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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:

Groundhog Deal Dec 11, 2020

Show notes

As EU trade talks go down to the wire of Transition’s end on Dec 31, was Boris Johnson and Ursula van der Leyen’s dinner a deux really the failed last chance to avoid No Deal? Does the EU Parliament have enough time to pass a new trade arrangements anyway? Does everything really depend on what Boris Johnson himself wants? And what happens if you want to take a ferret into the EU in 2021? Special guest Tom McTague, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins the IfG Brexit Team over an Eleventh Hour meal deal.

“On Europe, you could argue that Johnson is the most powerful Prime Minister we’ve seen since Thatcher.” – Tom McTague
“We voted to take back control. The big question for next year is, what are we taking back control of?” – Maddy Thimont-Jack
“Labour has to strike a balance between saying ‘I told you so’ and not looking like they want Britain to fail.” – Tom McTague
“This is a defining moment for the EU too. They’ve shown almost national solidarity towards Ireland and French fishermen.” – Tom McTague

Presented by Hannah White with Maddy Thimont-Jack, Joe Marshall, Jess Sergeant and Joe Marshall. Audio production by Alex Rees

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Roll Out To Help Out Dec 04, 2020

Show notes

The world’s first green light for a COVID vaccine is a clear boost of the Government. But how can they ensure the right people take it without falling back on strong-arm tactics? Also, who’s rebelling against the Government’s COVID restrictions and why? Special guest Iain Dale – Conservative columnist and LBC presenter – explains how his new book The Prime Ministers names Britain’s good, bad and ugly Premiers. Will the end of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act open a Pandora’s Box of constitutional wrangling? And Brexit. It’s still not sorted.

“If there isn’t a Deal with the EU, it will be the biggest failure of statecraft in modern times.” – Iain Dale
“When a government is upsetting its mainstream, moderate MPs it’s in trouble.” – Iain Dale
“If the Government gets the vaccine rollout right, that’s a genuine reset. If they get it wrong, that’s a disaster.” – Alex Thomas
“The worst kind of Prime Minister is an indecisive one.” – Iain Dale
“It seems ridiculous that a Prime Minister can choose an election at a time they think they’re going to win… Except often, they choose the time and still lose.” – Iain Dale

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas and Maddy Thimont-Jack. Audio production by Alex Rees

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INSIDE BRIEFING EXTRA: When Brexit and Covid collide Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

In January, the government will be doing battle on two fronts: dealing with a likely disruptive end to the Brexit transition period as the UK faces a new trading relationship with the EU while the covid crisis is still raging. Even if the UK government is able to deploy and manage its resources effectively, local authorities and businesses may still be overwhelmed.

In this podcast, we will consider how the government should prepare for a difficult January including what the government can learn from its initial pandemic response and previous iterations of no-deal planning.

Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government is in conversation with Dame Clare Moriarty, former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Professor Jonathan Portes, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Kings College London, Tom Riordan, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Audio production by Candice McKenzie

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Do They Know It’s Rishmas Time? Nov 27, 2020

Show notes

With eyewatering sums spent on the COVID crisis and Britain facing the lowest growth since the 1700s, will Rishi Sunak’s spending review do enough to keep the public finances from meltdown? Will the public sector pay freeze really make a difference? And are the health risks of saving Christmas worth the potential political gain?

“This is a good year to have bad figures… If there was ever a year to do a lot of borrowing, it’s this year.” – Giles Wilkes
“It’s strange when Sunak has spent billions this year and we’re debating whether he’s a generous or a tough chancellor.” – Tom Pope
“Sunak seems to have got the politics right. Whether it’s the right thing for the country remains to be seen.” – Giles Wilkes

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Gemma Tetlow, Tom Pope and Giles Wilkes. Audio production by Alex Rees

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No Such Thing As A Free Relaunch Nov 20, 2020

Show notes

Can Boris Johnson make his reset stick? Will changing his advisors change his problems? Is No.10 getting nervous as the Brexit endgame looms? And what does the departure of Dominic Cummings mean for the use of digital data to revolutionise government? John McTernan, political strategist and former Director of Political Operations to Prime Minister Tony Blair, joins us to hack through the thickets of government.

“This is Theresa May all over again. It wasn’t the advisors that were the problem. The Prime Minister is the problem.” – John McTernan
“If you can’t reset your character, you can’t reset your government.” – John McTernan
“Gordon Brown was right. The UK may not be breaking up but governance is definitely breaking down.” – John McTernan

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas, Jill Rutter and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Alex Rees

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A Hard Cain’s Gonna Fall Nov 12, 2020

Show notes

What does the defenestration of Lee Cain from No.10 mean for the Vote Leave faction that got Johnson into power? Who are the Conservatives’ restive ‘Covid Recovery Group’ and what do they want? As the end of Brexit transition looms, does the PM have to choose between the economic damage of No Deal and the political damage of caving to the EU? And will government ever get out of London? This week’s special guest is Peter Foster, public policy editor at the FT.

