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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:

Protests, politics and the killing of Henry Nowak Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

With the murder of 18 year old Henry Nowak sending shockwaves through Westminster and beyond, IfG senior fellow - and former BBC home affairs correspondent - Danny Shaw joins the podcast team to discuss a fraught week for the police and for politics.

What questions do the police need to answer? What could an inquiry explore - and what might need to change? And how could the events of this week shape British politics in the months ahead?

Plus: The footage of the riots in Southampton has knocked the Mandelson files off the front pages, but the ongoing saga has left some questions for government - not least how its key figures communicate with each other. WhatsApp is Westminster’s preferred way of talking - but is this good for scrutiny, for making decisions, and for transparency?

Hannah White presents.

With Alex Thomas and Alice Lilly.

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The Blair Necessities May 28, 2026

Show notes

With a promise to abolish the position of Cabinet Secretary and scrap the Cabinet Office, Reform UK’s Danny Kruger has launched his party’s plans for reforming the civil service. IfG senior fellow Henry Hill joins the podcast team to explore the Kruger blueprint for government.

Tony Blair has entered the Labour leadership race! Well, sort of. The former PM's 5000 word essay sets out his vision for government. But is it a sensible plan for the current - or future - prime minister to follow?

Plus: Everyone is talking about Brexit again. Weeks away from the 10th anniversary of the referendum, we look at where things are with the reset and where they might go.

Hannah White presents.

With Alex Thomas and Jill Rutter.

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May 2026 elections: what are the implications for local government reorganisation? May 22, 2026

Show notes

How has England’s political landscape changed after the May 2026 elections? How will new local leaders go about their new roles? And what does this mean for the delivery of the government’s local government reorganisation (LGR) agenda?

In this special episode of Inside Briefing, Matthew Fright, the Institute for Government’s LGR anorak, has been gathering views across three areas - Surrey, Essex and Kent – at the forefront of LGR delivery to see how the government’s aims to remove two-tier local government will be impacted by May’s elections.

PLUS: An expert panel to unpick the election results and consider the demanding in-tray facing new local leaders as they get up to speed on this once in a generation transformation of local areas.

Featuring:

Ed Hammond, Director of Public Sector Audit at Grant Thornton UK

Heather Jameson, Editor of MJ

Vicky Elliot, Director of the IfG Academy

Akash Paun, Programme Director for Devolution at IfG

Plus interviews with:

Cllr Tim Oliver OBE, Leader of Surrey County Council

Mari Roberts-Wood, Chief Executive of Reigate and Banstead District Council

Cllr Stephen Robinson, Leader of Chelmsford District Council

Cllr Kevin Bentley, former leader of Essex County Council

Cllr Linden Kemkaran, Leader of Kent County Council

Cllr Vince Maple, Leader of Medway Council

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

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Burnham Issues May 21, 2026

Show notes

With Andy Burnham inching closer to a return to Westminster, Sam White, Keir Starmer's former chief-of-staff, joins the podcast team to explore what happens next - and what the prime minister can do while this drama plays out around him.

If Burnham makes it to Number 10, then he will follow a path once trodden by Boris Johnson in being a mayor turned prime minister. So what skills does the mayoralty provide - and how might they be transferable to Downing Street?

Plus: What is in Rachel Reeves's economic support package and will it meet the scale of the Iran crisis?

Catherine Haddon presents.With Hannah Keenan and Tom Pope.

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Starmer, Streeting and the fight for No10 May 13, 2026

Show notes

With Keir Starmer's premiership on the rocks, Claire Ainsley - a former adviser to Starmer in opposition - joins the podcast team to make sense of an explosive week in Westminster.

Can the PM reassert his authority? How could a leadership contest play out? And what have the bust-ups of the last few days revealed about the failings of Starmer’s premiership - and what can he, or someone else, learn from these mistakes?

Plus: On a day of pomp and pageantry, what stood out in the King’s Speech - and how much of it will actually make it onto the statute book?

Hannah White presents.

With Cath Haddon and Tim Durrant.

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Elections 2026: Fragmentation nation May 08, 2026

Show notes

Keir Starmer and Labour government have just faced their biggest electoral test since the 2024 general election. Reform are on the rise. The SNP have made big gains. And Plaid Cymru are making history in Wales. The consequences for British politics could be huge. So what happens next?

What will results mean for who governs in Holyrood? Is Wales ready for a whole new governing party? What will the changes - big changes - to England's electoral map mean for Keir Starmer's prospects? And how significant will Thursday night's votes be for the future of the United Kingdom?

Hannah White and Akash Paun present.

With Matthew Fright, Harriet Shaw and Megan Isaac.

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Is Keir Starmer in the last chance saloon? Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

After avoiding an ethics inquiry into the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal, what can Keir Starmer do to get the government agenda back on track? James Lyons, former director of communications in Number 10, joins the podcast team to assess the Prime Minister's options as the days count down to a big set of big local and devolved elections.

For lessons on relationship rebuilding - and delivering the positive vibes - perhaps the PM should turn to King Charles? The monarch is over in the US, where he seems to be doing a good job of flattering Donald Trump. So is the special relationship special again?

Plus: Children’s social care. A new IfG report has dug into a system in crisis, weighed up the government’s reforms, and come up with - what we say is - a better plan.

Alex Thomas presents.

With Cath Haddon and Amber Dellar.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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Starmer vs Robbins: Why the Mandelson row keeps getting worse Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

Seven days in, Westminster is still consumed by the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal. The PM has had his say. Olly Robbins - the permanent secretary that Starmer dismissed - has also given his account. So where does this leave Keir Starmer? Foreign Office permanent secretary Peter Ricketts joins the podcast team to work out where a week of blame and counter-blame has left the government - and what it means for an already damaged relationship between civil servants and ministers.

Plus: new IfG research on how civil servants should handle policy making in major crises.

Hosted by Hannah White.

With Alex Thomas, Cath Haddon, and Vimbai Dzimwasha.

Produced by Milo Hynes

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The Peter Mandelson scandal: What are the lessons for Keir Starmer's government? Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

The government is reeling from the revelation that Peter Mandelson was appointed as UK ambassador to the US despite having failed a security vetting process.

With the blame-game dominating the week in Westminster, what will we learn from Keir Starmer's 'judgment day' Commons statement? What will Olly Robbins – who was sacked by the PM as Foreign Office permanent secretary – reveal in a crucial select committee appearance? What has the vetting row shown about the way decisions are made at the top of government? How should the vetting and appointments process be overhauled? And what does this row mean for relations between civil servants and ministers?

An IfG expert webinar answered these questions and more.

The webinar featured:

Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Hannah Keenan, Associate Director at the Institute for Government
Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.

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Is the UK (and Keir Starmer) under attack? Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

"We are underprepared. We are underinsured. We are under attack. We are not safe." George Robertson, former defence secretary and co-author of the government's strategic defence review, has issued a stark warning about Britain's national security. So how serious is it - and what should Keir Starmer do?

PLUS: From defence to employment. A new IfG paper argues the government should go further and faster on devolving employment support - we talk to its authors about a potentially better route back into work.

Hannah White presents.

With Jill Rutter, Ben Paxton and Martha Ford.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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