Why should voters care about the government’s industrial strategy?

The general election campaign will probably be all about immigration, the economy, jobs and the NHS, but an industrial strategy – or not, if there isn’t one – could be critical to the future of this country.

But what exactly is an industrial strategy? And why should voters pay attention to whether the government has one – and what Labour might do differently?

Hannah and Paul are joined on this week’s Expert Factor by Giles Wilkes, who has worked on industrial strategy at the heart of government, to explore what an industrial strategy actually means for anyone voting in the general election. When can we tell if an industrial strategy is working? Does Rishi Sunak have an industrial strategy? Has Keir Starmer come up with a plan of his own? What have former prime ministers done with their industrial strategies? Has the UK ever even had a successful industrial strategy? 

THE EXPERT FACTOR is the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts. Each week the directors of three leading and respected think tanks – Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Hannah White of the Institute for Government, and Anand Menon of UK in a Changing Europe – get together to discuss, debate and explain the big questions and themes that will shape the election – and the political landscape for years to come.