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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:

Boris Johnson's orgy of narcissism Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

Astonishing revelations and appalling language made for a gripping week at the Covid inquiry, with Dominic Cummings dominating headlines once again with his account of Boris Johnson’s chaotic No10. The BBC’s health reporter Jim Reed joins the podcast team to work out what we’ve learnt from the evidence sessions, Whatsapp messages, witness statements and diary entries.

The autumn statement is looming, and chancellor Jeremy Hunt is under pressure to come up with some additional funding for struggling public services – and the IfG’s Performance Tracker 2023, our annual stocktake of nine key public services, published with CIPFA, sets out the scale of the problem. We chat to the report’s author about what could be done to fix it.

Rishi Sunak has been busy hosting his AI summit – and taking part in a slightly surreal interview with X boss Elon Musk. How did the two-day gathering at Bletchley Park work out, will the robots rule whr world, and what is the next step to working with this new technology?

Hannah White presents.

With Emma Norris, Nick Davies and Matthew Gill.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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Inside Briefing Extra: Where next for English devolution? Nov 01, 2023

Show notes

What progress has the government made in devolving power across England? Has it been a success? And what would a Labour government do differently?

In this special episode of Inside Briefing, Akash Paun, the Institute for Government’s devolution watcher-in-chief, travels across England to find out whether a devolution revolution – promised by George Osborne back in 2015 – is really taking place. Join Akash as he takes a journey on Manchester’s new Bee Network buses, heads to the Conservative and Labour party conferences, explores how power is being devolved to the East Midlands, and brings together an expert panel to make sense of England’s evolving devolution settlement.

Featuring:

Simon Christian, director of public services consulting, Grant Thornton UK

Charlotte Aldritt, CEO of the Centre for Progressive Policy

Adam Hawksbee, deputy director of Onward

Mark Sandford, senior research analyst at the House of commons Library

Plus interviews with:

Ben Bradley MP, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council

Jess Studdert, deputy chief executive of New Local

Dr Fiona Aldridge, West Midlands Combined Authority

Tom Pope, IfG deputy chief economist

This podcast was produced with the kind support of Grant Thornton UK.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

Additional research and production by Briony Allen.

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250th EPISODE: Many unhappy returns? Rishi Sunak one year in Oct 27, 2023

Show notes

Rishi Sunak has clocked up 365 days as Prime Minister – but is the anniversary a cause for celebration or just a moment of relief? Politico’s Dan Bloom joins the podcast team to weigh up Sunak’s first year in the job, assess his achievements and failures and how he has surprised us, and explore what might come next.

From the man in Number 10 to a woman who might fancy a tilt at the top job… Rachel Reeves enjoyed a successful Labour conference, and this week the Shadow Chancellor launched her new book – which has already caused some controversy – at the IfG. The podcast team take a look at Reeves’s ambitions and challenges, as well as an increasingly complicated party problem for Keir Starmer.

With Hannah White, Cath Haddon and Giles Wilkes. Produced by Milo Hynes

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Rishi Sunak's double trouble Oct 20, 2023

Show notes

Labour's double by-election win has sent shockwaves through Westminster. So what does it mean for Keir Starmer? What does Rishi Sunak do now? And what might it tell us about the battleground on which the general election might be fought? The FT's Lucy Fisher joins the pod team to react to the results.

Talking of the general election… everyone is guessing when it might be held. Could it be next May? Early Autumn. Late Autumn? Maybe as late as January 2025? We plot the paths and game the scenarios.

Could a second referendum on Scottish independence be back on the cards? The SNP think they have come up with a route. So what is it and could it work?

Presented by Hannah White.

With Cath Haddon, Alex Thomas and Jess Sargeant.

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Mystery date: when is the right time to call a general election? Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

Will it be May? Maybe October? Perhaps November? Surely not January 2025? Yes, everyone is talking about when the next general election is going to be held – and speculating when Rishi Sunak will decide to go to the country.

