Nesta

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We apply our deep expertise in applied methods to design, test and scale solutions across the innovation lifecycle.

19/08/2026

“The problem isn’t a technical one, it’s a human one.”

Building better digital infrastructure isn’t just about choosing the right tech. It’s about getting organisations with different incentives to agree, collaborate and invest in implementation.

So how can the UK take back control of its digital infrastructure?

Nesta CEO Ravi Gurumurthy and Mallory Durran explore what government needs to do differently to transform the UK from a passive tech tenant into a sovereign digital architect - in the latest episode of the Policy Fix: Andy Burnham’s first 100 days

🎧 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. https://bit.ly/4fZ7vVk

13/08/2026

Positive health trends - such as the decline of smoking - don't just happen by accident. They're the result of sustained, deliberate policy action.

The same applies to obesity. Without active policy interventions - from industry targets to advertising bans - progress stalls. If a new government stops taking action, the trend stops too.

In a new episode of Andy Burnham's first 100 days, Nesta's deep-dive series from the Policy Fix podcast - Nesta CEO Ravi Gurumurthy sits down with Hugo Harper, director of Nesta’s healthy life mission, to break down the steps a new government will need to take to shift the UK from treating sickness to preventing ill health in the first place.

Moving past the usual debate about the UK's strained health system, they stress-test practical policy interventions that Andy Burnham could implement in his first 100 days as Prime Minister.

🎧 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts - link in comments.

If you enjoyed the episode, please rate, review, subscribe and share it with your network.

09/08/2026

💡 Imagine you are the new Prime Minister: what would you do in your first 100 days?

That's the question we're asking our guests on our new deep-dive series from the Policy Fix podcast.

In our first episode, tax expert Dan Neidle explains why abolishing stamp duty and council tax, simplifying the income tax and corporate tax systems and reducing the VAT threshold would be top of his agenda.

Rather than just rehearsing the problems facing Burnham, Ravi Gurumurthy and Dan Neidle stress-test the big ideas that should shape Andy Burnham's agenda, discuss the policy solutions he should actually pursue and map out the steps he should take to get started in his first 100 days.

🎧 Watch the full episode on Youtube or listen wherever you get your podcast - link in comments

🌟 Liked the episode? Rate, review, subscribe - and share with your network.

06/08/2026

How can Andy Burnham bring the UK’s essential services under public control?

From rising energy bills to struggling water infrastructure, frustration with privatised services is growing. But with public finances under pressure, can government deliver change without buying everything back?

In the latest episode of our deep-dive series from the Policy Fix podcast, Nesta’s Ravi Gurumurthy and economist Tony Curzon Price explore how a new government can give people more control over essential services - without returning to old models of nationalisation.

The conversation breaks down:
⚡ Why traditional regulation has struggled to deliver better outcomes.
🏗️ How government can play a stronger role in shaping markets, from energy and water to digital services.
🔐 Why giving people more control over their data could help create fairer digital markets.
🇬🇧 How stronger public infrastructure could rebuild trust and deliver better services.

🎧 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://bit.ly/4fPbiD3

If you enjoyed the episode, please rate, review, subscribe and share it with your network.

05/08/2026

How can Andy Burnham solve Britain’s wealth tax debate?

As Prime Minister, Burnham will need to find money to fund public services and deliver on his promises. Should he introduce a wealth tax, or are there faster, fairer ways to raise revenue?

In the latest episode of our deep-dive series from the Policy Fix podcast, Nesta's Ravi Gurumurthy and economist Dr Arun Advani explore the biggest challenges facing the UK's tax system - and the practical reforms Burnham should prioritise first.

Our duo explore:
💷 Whether a wealth tax is the best way to raise revenue.
📈 How reforming capital gains tax and National Insurance could raise billions while supporting investment.
🏡 Why Britain's property tax system may need an overhaul.
⚖️ How government can build a tax system that's fairer, simpler and fit for the future.

🎧 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://bit.ly/4fOYHQf

If you enjoyed the episode, please rate, review, subscribe and share it with your network.

