Chancellor John Healey needs to find £35 billion by 2030–31 if he is to keep his spending promises. Yet despite Treasury briefings hinting at a low-key fiscal event, the underlying numbers paint a picture of mounting structural pressures from defence to health to public sector pay. So what is he going to do?

Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by TPA's William Yarwood and Jonathan Eida to unpack how we've got here and examine what options the Chancellor actually has on the table.

Britain's public finances are under growing strain, with debt close to twice the level seen during the 1976 fiscal crisis, a heavier interest burden, weaker productivity growth and mounting pressure from an ageing population. But how does today's position really compare with the crisis of the 1970s, and could Britain once again be forced to

Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by TaxPayers' Alliance chief executive John O'Connell and former TPA chairman Mike Denham, who has authored new research comparing Britain's current fiscal position with the circumstances that led to the 1976 IMF bailout.

They examine the growth of public debt, the rising cost of servicing it, Britain's increased exposure to international investors and refinancing risks, and why today's spending commitments may be harder to reduce than those of the 1970s. They also discuss what the lessons of 1976 mean for economic growth, taxation and the long-term sustainability of the public finances.

Read the full paper here:

Britain's welfare bill is set to climb above £400 billion by the end of the decade, while disability benefits linked to mental health have more than doubled in just five years. But what is driving the surge, and can the current system be sustained?

Podcast host Duncan Barkes is joined by the TPA's William Yarwood and Shimeon Lee to discuss the growing cost of Britain's welfare state and new TaxPayers' Alliance research into Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments.

They examine the rise in working-age benefit claims, the sharp growth in PIP claims linked to mental health conditions, the parts of the country where dependency is most concentrated, and what these trends mean for taxpayers.