Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government — Government
Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

The first Labour government in 14 years is facing a daunting to-do list and complex challenges at every turn. Public services are under strain. The civil service is under pressure. And ministers must deliver the government’s missions and milestones. But could Keir Starmer’s plan to “rewire the British state” – through using AI and creating a “start-up” culture – turn these challenges into opportunities?
So where is government working well and what is it doing badly? What can be done to make No10, the Treasury and the rest of government function more effectively? What can Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves do to achieve faster economic growth? What will Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives and the other opposition parties do to hold the government to account? How might Donald Trump shape British politics – and how could the UK’s relations with the EU change in the years ahead?
Get behind the scenes in Westminster, Whitehall and beyond on the weekly podcast from Britain’s leading governmental think tank, where we analyse the latest events in politics and explain what they mean. Every week on Inside Briefing, IfG director Hannah White and the team welcomes special guests for a thought-provoking conversation on what makes government work – and how to fix it when it doesn’t.

Copyright: © Institute for Government

Latest Episodes:

The Hoyle Crisis Feb 23, 2024

Show notes

Wednesday night’s debate on Gaza saw chaotic – and unedifying – scenes in Commons which brought parliament into disrepute. ConservativeHome’s Henry Hill joins the podcast team to make sense of what happened and to weigh up how much trouble Speaker Lindsay Hoyle is in.

From trouble in parliament to problems with government, the IfG’s Commission on the Centre of Government will publish its final report on March 11. The podcast team set the scene – and explain why the winner of the next general election needs to radically redesign the centre of power.

PLUS: Kemi Badenoch vs The Post Office. The business secretary has knocked Rishi Sunak out of the headlines, but will this help her chances of succeeding him if a vacancy were to arise?

Hannah White presents, with Alex Thomas. Produced by Candice McKenzie

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Preparing for Power: Ep 3 – The Opposition Feb 20, 2024

Show notes

A general election is getting closer – and whoever forms the next government will need to prepare for the possibility of power. Thecampaign will dominate time and resources, but the job of being in government begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted. Preparing for Power, a special six-part series from the Institute for Government, takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get ready for being in government.

Episode 3 explores how opposition parties prepare for a potential transition of government, with ministers, civil servants and advisors, including Jonathan Powell, Harriet Harman, Gus O’Donnell and Oliver Letwin, revealing how they got ready for the possibility of a change of government.

How does an opposition develop policies that would actually work once they are in office? How can shadow teams ready themselves for taking over departments? What is the role of the chief of staff in these preparations? And what lessons could the approaches of Tony Blair and David Cameron provide for opposition parties preparing for the possibility of being in government?

Veterans of the 1997 and 2010 transitions share their recollections – and their advice forKeir Starmer’s Labour party as a general election approaches.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rishi Sunak’s double by-election trouble Feb 17, 2024

Show notes

A double by-election battering for the government has made this a very bad week for Rishi Sunak. The loss of Kingswood and Wellingborough to Labour followed the news that the UK has fallen into recession. Conservative backbenchers are restless. And the polls are showing no signs shifting. Chris Cook of the Financial Times joins the podcast team to explore just how much trouble the prime minister is in – and what he can do to turn things around as a general election approaches.

While the week ended on a high for Keir Starmer, it has not been a happy time for the Labour leader. Far from it. The selection - and then slow

rejection - of Labour’s candidate in the Rochdale by-election has put Starmer under pressure – and left Labour without a candidate. So who is to blame for this clumsy handling of an increasingly embarrassing situation?

Gemma Tetlow presents with Catherine Haddon and Giles Wilkes. Produced by Candice McKenzie.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Preparing for Power – Ep.2: The Civil Service Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

Whoever forms the next government will need to be prepared. The job begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted. Preparing for Power, a special six-part series from the Institute for Government, takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get ready for being in government.

Episode 2 explores how the civil service prepare for a potential transition of government, with five former permanent secretaries revealing how they readied themselves and their departments for a potential change in their political bosses.

