Heather Stewart
Heather Stewart is economics editor at the Guardian, focusing on how government decisions, markets and institutions shape living standards and political power. She brings a politics background to economics coverage, treating fiscal policy, welfare, defence and labour relations as connected parts of the same story rather than separate beats. Her work combines data, thinktank analysis and voices from government, unions and civil society to show who gains and who loses from policy choices.
Economics viewpoint on Labour’s fiscal choices
Much of Stewart’s recent output centres on the economic choices of the Labour government and the constraints it faces, often under the “Economics viewpoint” banner. She writes repeatedly about Andy Burnham’s promises of radical change and the cooler “mood music” from the Treasury, using that contrast to frame wider questions about how far a government can reshape the economy within tight fiscal rules. Her coverage of Rachel Reeves examines whether new data strengthens or undermines the case for the chancellor’s strategy, including pieces that question whether flawed statistics have undercut her arguments.
She closely tracks proposals to fund major spending commitments, such as thinktank calls to raise taxes on middle earners to pay for expanded defence budgets and meet new ambitions on national security.
In the same vein, she covers movements in long‑term borrowing costs and gilt yields, spelling out how higher debt servicing charges can erode the chancellor’s room for manoeuvre. Earlier reporting has treated welfare spending and employment together, reflecting arguments that focusing on jobs rather than benefits is a more effective way to cut the welfare bill.
Across these pieces, the distinction is not just between competing parties but between different models of how the state should tax, spend and borrow.
From welfare to prisons: social policy under Labour
Stewart’s political reporting follows how Labour’s economic agenda plays out across social policy, from welfare to the criminal justice system. A recent examination of “From welfare to prisons: the challenges for Burnham when MPs return to Commons” maps the pressures on the government as it seeks to reform benefits, reduce reoffending and manage overcrowded jails, all within a limited budget. She treats these areas as linked: decisions on tax and spending are carried through into welfare rules, sentencing policy and the capacity of public services.
Her work also looks at the labour market and gender, including coverage of a project in Zambia that helps young women learn to negotiate more effectively and build long‑term economic power. Corporate behaviour features in her reporting too, such as an article on advertising giant WPP cutting diversity references from its annual report, which highlights how boardroom choices affect transparency around equality and inclusion. In a piece on planning changes that offer a “bright spot” for Reeves, she examines how reforms to the planning system could unlock growth while still leaving grey areas for investors and communities.
Taken together, these stories show a consistent interest in how economic policy shapes everyday outcomes in work, housing, justice and equality.
AI slowdown and the risks of an economic bubble
Beyond Westminster, Stewart has moved into the economics of technology, especially the surge and potential slowdown in artificial intelligence investment. In an “Economics viewpoint” column on calls for an AI slowdown, she argues that the more immediate threat may be the collapse of a debt‑fuelled bubble, situating AI within broader market exuberance and financial risk.
Her reporting on the rapid rollout of datacentres highlights the scale of debt issuance underpinning the infrastructure build‑out and raises concerns about how this borrowing could destabilise financial markets.
These pieces track how AI reshapes capital allocation, corporate strategy and government regulation, rather than treating it as a purely technical story.
She connects US and European responses, central bank thinking and stock market behaviour, using AI as a case study in how new technologies can amplify existing economic vulnerabilities. The focus is less on individual firms than on systemic risk: who holds the debt, how exposed pension funds and savers are, and what happens if expectations about AI‑driven growth fail to materialise.
Political donations and the price of influence
Stewart also continues to cover the money flowing into politics and the influence it buys.
In her piece on capping political donations, she sets out the case for limiting how much wealthy individuals can give to parties, arguing that unchecked funding allows the rich to purchase disproportionate sway over policy. That coverage sits alongside articles on party funding and mega‑donations more broadly, tracing how billionaire money increasingly underwrites campaigning and reshapes the incentives of political leaders.
Her reporting on unions and Burnham captures a different kind of political finance, focusing on the enthusiasm of organised labour for the new government and the tests that will determine whether that alliance holds. She examines how promises to “get it right” on jobs, pay and public services may collide with economic headwinds and fiscal limits. Stewart also appears as an explainer on flagship audio formats, including a Today in Focus episode on Ed Miliband’s sanctions on Israeli settlers, where she sets out how foreign policy decisions intersect with domestic politics and economic interests.
Across print and audio, the through‑line is clear: she reports on who funds politics, who exercises power, and how economic structures constrain or enable political ambition.
4 more politics journalists.
Abbi Garton-Crosbie
Abbi Garton-Crosbie is a multimedia political reporter who treats independence as a live process shaped by Holyrood power struggles, party manoeuvres and grassroots pressure. She works at The National, a pro-independence newspaper, covering how political power is contested and exercised in contemporary Scotland, with a core focus on parties, parliament and the mechanics of constitutional change. She reports on parliamentary votes, government strategy around future independence referendums, and elections across Scotland in the wider context of devolution in Wales and Northern Ireland. Her work centres on party leadership, resignations and internal conflict, including long-form interviews with senior politicians and coverage of emerging and smaller parties. She examines far-right activity, protest politics and movement organisation, and runs policy-driven reporting on rent caps, AI data centres, health boards and public services, across written, video and podcast formats.
Abubakar Ahmadu Maishanu
Abubakar Ahmadu Maishanu is a politics reporter with Premium Times who treats politics as a system of rules, contests and consequences rather than personalities. He focuses on power struggles, security shocks and governance disputes shaping party competition in northern Nigeria, especially how violence, corruption investigations and economic strain intersect with political authority. He reports on Bauchi’s 2027 governorship race, APC primaries and PRP realignment, tracking defections, party constitutions and factional manoeuvring. His coverage of Jigawa and Yobe follows power-sharing fights, candidate substitutions and Tinubu reelection mobilisation efforts. He links banditry and local security crises in Kano and Zamfara to political structures, using precise locations and casualty figures. His investigative work on alleged shady dealings around the Dala Inland Dry Port and reporting on soaring cooking gas prices add a corruption and economic hardship lens.
Aisha Iqbal
Aisha Iqbal covers local and regional politics for the BBC, with a distinct focus on grassroots power and how local decisions shape trust, representation and public services. She reports on Bradford Council decisions, waste services, cultural funding, regeneration grants and the use of public money. She also covers grooming gangs, community safety, political trust, elections, Muslim voters, Gaza, ceasefire campaigns and the links between faith, foreign policy and representation. Her work includes culture and public figures when they intersect with civic identity, including a feature on David Hockney. She connects committee-room votes, neighbourhood disputes and national debates, showing who gains, who loses and how communities respond. She reports across broadcast and online platforms in a clear, explanatory style. Earlier, she covered politics, culture and consumer issues for regional newspapers.
Alessia Simona Maratta
Alessia Simona Maratta stands out for showing how political decisions, regulations and conflicts ripple through communities, pairing national and global stories with on-the-ground voices and clear policy explanations. She is a digital reporter, producer and editor with Global News’ network news desk, covering breaking news, crime, politics, public health, housing, labour, immigration, environment and climate, social issues and features. Her recent work spans politics, public health regulation, labour and technology, and human-interest features that ground complex issues in everyday experience. She reports on politics, policy and community impact, public health and social debates, and labour and regulation at the intersection of technology, globalization and worker rights. Alongside hard news, she produces features that use individual stories, straightforward narrative arcs and accessible explanations to connect history, science and policy to everyday life.