How much trouble are UK universities in?

David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the current financial crisis facing UK universities and ask what can be done about it.Guests:Branwen Jeffreys, BBC Education Editor Nick Hillman, Director of The Higher Education Policy Institute Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford and member of the Migration Advisory Committee Alan Manning, Professor of Economics at the London School of EconomicsProduction team: Sally Abrahams, Kirsteen Knight, Miriam Quayyum and Ben Carter Editors: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound engineers: Neil Churchill

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Step inside The Briefing Room for indepth explainers on the biggest news stories. A podcast and radio show hosted by Journalist and Author David Aaronovitch.Listen anytime: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b07cblx9. **THE BRIEFING ROOM**Alongside a panel of academics, policy experts and journalists, each week we break down the essentials of the biggest news stories, in the United Kingdom and beyond. From international politics, healthcare, and technology; to the economy, education, and immigration. At the end of 2024 The Briefing Room covered the following topics: - What’s going on in Syria? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0025l2l - Will new weight loss drugs bankrupt the NHS? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0025vw7 - Is the push for the electric cars in trouble? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002693mOur promise to you each week: If you step inside The Briefing Room, you'll be fully briefed on the biggest stories in the news.**SPECIAL EPISODES**As well as our weekly episodes, The Briefing Room has also recorded several mini-series that you can listen to anytime:- Global Tensions: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0kh4p9s - Health: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0kh4nwt**HOW TO LISTEN**New episodes are published every Thursday and are usually around 30 minutes long. Listen anytime here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b07cblx9. Catch us every Thursday and Monday on BBC Radio 4. Have a look at the latest BBC Radio 4 schedule for timings: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/schedules/bbc_radio_fourfm. Also, you can now listen to us on a smart speaker. Just say, "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Briefing Room" for the latest episode. It works on most smart speakers.**GET IN TOUCH**We'd also love to hear from you. If you have a question or a comment for the team, please email us anytime at briefingroom@bbc.co.uk.