This episode we're not joined by Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, but a pioneer on forests, agriculture and food security. With roots in social justice and anti-poverty campaigning, Ed cut his teeth in efforts around debt, poverty, and development with organisations like Oxfam and the wider Make Poverty History movement before joining the then Prince of Wales – now King – to drive high-level work on forests, sustainable agriculture, and climate through his International Sustainability Unit. Since then, Ed has become a driving force in the world of sustainable food, nature and climate, helping drive the work of the World Resources Institute and advising the Food and Land Use Coalition and its push to transform how the world grows and eats.

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Lord Simon Case served four British Prime Ministers as head of the UK's civil service from Boris Johnson in 2020, to Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer. Lord Case held the most senior civil service role just as the government hit a run of shocks: Brexit implementation, Covid, war in Europe, economic turbulence, and rapid technological change. In this episode, he’s candid about what it feels like at the centre of crisis decision-making, and why government too often drifts into a self-obsessed “bubble” that’s disconnected from daily life. He also shares what gave him hope: meeting frontline civil servants, and seeing what changes when power and money are tied to real places. We talk about Barrow Rising; a place-based partnership bringing central government, local government, industry and community together around the long-term transformation of Barrow-in-Furness. What does it take to turn billions of public spend next door into better health, education, and opportunity? And can Barrow become a blueprint others can borrow from?

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Alyssa Gilbert sits in a rare seat in UK climate innovation: translating world-class science into ventures that can survive the messy reality of markets, regulation, pilots, and procurement. In this episode, Alyssa shares what Undaunted at Imperial College London looks for at the earliest stages, why credibility and communication matter as much as the tech, and what actually helps founders move from “tested in a lab” to “traction in the market”. We also get into the built environment: waste-to-materials, energy management, and the very real barrier of being “the first” in a traditional sector.

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