“People should be really clear: we’re going back to 1992. The big political calculation is, does Johnson want to own this deal?” – Peter Foster
“Seeing through the fog, this is all about the Prime Minister’s authority… and he’s failed to make clear what his decision is.” – Peter Foster
“If No Deal happens it’s a lot easier to blame disruption on the EU.” - Maddy Thimont Jack
“If we’re heading towards No Deal, the Government will put extraordinary pressure on the Lords to let the clauses through” – Alex Thomas
“Westminster still treats the regions like distant colonies” – Peter Foster

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas, Maddy Thimont-Jack and Sarah Nickson. Audio production by Alex Rees

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BIDEN HIS TIME: Inside Briefing Extra Nov 09, 2020

Show notes

After an incredible week, and even with votes still being counted, we now know that Joe Biden has won the US presidential election. But Donald Trump is refusing to concede that he last lost, and is instead mounting a series of legal challenges. So what happens now? How does a smooth transition of power work in this scenario? What will Donald Trump do next – and what next for Trumpism? How will Joe Biden lead – and reset – the US? What does his election mean for the special relationship? And how will President Biden work with Boris Johnson?

In this special edition of the Institute for Government podcast, Bronwen Maddox is joined by Henry Zeffman, Washington correspondent for the Times, the New York Times’ London bureau chief Mark Landler, and IfG senior researcher Alice Lilly. Audio production by Candice McKenzie.

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Advice to government in the coronavirus crisis Nov 06, 2020

Show notes

This is an audio recording of an IfG Live Event

The announcement of a second England lockdown came following repeated warnings from the UK government’s scientific advisers about the spread of coronavirus. Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, scientific advice to the government has been highly visible, with Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, repeatedly sharing a platform with Boris Johnson. Members of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) continue to feature prominently across broadcast outlets and in coverage of the government’s handling of the crisis.

Other forms of advice, including economic advice from the Treasury, have been far less transparent, often creating the impression that SAGE is the government’s main and most influential advisory body. And yet economic arguments have also featured prominently in the debate about whether and when to lockdown again.

How should science advice be combined with other kinds of evidence and presented to ministers? Does there need to be more transparency about the type of advice government is receiving and how it is using it? Does the prominence of SAGE undermine public understanding of other forms of evidence?

To discuss these questions, the IfG was delighted to welcome:

Professor John Edmunds, Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and participant in SAGE
Professor Susan Michie, Professor of Health Psychology at UCL and participant in SAGE and Independent SAGE
Lord Macpherson of Earl’s Court, former Treasury Permanent Secretary (2005–16)
Nancy Hey, Executive Director of What Works Wellbeing

This event was chaired by Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.

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Fate Of The Union Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

As counting continues in the US election, and with both candidates claiming they’ve won, we take a look at the contest so far, and what the result will mean for America, Britain and the world. Meanwhile back in the UK, MPs have voted for a second national lockdown, but with Boris Johnson facing opposition from all sides, what can he do to ease the pressure on himself and the Government? YASMEEN SERHAN, staff writer at The Atlantic, is our special guest.

“Those wanting a repudiation of the last four years found it hasn’t happened” - Yasmeen Serhan
“I can imagine a world where there is a Biden presidency narrated by Trump’s tweets” - Yasmeen Serhan
“Trump has been laying the groundwork for his claim that this would be a dodgy election for some time” - Jill Rutter
“For a new President coming in, sitting on the sidelines for 10 weeks is going to be very difficult” - Cath Haddon
“The Government isn’t explaining where the risky transmission centres are” - Jill Rutter

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Jill Rutter and Georgina Wright. Audio production by Alex Rees.

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Is Britain’s Circuit Breaking? Oct 30, 2020

Show notes

There’s no escaping COVID19, and with calls for a ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown growing by the day, how is the Government coping as the pressure mounts? And with Number 10 sidelining the devolved administrations, Jess Sargeant joins to discuss the impact of the Britain’s varied coronavirus response. Plus, with the US Presidential election less than a week away, what will the result mean for the UK?

“Boris Johnson hasn’t found a way to navigate between the scientists and his backbenchers” - Mark Landler
“Whether or not the Government acts now affects if people can see their families at Christmas” - Cath Haddon
“Angela Merkel has political capital to spend on a lockdown that Boris Johnson does not” - Alex Thomas
“Closing borders is not a sustainable solution, practically or politically” - Jess Sargeant
“Biden would not view a UK-US trade deal as a priority” - Mark Landler

Presented by Hannah White with Cath Haddon, Alex Thomas, Jess Sargeant and Mark Landler. Audio production by Alex Rees.

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