Britannia Radio

Straight Talk with Andrew Neil

Watch the latest edition of Straight Talk on iPlayer Andrew Neil talks to Lord Barnett, former Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Lord Barnett discusses his approach as Chief Secretary during the Labour government of 1974-79 and explains why he believes the "Barnett Formula", the system that he devised more than 30 years ago for distributing UK public spending between England, Scotland and Wales, now needs to be reformed. He also discusses what should be done about public spending during the current recession and in future. Straight Talk is a weekly political talk show in which Andrew Neil explores the motivations, ideas and policies of leading figures from political and public life. These 25-minute, one-to-one interviews enable Andrew and his guest to discuss issues fully and go beyond the sound-bite. 'Straight Talk with Andrew Neil' is broadcast on the BBC News channel on Saturdays and Sundays at 2230, and is repeated on BBC Parliament at 2325 on Saturdays. It is also accessible on BBC iPlayer. THE STRAIGHT TALK ARCHIVE Menzies Campbell  John Denham  Michael Forsyth  Stephen Wall  Robert Armstrong  Alistair Graham  Tony Benn  Shirley Williams  Paddy Ashdown  Norman Tebbit  David Steel  Bill Rodgers  David Puttnam  Jim Prior  Chris Patten  Cecil Parkinson  Nigel Lawson  Neil Kinnock  Geoffrey Howe  Robin Butler  Kenneth Baker  Victor Adebowale  John Redwood  Denis Healey  David Trimble  David Owen  Betty Boothroyd  Alex Salmond  Peter Carrington