Can we afford another cost of living crisis?

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Iran: Are our bills about to shoot up?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002s4h6 The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned that the longer the US-Israel war with Iran continues, the worse the cost of living will get at home. He’s announced some support for those who use heating oil – but it pales in comparison to the help given out after the Ukraine war. So what can the UK government afford these days? The BBC’s deputy economics editor Dharshini David answers our questions. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Natalie Higgins and David Wallace Lockhart. Get in touch: [email protected]

Scotcast's Martin Geissler joins Natalie and David to talk about the first of our leader interviews with Scottish Liberal Democrat Alex Cole-Hamilton and Reform UK's Malcolm Offord. And we preview the upcoming Holyrood vote on whether to legalise assisted dying. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by Natalie Higgins and David Wallace Lockhart. Get in touch: [email protected]

Malcolm Offord (pictured) was appointed Reform UK’s leader in Scotland in January 2026.He talks to Martin about finding his feet in Nigel Farage’s party – and losing friends along the way.Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler.Get in touch: [email protected]

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘My clan, the land and who owns it’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002lpck The fire that ripped through a Victorian building next to Glasgow’s Central Station has left a blackened, crumbling shell right in the city centre. The council leader Susan Aitken has said the ownership of many historic sites in the city is ‘complex’, and often ‘fragmented’. So who is responsible for much of our heritage? And how should it be protected? Two journalists – Calum Grewar from The Bell and Karin Goodwin from The Ferret - tell us how complicated the picture can be. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Laura Miller and Natalie Higgins. Get in touch: [email protected]

Alex Cole-Hamilton (pictured) has been leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats since 2021. He talks to Martin about Quakerism, pacifism and nationalism in the first of our series of interviews with party leaders ahead of the Holyrood election. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: [email protected]

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Fans hit out at Old Firm policing’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002919c Police Scotland have condemned the behaviour of fans attending the Scottish Cup clash between Rangers and Celtic as 'despicable' and 'shameful'. We ask the BBC’s Chris McLaughlin how the clubs and authorities will respond to the disorder at Ibrox. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Laura Miller and Natalie Higgins. Get in touch: [email protected]

Natalie, Lynsey and Phil talk about the findings of a major BBC pre-election poll, the allegations surrounding the husband of Scottish Labour MP Joani Reid (pictured) and the latest on the parties’ 2026 candidate selection process. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode of the Politics Show is hosted by Natalie Higgins, Lynsey Bews and Phil Sim.Get in touch: [email protected]

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Inside the 'Salmond files': https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002rp03 David Hamilton (pictured) is taking the Scottish Government to court over its refusal to release the so-called ‘Alex Salmond files’. We ask the Scottish Information Commissioner why he believes some documents from the James Hamilton investigation, which cleared Nicola Sturgeon of misleading parliament, should be made public. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Martin Geissler. Get in touch: [email protected]

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qgvt President Donald Trump (pictured) has told lawmakers it is not yet possible to know the 'full scope and duration' of US strikes on Iran. Here at home, attention has turned to what the conflict might mean on UK shores as oil and gas prices continue to rise. Laura and Natalie hear from Professor John Underhill from the University of Aberdeen about what might happen to our energy bills, how safe our energy supplies are and what this tells us about our long-term energy strategy. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Laura Miller and Natalie Higgins. Get in touch: [email protected]

If you’re interested in this episode, you may also like ‘Fixing the NHS: where do you start?’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0027bj7 A poll by the BBC has suggested 50% of voters care about the NHS more than anything else in the upcoming election. That figure is higher for women than it is for men. Women are more likely to be on multiple waiting lists than men, are more likely to live with chronic pain, and spend more years suffering from ill health. So, does the NHS have a problem with women – and treating female-only conditions? We hear from a menopause specialist and a women’s health campaigner. Scotcast is the BBC’s Scottish news podcast. This episode is hosted by Laura Miller. Get in touch: [email protected]