Macro Minds

Robert Jenrick joined Reform UK and was appointed Treasury Spokesperson (Shadow Chancellor) in February 2026. Jenrick began his career as a corporate solicitor, practising at leading international law firms in London and Moscow, before moving into business as a director at Christie’s.Elected as MP for Newark in 2014, he has held several ministerial and cabinet roles under Conservative governments, including as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (2019–2021) and Minister of State for Immigration (2022–2023).This conversation with Peel Hunt Chief Economist Kallum Pickering was filmed on 10 June 2026 at Peel Hunt’s FTSE 250+ Conference.

Following Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 general election, Rachel Reeves was appointed Chancellor by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on 5 July 2024. She is the first woman to hold the office in its 800-year history. Reeves began her career as an economist at the Bank of England before entering politics. Elected as MP for Leeds West in 2010, she held several shadow cabinet roles and was appointed Shadow Chancellor in 2021. This conversation with Peel Hunt Chief Economist Kallum Pickering was filmed on 9 June 2025 at Peel Hunt’s FTSE 250+ Conference.

Kallum welcomes Helen Thomas to discuss the implications of the US-Iran deal, the outlook for BoE policy, and the chances and impact of Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham becoming UK prime minister.Helen Thomas is the founder and CEO of BlondeMoney an independent macroeconomic consultancy firm establishedin 2014, focusing on mispriced risks in financial markets across the USA, UK, and EU. She has over 20 years of experience in banking, fund management, and politics, including roles as a partner at ABD Investment Management and Head of Currency Alpha at State Street Global Advisors. Thomas served as an adviser to former UK Chancellor George Osborne during the financial crisis and created the Financial Markets Reform Programme for Policy Exchange. She holds a degree in PPE from Oxford, is a CFA Charterholder, a freeman of the City of London and a Fellow ofCFA UK. She is a regular columnist for City AM.

Kallum Pickering welcomes Ben Southwood, founder and editor of Works in Progress, to discuss why Britain’s infrastructure is slow, costly, and unattractive. From nimbyism to gold-plating, they dissect the politics, economics, and aesthetics of construction. Can the situation be fixed? Yes, if Britain can learn from other countries and remember the reasons it used to build well in the past.Before founding Works in Progress, Ben worked as head of research at Create Streets; head of housing, transport and urban space at Policy Exchange; a consultant at KPMG; head of research at the Adam Smith Institute, and as an economics correspondent for City A.M.

Martin is Chief Economist at WPI Strategy. He has over 20 years’ experience covering the UK economy, including as Chief Economic Adviser to the EY ITEM Club, UK economist at Oxford Economics and Capital Economics, and various economics roles during his 10 years at HM Treasury.Martin and Kallum discuss the outlook for the upcoming 26November Budget, the structural and policy factors holding back UK potential growth, why energy production matters for productivity, and the lessons from Labour’s first year in office.Note: The podcast was recorded prior to the government’sdecision to abandon its plan to raise income tax rates at the upcoming Budget.