever seen – former Trump economist Tyler Goodspeed
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Oil prices surged past $100 per barrel as the war with Iran intensified over the weekend. Since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, without a solution t...
Reality Check live: Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers the Spring Statement
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Before the first missiles landed in Tehran, Rachel Reeves had been looking forward to today’s Spring ‘forecast’ statement, which was designed to...
SEND madness: Britain faces 'ruinous costs' from over diagnosing children
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why are one in five school children classified as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in 2026? The rates of children being diagnosed wit...
Debt bomb: the £100 billion problem nobody talks about
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There is an area of public spending nearly double what Britain spends on defence, more than policing borders or our streets. It's servicing the costs ...
Keir Starmer has done nothing for Britain's young
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week Keir Starmer faced the greatest challenge to his premiership yet. What will this Prime Minister will be remembered for? Policies which hurt ...
Peter Schiff on the dollar: America's bust is the world's boom
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Simmons speaks to American economist Peter Schiff about the surge in gold prices, the weakness of the US dollar and why he believes the next m...
Why the housing crisis is far worse than Labour wants you to believe
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Housing minister Steve Reed has been boasting about Britain’s housing market since Labour came into office – but is he right to celebrate? The cou...
Andy Burnham’s bond blip, scrapping the OBR & why Rishi Sunak deserves more credit – James Nation
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When Andy Burnham put forward his bid to stand in the Gorton & Denton by-election, the bond markets wobbled. What does this say about the state of Lab...
SNP budget: the smallest tax cut in history
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The SNP announced their budget last week promising to cut taxes for low income earners. Could this be the smallest tax cut in history? Michael Simmons...
Who's to blame for Britain's water crisis?
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Thousands of homes across the South East have been without water for four consecutive days. South East Water’s record on water supply interruptions ...
Could Britain's migration crisis already be over?
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Reform UK may be leading in the polls on a mandate to hit net zero migration – but could this come sooner than Nigel Farage may think? Michael Simmo...
2025: a year of tears, tariffs & taxes
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Simmons reflects on some of the economic highs and lows of 2025. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. G...
Electrify everything! Octopus boss on Britain's energy problems
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Spectator’s Michael Simmons in conversation with Greg Jackson, CEO & Founder of Octopus Energy and non-executive member of the Cabinet...
Why Wes Streeting is right about junior doctors
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Junior doctors, now known as resident doctors, will strike from December 17 to 22, which Wes Streeting has said will 'wreck Christmas'. The doctors ar...
Are thousands of kids really living in poverty?
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Chancellor laid our her plans to scrap the two-child benefit cap in the Budget last week. Previously Rachel Reeves and the Prime Minister were aga...
Christopher Snowdon: the truth about Ozempic, obesity & the NHS
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lifestyle economist Christopher Snowdon joins Michael Simmons to explore how weight-loss drugs like Ozempic could reshape health, policy and the econo...
Rachel Reeves’s Budget is a shambles
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Budget days go, today was unprecedented. The complete list of measures announced by Rachel Reeves – along with their costings and economic impact...
Benjamin Disraeli to Rachel Reeves – how each Chancellor drank their way through the Budget
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel Reeves is due to deliver her budget this Wednesday. Throughout the years, the only person permitted to drink inside the House of Commons is the...
Why British business is doomed to fail - and how to fix it | Entrepreneur Luke Johnson
22 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Entrepreneur and investor Luke Johnson joins Michael Simmons to discuss what is going wrong for Britain's business. From soaring taxes and the Employm...
Rory Sutherland: Britain isn’t working – here’s how to fix it
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Advertising legend and Spectator columnist Rory Sutherland joins Michael Simmons to explain why he thinks Britain’s economic problem isn’t income,...
Datageddon: Britain's stats have become dangerously unreliable
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Britain is facing a quiet crisis — its data is breaking down, and the government’s numbers are increasingly unreliable.In this episode of Reality ...
Is Brexit to blame for Britain’s economic doom loop?
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel Reeves is preparing for her first major Budget – but is Brexit really to blame for Britain’s black hole?Host Michael Simmons speaks to inde...
The rich are leaving Britain – and making you poorer
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are the rich fleeing Britain? That's what the numbers suggest, but some activist groups have hit back that the data is dodgy. For the second episode o...
Arthur Laffer: Britain is taxing itself to death
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Reality Check, The Spectator’s new data-driven show hosted by economics editor Michael Simmons, kicks off with a big name: Arthur Laffer. The man wh...
Reality Check – Trailer
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing... Reality Check – the new podcast from The Spectator – that cuts through the spin and explains the numbers behind the noise. In each ...