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Rachel Reeves is back to where she started after the Spring Statement, with her £9.9billion of budget headroom restored but at what cost? The Chancellor was true to her word and didn't turn last week's economic update into a second Budget, with no tax changes coming in. But a wave of spending cuts was announced, along with growth forecasts going both down and up. We also got the Office for Budget Responsibility's update on what Reeves' Autumn Budget tax rises will cost us, a threat to Cash ISAs and no reprieve for home buyers on stamp duty. In this episode, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert dive into the Spring Statement to explain why it happened, what it means, and tackle the question of whether taxes are going to have to rise again in autumn. They look at the very important assumption being made by the OBR, which if it turns out to be wrong could mean there is a £48billion black hole in the sums. And is the entire thing a charade anyway and damaging to our future prospects? Simon explains why he thinks so. Finally, campaigners like Gary Stevenson claim that this could all be solved with a wealth tax — is that where we will eventually end up?

The majority of Alphabet’s sales comes from search, and ChatGPT’s product continues to get better. Jason Moser and Ricky Mulvey discuss the 25% tariffs that the Trump administration announced for imported cars and auto parts, how Google is trying to respond to the next era of search, and Robinhood’s quest to become the everything-finance app. Then, 17 minutes in, Anthony Schiavone joins Ricky to talk about the state of the office market, and one workplace REIT that investors may want to consider. Companies discussed: GM, MGA, F, TSLA, GOOG, GOOGL, HOOD, BXP, ARE. Host - Ricky Mulvey; Guests - Jason Moser, Anthony Schiavone

Over the past five years, Warren Buffett’s returns have beaten the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ, even as Berkshire keeps hundreds of billions in cash and treasuries. Jim Gillies and Ricky Mulvey discuss how Apple has driven Berkshire’s performance, Disney’s flat returns over the past five years, and a jeans manufacturer that is smashing the market. Then, 19 minutes in, Robert Brokamp and Alison Southwick discuss why you should think about taking a financial health day. Companies discussed: BRK.A, BRK.B, AAPL, DIS, KTB. Host - Ricky Mulvey; Guests - Jim Gillies, Alison Southwick, Robert Brokamp

New research released reveals how the vast majority of people in Britain are concerned that 2030 is too soon to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. However, there is a general consensus that we need a viable solution to greenhouse gas emissions right now. Joining Adam Cox to discuss this is Dickon Posnett – the President of the European Biodiesel Board and Director of Corporate Affairs at Argent Energy.

New research from children's audio platform, Yoto, reveals widespread concern around the amount of time children are spending on screens — as well as the content they can access easily online. Joining Adam Cox now to discuss this is former children’s publisher and Yoto Content Director, Jessica Tarrant.

Obesity costs the UK £100 billion a year, yet stigma still clouds the conversation. Science shows it’s more than willpower—genetics which drive up to 80% of weight gain, and new treatments are changing the game. With weight loss medications proving effective and the government backing their use, is it time to rethink our approach? More than one in ten women in the UK already use GLP-1s for weight management, but 31% hesitate due to stigma — highlighting the urgent need to shift public perception. Joining Adam Cox today is pharmacist Kevin Joshua from Juniper Technologies UK Ltd, who will discuss the future of obesity treatment and its impact on public health.

When alcohol becomes a need, it's not uncommon to look for ways of scaling back that desire. There are nausea-inducing medications which may help, but Adam Cox looks for how you might trigger such an aversion through hypnosis. There is, of course, another alternative in the run-up to Easter: try giving it up for Lent! It's a way to test your conscience's ability to cope with a temptation which may be quite compelling ... so Adam's hypnosis session might be one of a number of options here.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivers her March '25 Spring Statement — this is an unabridged audio record of her speech to the House of Commons

With box office + 63%, James Cameron-Wilson says #1 Snow White is neither as bad nor good as some would have it. Rachel Zegler lights up the screen but the CGI dwarves make it feel like an animated remake. It's not a new classic. #7 The Alto Knights has Robert de Niro playing 2 rival gangsters at once, a truly bad idea. It's misjudged and incredibly boring. James recommends documentary A Thinking Game if you can find it. O'Dessa, on Disney+, is a dotty, cheap and nasty, post-apocalyptic rock opera, with Sadie Sink considerably better than the movie which is a real rag bag of influences.