The Briefing Room

Julia Balm, space policy and ethics researcher at King’s College London; Professor Andrew Coates, UCL planetary scientist involved in Mars instrumentation; Libby Jackson, former ISS flight director and Science Museum Head of Space. They debate lunar missions as stepping stones, robotic versus human science, technical and ethical hurdles for Mars, private sector roles and which nations are leading the new space race.

Seb Johnson, founder of Scaling Europe who tracks European tech and investment; Cecilia Rikap, UCL economist focused on politics and governance of digital tech; Stanley Pignall, Europe editor at The Economist with expertise in markets and regulation. They debate Europe's dependence on US cloud and AI, China’s supply risks, whether regulation stifles big tech, and what states can do to build strategic digital capacity.

Diana Choyleva, economist and founder of Enodo Economics, flags China’s exposure and geopolitical balancing. Duncan Weldon, author and energy economist, explains Strait of Hormuz disruptions and global fuel shortages. Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel-winning economist and Columbia professor, outlines macro risks like inflation, slower growth and structural shifts. They discuss oil shocks, supply rerouting, winners and losers, and potential long-term economic realignments.

Steve Webb, former Pensions Minister now at LCP, gives the political backstory to the triple lock. Sophie Hale, research director at the Resolution Foundation, assesses effects on pensioner poverty and spending. Carl Emmerson, partner at London Economics, explains public finance and indexation mechanics. They debate how the guarantee works, why it costs more now, and potential alternatives like a smoothed earnings link.

Christopher Sabatini, Latin America policy expert; Hal Hodson, America editor at The Economist; Will Grant, BBC correspondent in Havana; Lillian Guerra, Cuban history professor. They debate whether Trump could or would try to seize influence over Cuba. Conversations cover Cuba’s revolutionary history, today’s shortages and emigration, US tactics and symbolism, and the island’s ties with Russia, China and regional politics.

Aaron David Miller, veteran Middle East analyst; Tahani Mustafa, international relations lecturer; Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent; Rushdi Abu Alouf, BBC Gaza reporter. They discuss Gaza’s humanitarian collapse and daily survival, the stalled technocratic committee and Board of Peace, what decommissioning Hamas would entail, and how regional wars and shifting politics have pushed the peace plan off course.

John Burn-Murdoch, FT data reporter, gives international data context. Lindsay Judge, Resolution Foundation researcher, focuses on policy and who is most at risk. Jack Kennedy, Indeed economist, maps the graduate and entry‑level hiring slump. Xiaowei Xu, IFS economist, explains payroll versus survey trends. They discuss NEET diversity, sector and pay pressures, mental health and education pipelines, and policy gaps in short, sharp strokes.

Ruth Harris, RAND Europe exec focusing on national security and data science. Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor at The Economist. Dr Jack Watling, RUSI expert on modern warfare. General Sir Richard Barrons, Chatham House strategist and co-author of the Strategic Defence Review. They dissect UK force shrinkage, platform and munitions shortfalls, the rise of digital kill webs and autonomy, personnel and industrial constraints, and prospects for European cooperation.

Rosemary Kelanic, director of a Middle East program offering geopolitical context. Bill Farren-Price, gas and oil supply expert from Oxford. Duncan Weldon, economist on macro effects of energy shocks. Ben Chu, analyst on the Strait of Hormuz and energy flows. They discuss why the Strait of Hormuz matters, risks to shipping and infrastructure, how oil and gas disruptions ripple through markets, and what duration of conflict means for the global economy.

Burcu Ozcelik, Middle East security analyst at RUSI, explains military dynamics and insurgent risks. Laurel Rapp, Chatham House US policy director, outlines Washington's shifting goals and messaging. Ali Ansari, Iranian studies scholar, assesses leadership succession and institutional resilience. Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent, explores Israeli strategic aims and possible endgames. They discuss strikes, leadership targeting, proxies and the risk of wider regional fragmentation.