Last week, the government unveiled around £30bn worth of cuts to public services as it attempts to plug a fiscal hole. Governments have attempted to rein in spending in the past and struggled to do so.

Philip Coggan takes a look at why public spending tends to rise in the long run and the continuing political battle to contain it.

Guests:

David Gauke, former Conservative MP and Treasury minister from 2010 to 2017
Carys Roberts, Executive Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research
Jagjit Chadha, Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research
Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow of the Institute for Government

Producer: Ben Carter
Production co-ordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross and Maria Ogundele
Sound engineer: James Beard
Editor: Clare Fordham