Can BlackRock save the UK economy

Last month, Keir Starmer and chancellor Rachel Reeves sat opposite senior executives from one of the most powerful financial institutions on the planet. The asset management firm BlackRock is worth ten trillion dollars — and this government wants them to invest in the UK. From housebuilding to sewage systems to the NHS, private companies are deeply intertwined with our essential public services.

But is partnering with big corporations the only way of improving people’s lives? Is private investment a vital ingredient in economic renewal? Or will it just lead to price gouging for us and soaring profits for corporate execs?

This week Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Daniela Gabor, professor of economics at SOAS, and Aveek Bhattacharya, research director at the Social Market Foundation, to discuss the role of private investment in our economy and public services.

Music by A.A Aalto (available: freemu​si​carchive​.org/​m​u​s​i​c​/​A​_​A​_​A​a​l​t​o​/​F​e​s​t​/​Sneak), used under Creative Commons licence: cre​ativecom​mons​.org/​l​i​c​e​n​s​e​s​/​b​y​-​n​c​/4.0/.

Image: Flickr: https://​www​.flickr​.com/​p​h​otos/…