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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:

EXTRA - Iraq War 20th Anniversary: The Robin Butler Interview Mar 24, 2023

Show notes

The decision to go to war in Iraq – 20 years ago this week - remains both the most controversial and consequential American and British foreign policy of the last quarter of a century.

Just over a year after the war began, Robin Butler, a former cabinet secretary, published his Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction - better known as the Butler Review. The weapons were never found, and the debate about the decision to go to war has never ended.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, to look back at the key findings of his report, and to ask how government has changed since - and whether lessons have been learned, Catherine Haddon speaks to Lord Butler for this special episode of Inside Briefing.

Presented by Cath Haddon, produced by Alex Rees

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Boris Johnson's Partygate Hangover Returns Mar 24, 2023

Show notes

The Guardian’s political editor Pippa Crerar, who led the way in the reporting of partygate, joins the IfG podcast team to weigh up Boris Johnson’s Privileges Committee hearing. How did the former prime minister perform when quizzed about whether he deliberately misled the Commons? What might the committee decide to do next? And what was it like for Crerar to be the journalist at the centre of one of the biggest political stories of recent years?

And while Johnson fought for his political future, in another part of the Palace of Westminster Rishi Sunak was celebrating as MPs – Johnson and Liz Truss not included – backed his Stormont Brake. So is Brexit finally done? Will power-sharing return in Northern Ireland? And what does the vote mean for Sunak’s standing?

Presented by Catherine Haddon. With Hannah White and Jill Rutter.

Produced by Candice McKenzie

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The Morning After The Budget Before Mar 16, 2023

Show notes

Jeremy Hunt hands a pensions tax break to the better off and free childcare to families. There’s £9bn of allowances to business – but little mention of public services and only vague assurances about falling living standards. What’s in the small print? Plus, Boris Johnson comes up before the Privileges Committee next week. Will it be a day of reckoning for the former PM? Henry Hill, Deputy Editor of Conservative Home, is our special guest.

“By the standards of past budgets this is a success in that the Government hasn’t fallen over and gone on fire.” – Henry Hill

“This economic situation hurts everyone’s living standards. Whatever is in the budget, people are going to feel that they’re just not getting better off.” – Giles Wilkes

Presented by Hannah White with Jill Rutter, Olly Bartrum and Giles Wilkes. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Will the government’s “stop the boats” plan work? Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

The Illegal Migration Bill is the latest government attempt to deter asylum seekers from making their way to the UK by irregular routes. But has Rishi Sunak come up with some substance to match his ‘stop the boats’ slogan? How does the government intend its plan to work – and how likely is it to succeed? Will the legislation prove popular or polarising? And is the row about Gary Lineker and Match of the Day no more than a distraction?

The IfG’s Emma Norris and Rhys Clyne are joined by Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, and Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory, for a deep dive into the government’s asylum plan.

Presented by Emma Norris. Produced by Candice McKenzie

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Stop boats, get votes? Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

Channel 4’s political editor Gary Gibbon joins the IfG podcast team to examine whether the government’s controversial new asylum bill will actually work, and whether the politics of promising to stop the boats will win the Conservatives support – and pose a headache for Labour.

Boris Johnson wants to knight his father. So is it time for Rishi Sunak to do away with the increasingly farcical tradition of prime ministerial resignation honours?

And talking of abolitions, why do governments so often seek to abolish public bodies – and why does it so often go wrong? A new IfG report has the answers.

Hannah White presents. With Alex Thomas, Rhys Clyne and Grant Dalton.

Produced by Candice McKenzie

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International Women’s Day Special Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

To mark International Women’s Day, IfG director Hannah White is joined by Polly Curtis, director of Demos, and Charlotte Pickles, director of Reform, to record a fascinating episode of Inside Briefing. What is it like to be a woman in public life, working in government, parliament, the civil service – and for a think tank? What are the barriers that women face entering and working in these professions? What more could be done to bring more women into politics and policy-facing roles – think tanks included? And why does diversity of thought matters when designing policy?

Presented by Hannah White. Produced by Candice McKenzie

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Northern Ireland special: The Windsor change Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

Will Sunak’s new deal with the EU solve the vexed issue of a customs border in the Irish Sea? Can the “Windsor Framework” finally bring the rancorous Brexit debate to an end? How will it work? What about the “Stormont Brake”? And what’s in the small print?

To examine the Windsor Framework the IfG’s Jill Rutter and Jess Sergeant are joined by special guests Georgie Wright of the Institute Montaigne, John Campbell of BBC Northern Ireland and Sam McBride of the Belfast Telegraph.

“This deal gives business most of what it was asking for.” – John Campbell
“We can’t be certain of how the deal will work but it’s a hell of a lot better than the previous one.” – Sam McBride
“There’s trust for Sunak in the EU that just wasn’t there for Boris Johnson.” – Georgie Wright
“You do have to ask, how much are UK products really going to diverge from EU standards in future?” – John Campbell

Presented by Jill Rutter with Jess Sargeant. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Gray Goes Gracefully? Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

With Sue Gray making headlines again, the IfG podcast team are joined by former Conservative MP Sir David Lidington to make sense of a big Whitehall and Westminster career move and ask what it might mean for Labour and the civil service.

Plus:

What do Matt Hancock's WhatsApp messages tell us about how government works – and how it didn't during the pandemic?
How did Rishi Sunak come up with a Brexit deal that seems to please everyone – except maybe Boris Johnson and the DUP – and is the Windsor Framework actually any good?
And why doesn't the centre of government seem to work very well? The IfG is launching a new Commission to examine the problem – and come up with solutions.

Presented by Hannah White.

With Alex Thomas, Jill Rutter and Tim Durrant

Produced by Candice McKenzie

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A year of war in Ukraine Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

Russia invaded Ukraine one year ago. Peter Ricketts, the UK’s former national security adviser, joins the IfG podcast to reflect on how the war has changed Europe – and changed UK government – and what might happen next.

At the time of recording there was still no Brexit breakthrough, but just how close are we to a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol and what could it look like?

And with Jeremy Hunt’s Budget just a few weeks away, a new IfG report takes stock of performances across nine key public services. The report’s author joins the podcast to reveal where the problems are – and how they might be solved.

Hannah White presents

With Alex Thomas, Jess Sargeant and Matthew Fright

Produced by Candice McKenzie

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A Holyrood Ending Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

Who had “Nicola Sturgeon quits” on their 2023 bingo card? Not us. We look at the pressures behind the First Minister’s resignation and what her departure means for Scottish independence. Plus, as Yvette Cooper tells the IfG that the Government has “broken the justice system” we ask what a Labour government could do about it. And Keir Starmer closes the door on Jeremy Corbyn. Our special guest is Jess Elgot, Deputy Political Editor at the Guardian.

“The past few months have been difficult for Sturgeon and her authority has been waning.” – Akash Paun
“It’ll be hard to maintain the SNP’s reputation as insurgents when there are so many problems with health and eduction on Scotland.” – Jess Elgot
“Sturgeon seems to have been very affected by the resignation of Jacinda Ardern. She saw that as a model of how to leave politics.” – Jess Elgot
“Sunak has lost two big attack lines this week: the idea of Labour in the pocket of the SNP, and the return of Jeremy Corbyn.” – Jess Elgot

Presented by Emma Norris with Cath Haddon and Akash Paun. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG.

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