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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:

Sunak's Scorecard and Minority Reports May 12, 2023

Show notes

Does Rishi Sunak have a strategy for restoring the Conservatives' electoral prospects after the bruising local elections? Tim Bale, author of The Conservative Party After Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation, joins the podcast team to make sense of the prime minister's battles over boats and bust-ups around Brexit.

Meanwhile Westminster is abuzz about the possibility of no party winning a majority at the next election, possible pacts and coalitions. But are people asking the right questions about what a hung Parliament might mean for how government works?

Plus: Does devolving power from Westminster guarantee regional economic growth? A new IfG report reveals the answers, and its author Tom Pope joins the podcast to explain what works - and what doesn't.

Hannah White presents.

With Giles Wilkes and Cath Haddon.

Produced by Milo Hynes

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Sunak's Little Local Difficulties and Starmer's Big Local Victories May 11, 2023

Show notes

Big wins for Labour. Big losses for the Conservatives. But just how much should we read into this week’s local election results? The Guardian’s Rafael Behr joins the podcast team to crunch the numbers and examine what the votes mean for Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.

The Labour leader is reported to have delayed plans for shadow cabinet reshuffle until the autumn – but is that the right call? A new IfG paper, which analyses the transitions of 1997 and 2010, sets out the steps Starmer should take to ensure his shadow team is best prepared for government – should Labour win the next general election.

And how can we all stay engaged with politics without getting enraged? What steps can we take to survive the toxicity of British politics? Rafael Behr explains why his new book can help.

Presented by Emma Norris.

With Cath Haddon, Peter Hourston and Grant Dalton.

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Scapegoats or snowflakes? Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

Dominic Raab’s exit from government hasn’t drawn a line under the simmering tensions between ministers and civil servants. So have expectations of behaviour changed or has snowflakery broken out in Whitehall? The IfG podcast team asks what this all means for the future of the civil service.

The Foreign Office is trying to manage another tricky evacuation of UK nationals from an increasingly dangerous situation – so how well is it responding to the crisis in Sudan?

And why did the Treasury end up creating a “tug of war” at the heart of government during the Covid pandemic? A major new IfG report reveals all.

Hannah White presents.

With Cath Haddon, Alex Thomas, Tim Durrant and Gemma Tetlow.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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Extra: The Treasury and the Covid crisis Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

Do you remember being told to stay at home? Or becoming very familiar with the word “furlough”? How about all those assurances that the Government was following the science? And were you persuaded when ministers urged you to Eat Out to Help Out? The Treasury was at the heart of the Government’s response to the pandemic, rapidly designing and rolling our policies designed to protect jobs, support people and help businesses through an extraordinary – and unprecedented – time. But it was also wary of sharing its analysis, wary of external advice, and reluctant to work openly with other Government departments.

To mark the publication of a major new IfG report into the Treasury’s Covid response, Financial Times economics editor Chris Giles joins this special episode of Inside Briefing for a deep dive into how the UK’s finance ministry performed during the pandemic – and asks what lessons needs to be learned.

Presented by the IfG’s Emma Norris with Gemma Tetlow and Olly Bartrum.

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Non-Dom Status Apr 21, 2023

Show notes

Dominic Raab has resigned. The report into whether or not he bullied civil servants finally landed on the prime minister’s desk – so what should we make of Adam Tolley’s findings? Is Rishi Sunak’s response adequate? And what will Dominic Raab’s stinging resignation letter mean for tensions between ministers and civil servants?

It had already been a lively week for the prime minister, with a big speech on maths education and some awkward headlines over declaring and registering interests. But did Sunak’s speech add up? And how significant was his slip up?

Plus: Why can’t government ever come up with plan to tackling this country’s obesity problem?

Hannah White presents, with Jill Rutter, Alex Thomas, Sam Freedman and Sophie Metcalfe.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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Striking images: What caused the NHS crisis and can it be fixed? Apr 14, 2023

Show notes

From unsolved pay disputes to record backlogs, abandoned social care reforms and now accusations of sexual harassment of female surgeons, finding a good news story about health and care services in the U.K. is nigh on impossible.

So just how bad is the crisis facing the NHS? Who, or what, can be blamed for the pile-up of problems? And is there any way that Rishi Sunak - or maybe Keir Starmer - can fix the crisis?

In this special episode of Inside Briefing, Nick Davies is joined by IfG senior fellow Jill Rutter, Rachel Sylvester, who chairs the Times' Health Commission, and Rachel Wolf, founding partner at Public First, co-author of the 2019 Conservative manifesto, and now also co-author of an upcoming report on NHS productivity in partnership with the Institute and the Health Foundation.

Presented by Nick Davies.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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Dover Queues and Brexit Truths? Apr 07, 2023

Show notes

Delays at the Dover border mean holidaymakers are getting hot under the collar – while the heat is on the government to fix the problem. The FT's Peter Foster joins us to explore whether the long queues are just an inevitable Brexit non-benefit. Also, the government appears to have ditched any plans (and a manifesto promise) to reform social care. So why is this policy challenge proving beyond the wit of ministers? And teachers have rejected a pay offer from the government. Just how distant is a deal to end public sector strikes?

PLUS: In praise of politicians, and politics. This weekend is the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. How was the historic deal reached, what is its legacy, and what might happen next in Northern Ireland?

Hannah White presents, with Jill Rutter, Jess Sargeant and Stuart Hoddinott.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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EXTRA - The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement: 25 years on Apr 07, 2023

Show notes

The 10 April marks 25 years since the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement was signed, paving the way for peace in Northern Ireland and the restoration of devolved government. The agreement was a triumph of political leadership, endorsed overwhelmingly by the public in votes in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

This special podcast episode brings together some of the key people who worked behind the scenes to make a deal happen – the officials working in the UK, Northern Ireland, Irish governments – to look back on how the historic agreement was reached, discuss the challenges in supporting the peace process, and reflect on what has been achieved.

Presented by Jill Rutter

Produced by Podmasters

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Someone Like Yousaf Apr 01, 2023

Show notes

Humza Yousaf is Scotland’s new first minister – but following the Nicola Sturgeon era is no easy task. The Sunday Mail’s Hannah Rodger joins the podcast team to weigh up the challenge ahead for Yousaf, and ask what the SNP’s change at the top means for the Scottish political landscape.

Is Rishi Sunak really that much of a Green Day fan? As parliament rises for recess, Inside Briefing turns its attention to Westminster to issue an Easter report card for Rishi Sunak.

PLUS: Panic on the streets of Paris! The Institut Montaigne’s Georgina Wright drops in to the IfG to give us the lowdown on the problems facing Emmanuel Macron.

Hannah White presents. With Emma Norris and Akash Paun

Produced by Neil Bowerman.

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EXTRA - The Emily Maitlis interview Mar 31, 2023

Show notes

Leaving the BBC has given Emily Maitlis the freedom to say what she really thinks, and the co-host of The News Agents podcast doesn’t hold back in this special edition of Inside Briefing.

In a wide-ranging and frank discussion with Hannah White, the former Newsnight presenter discusses the media’s role in holding politicians to account, the recent travails of her former employer, and whether government ministers should really by taking part in broadcast interviews conducted by MPs of the same party.

Produced by Neil Bowerman.

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