How does Whitehall prepare for a change in the party in power? What can civil servants do to get ready for a hung parliament? And how do they continue to serve the current government while these preparations are going on? In this episode of preparing for power, we speak to former senior civil servants to discover how they prepared for that all important election result and its aftermath, hear their secrets, and work out the lessons for 2024.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sunak gambles as Starmer u-turns Feb 09, 2024

Show notes

The King’s health has dominated the news this week, but the prime minister has been making controversial headlines with his televised bet with Piers Morgan and a major PMQs bust-up with Keir Starmer. It hasn't been an easy couple of days for the Labour leader either, with Starmer dropping his £28bn green pledge – but will voters notice? Plus: How can we fix the NHS? This week sees the publication of the Times Health Commission. Its chair, Rachel Sylvester, is this week’s guest.

Hannah White presents, with Cath Haddon and Stuart Hoddinott. Produced by Candice McKenzie

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Preparing for Power – Ep.1: Access Talks Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

Whoever forms the next government will need to be prepared. The job begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted. So what is it like to go from opposition to government overnight? How do civil servants get ready for the possibility of a transition of power or a hung parliament? And what is it like for a governing party to continue in power after a bruising campaign?

In this six-part series, the Institute for Government takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get ready for being in government. We’ll be speaking to former ministers, special advisors and senior civil servants to discover how they prepared for that all important election result and its aftermath, to hear their secrets, and to work out the lessons for 2024.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Gathering Stormont Feb 02, 2024

Show notes

A deal to restore government in Northern Ireland has finally been struck and Stormont is set to return. So what was the decisive factor? Who are the big winners? And what are the chances of this deal actually holding? Peter Foster of the Financial Times joins the IfG team to reflect on a historic week.

It is four years since the UK left the EU – so how has life outside the Single Market and the Customs Union been working out? With new border checks set to be introduced in 2024, the pod team review the state of Brexit.

Plus: Just how transparent is government – and what could it to do show a willingness to open up rather than cover up?

Presented by Emma Norris with Jill Rutter, Tim Durrant and Sachin Savur. Produced by Candice McKenzie.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Has Sunak lost the plot? Jan 26, 2024

Show notes

Simon Clarke has called for Rishi Sunak to go. A former No10 special adviser has said the Conservatives won’t win the election with Sunak at the helm. And an endless supply of new polling keeps painting an awkward picture for the PM’s prospects. So just how much trouble is Sunak in? The Times’ Geri Scott joins the podcast team to make sense of the latest chapter in the Conservative party psychodrama.

Plus: Everything you need to know about the civil service. The IfG’s annual stocktake into the size, shape and performance of Whitehall is out this week. And, is the Treasury guilty of orthodox thinking? A new IfG report tests out the complaints of Liz Truss and her allies.

Hannah White presents, with Giles Wilkes and Rhys Clyne. Produced by Milo Hynes.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rishi vs. The Rebels Jan 19, 2024

Show notes

Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda legislation has made its way through the House of Commons, but at what cost to his authority? Peter Ricketts, the UK’s first national security adviser, joins the podcast team to discuss Sunak’s battles with his MPs, his looming battles with the House of Lords, and his ongoing battles to get any flights off the ground.

Plus, Sunak has authorised his first military action as PM, with the UK joining airstrikes against Houthi rebels. So what happens next? And is the UK – and the rest of the world – ready for the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House?

Hannah White presents. With Alice Lilly and Jill Rutter. Produced by Milo Hynes

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Post Office scandal: Trouble on the horizon Jan 12, 2024

Show notes

The Post Office scandal has been described by Rishi Sunak as one of greatest miscarriages of justice in UK history – so who is responsible, and is the government’s response the right one? Adam Boulton, former political editor of Sky News, joins the podcast to discuss how the faulty Horizon software led to hundreds of postmasters wrongly prosecuted for theft.

Plus, the prime minister is urging voters to “stick with the plan” – but is the plan actually working? The pod team weigh up a tricky start to the year for Rishi Sunak, with a big resignation over his net zero plans and the controversial Rwanda bill returning to the Commons. And, access talks have been authorised – but is Labour prepared for the possibility of government? A new IfG report sets out what Keir Starmer needs to do.

Hannah White presents with Cath Haddon and Nick Davies. Produced by Milo Hynes

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Related Podcasts