So is it right for the prime minister to have the power to choose the date of a general election? What are the key considerations to make when looking at the polls – or the weather forecast? And what does history tell us about when is the right time to call an election – and when is the wrong time to stick rather than twist?

This special episode of Inside Briefing brings together three veterans of elections that were – or maybe weren’t – to look back on their experiences and discuss what might happen next.

Former Labour MP Jacqui Smith was home secretary when Gordon Brown chose not to call a general election in the autumn of 2007.
Katie Perrior was working as the Number 10’s director of communications when Theresa May decided to call a snap election in 2017.
Political adviser and pollster James Johnson worked in No10 as a strategic adviser to Theresa May between 2016 and 2019.

Presented by Tim Durrant.

Produced by Milo Hynes and Podmasters.

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Keir Starmer’s Mersey Mission Oct 13, 2023

Show notes

Party conference season is nearly over and the IfG podcast crew have made their way back to London after their trips to Manchester and Liverpool.

But which politicians will be returning to parliament battling new headaches? Has Rishi Sunak done enough to shake off the Conservatives’ post-Truss era hangover? And did Keir Starmer give Labour reason to believe that a new dawn might be about to break?

The Guardian’s Kiran Stacey joins the team to take stock of the post-conference landscape, pick apart the Labour leader’s speech, and look ahead to the renewal of parliamentary hostilities.

Presented by Hannah White.

With Emma Norris and Cath Haddon.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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The Start of the Keir Show Oct 06, 2023

Show notes

How will Keir Starmer respond to Rishi Sunak’s ambitious pitch to be the “change” candidate at the next general election? The New Statesman’s Anoosh Chakelian and Josh Simons, director of Labour Together, are the guests on this week’s Inside Briefing as the podcast crew preview Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool.

Will the Labour leader add detailed policies to his big five missions? Will there be policy u-turns - or will we see more barnacles being carefully removed from the boat? And what challenges - or traps - has Rishi Sunak set out for Labour on HS2 and net zero?

Presented by Hannah White. With Emma Norris.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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Rishi Sunak's Conference Call Sep 29, 2023

Show notes

When you put a load of ministers and MPs in a conference centre for four days, without enough sleep, and very little natural light, something unexpected – at least for the government – always happens. So what – and who – should we be keeping an eye on as the Conservatives decamp to Manchester for their annual conference? Will Suella Braverman – or maybe Liz Truss – create a storm on the fringe? What should Keir Starmer be worried about as he watches on from afar? And is this really a sink or swim conference for Rishi Sunak?

The Spectator’s political correspondent James Heale and Robert Colville, director of the Centre for Policy Studies, join the podcast team for a special party conference preview podcast.

Hannah White presents. With Cath Haddon.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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Rishi Sunak's Seven Deadly Bins Sep 22, 2023

Show notes

Rishi Sunak has ripped up the UK's net zero plan - but did the prime minister's emissions statement make sense and will it win him votes?

Daily Telegraph political editor Ben Riley-Smith, the author of a new book on the last 13 years of Conservative government, is this week's podcast guest.

Liz Truss returned to the political fray with a big speech at the IfG on Monday - with the former PM mounting a defence for her doomed mini-budget. Is anyone convinced?

PLUS: The tumultuous last 8 years in British politics have stretched the UK constitution to - and sometimes beyond - breaking point. How can it be strengthened? The author of a new IfG report sets out a plan.

Hannah White presents.

With Jill Rutter and Jack Pannell.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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Plane speaking with the PM Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

The podcast team dissect Rishi Sunak's appearance at the G20 summit in India - and Daily Mirror political editor John Stevens reveals what it's really like to join the prime minister on the plane for a foreign trip.

Westminster has been rocked by a spy scandal - but should MPs really be that surprised?

Plus: Is central government set up to deliver the government's 'levelling up' pledge - or Labour's plans for 'real life levelling up'? A new IfG report has the answers - and passes judgment.

Hannah White presents. With Alex Thomas and Rebecca McKee.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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