04/08/2026

How should Andy Burnham take back control from big tech in his first 100 days in power?

The world's biggest tech companies now shape what we see, think and do online every day, raising important questions on who owns the power in modern Britain. How should Burnham protect children online, make powerful tech companies more accountable and ensure digital technology serves the public interest?

In the latest episode of our deep-dive series from the Policy Fix podcast, Nesta's Ravi Gurumurthy and Baroness Beeban Kidron OBE sit down to discuss. The conversation explores:

📱 Why holding tech companies accountable for harmful and addictive products matters more than banning individual platforms
⚖️ Why the growing power of big tech is one of the biggest challenges facing democratic government.

🤖 The opportunities and risks of AI - and how the UK can make better use of trusted public data.

🇬🇧 How Britain can build digital technology that serves the public interest instead of corporate profit.

🎧 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://bit.ly/4pW0zLN

If you enjoyed the episode, please rate, review, subscribe and share it with your network.

02/08/2026

💰 Where should Andy Burnham look to raise government funds - and where shouldn't he?

As Andy Burnham enters Downing Street, he needs to find the financial headroom to fund his ambitious agenda. But what are the policy cul-de-sacs that Burnham should avoid - ideas for revenue raising that might seem easy or tempting but which are likely to fail or trip up a new government

In the latest episode of our new deep-dive series, Andy Burnham's first 100 days, Nesta Chief Executive Ravi Gurumurthy sits down with Nesta's chief economist, Tim Leunig, to explore where government should look for funding and where it shouldn't.

Together examine concrete, evidence-backed fixes: from closing the tax gap through enforcement to modernising VAT, reforming disability assessments, and targeting investment in skills, infrastructure, and AI.

🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4g4RLPt

01/08/2026

🤖 How can the UK win the global race on digital public tech?

The UK spends billions renting back access to its own data from private tech vendors. To transform government services, Andy Burnham needs to build a sovereign digital state.

In this episode of our new deep-dive series, Andy Burnham's first 100 days, Nesta Chief Executive Ravi Gurumurthy is joined by Mallory Durran to explore how government can take back control of digital public infrastructure.

They discuss concrete steps for Andy Burnham’s first 100 days: adopting common digital standards, applying Open Banking principles to health data, and treating technical talent as a national priority.

🎥Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://bit.ly/44V3DhG

31/07/2026

💊 What should Andy Burnham do to actually tackle the root causes of poor health?

Andy Burnham wants to help people live well by building a preventative state. But the UK remains trapped in a struggling health system, burdened by chronic illness and soaring costs.

How can he tackle the root causes of ill health - from poor housing to obesity - rather than just treating the symptoms?

In the second episode of our deep-dive series from the Policy Fix podcast, Nesta’s Ravi Gurumurthy and Hugo Harper break down the biggest drivers of ill health, the societal and economic costs at play - and the practical fixes Andy Burnham should focus on first.

🎧 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

If you enjoyed the episode, please rate, review, subscribe and share it with your network.

29/07/2026

New podcast 📣 How should Andy Burnham fix our broken tax system and close the tax gap?

The UK has an extraordinary amount of taxes and exemptions. The result is a system burdened by complexity, distorted incentives and a tax gap estimated to be billions.

With big promises to take back control of public utilities, ease the cost of living and build thousands of council homes, Andy Burnham needs serious cash. Can fixing Britain’s broken tax system and closing our tax gap help him Burnham foot the bill? And where should he begin?

🎙️ In this special deep-dive from the Policy Fix podcast, Nesta CEO Ravi Gurumurthy is joined by tax expert Dan Neidle to map out the steps Andy Burnham should take to get started on tax reform in his first 100 days. They explore:

📈 How reforming capital gains tax could raise billions while creating room for targeted tax cuts elsewhere.

💡 Why establishing clear tax principles and committing to long-term stability is essential to rebuilding public trust.

🏢 Why launching a Small Business Tax Commission could tackle modern digital tax evasion and large-scale fraud without burdening ordinary small businesses.

🎧 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

If you enjoyed the episode, please rate, review, subscribe and share it with your network.

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