Welcome to the nineteenth episode of StratCast. In this, the penultimate StratCast before an August break, Peter O’Kane interviews Guardian Universities Editor Rachel Hall about the current strong headwinds facing higher education in the UK, either side of which Sophia Gaston, Tom Cargill and Seumas Kerr CBE look at important developments and some briefings over the last seven days. These include multiple UK ambassadors generously joining British Expertise members to update them on key markets around the globe, reflections from BFPG on the report on Russian influence in the UK and D Group’s continuing focus on key requirements as to how the UK’s infrastructure is designed and procured; plus Tata UK’s chief, Tim Jones, addressing the prospects for digital currencies.