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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:

Trump’s State Visit: The Sequel Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

The US president is in town. And the timing could probably hardly be worse for a prime minister still reeling from his sacking of Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US. Michael Martins, a former senior official at the US embassy, joins the podcast team to preview the visit – and what Keir Starmer can actually hope to achieve from Donald Trump’s visit.

Plus: Arriving on a Jet Ski? Ed Davey, Nick Clegg and our Liberal Democrat conference preview.

Presented by Hannah White.

With Catherine Haddon and Alex Thomas.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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The Mandelson misjudgement Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

Peter Mandelson has been sacked as the UK’s ambassador the US. But what does his downfall say about Keir Starmer’s judgment in making appointments? The Observer’s Cat Neilan joins the podcast team to weigh up the dramatic end of Mandelson’s time in Washington.

Keir Starmer has a new team in place, with ministers hastily moved around following Angela Rayner’s dramatic departure from the cabinet – so what do all the recent personnel changes mean for where his government goes next?

Plus: Has Starmer done enough to strengthen rules around ethics? And what future headaches are looming?

Presented by Hannah White.

With Jill Rutter and Philip Nye.

Produced by Podmasters.

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Stand and deliver? Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

Phase one is complete. Phase two begins. And it’s all about delivery. But just how hard is it for governments to do the delivery bit of governing? The IfG podcast team give their expert view.

Civil servants are key to making a success of the government’s policies and priorities - perhaps none more so than the high flying fast stream. But who are they - and is this cohort doing a good job? A new IfG report reveals all.

Plus: Reform Party conference preview – we speak to former Reform head of press Gawain Towler.

Catherine Haddon presents.

With Hannah Keenan, Rebecca McKee and Teodor Grama

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What really happens at the party conferences… Aug 28, 2025

Show notes

The party conference countdown has begun, and the Westminster Village is set to decamp to Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bournemouth and beyond.

But what this the point of the party conference jamboree? What is it really like to spend four days locked inside a windowless conference centre and take yp residence at t a hotel bar? How do civil servants manage this temporary Westminster exodus? And does it really make any difference at all?

Join the IfG on another trip to the Inside Briefing vault, as we dig out a fascinating episode that we recorded in 2022 with political journalist and party conference veteran Michael Crick, journalist and author Marie Le Conte, former special adviser Peter Cardwell, and the IfG’s very own Jill Rutter.

Presented by Alex Thomas and Hannah White.

Produced by Candice McKenzie

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Getting It Right When Things Go Wrong: Ministerial Leadership During Crises Aug 20, 2025

Show notes

All governments face crises, from floods and diseases to riots and terrorist attacks.

So how can ministers lead during these unexpected events? How can they ensure that everyone in the system – from the first responders to the prime minister – is doing what is needed to respond to the crisis? And what are the best ways to keep the public informed?

With guests including former home secretaries Amber Rudd and Jack Straw, this special Inside Briefing episode dives into the roles ministers play during crises, and looks at how they can prepare for the unexpected.

Read our related report: Ministerial leadership during crises

Presented by Tim Durrant.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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The secrets of being a government minister Aug 14, 2025

Show notes

Being a minister is a job like no other. No briefing, no training and, sometimes, no warning – from day one a new minister could find themselves making high-stakes decisions with huge consequences for the country.

So getting some advice from people that have been a minister can be useful – and the IfG’s Ministers Reflect series is the place to start.

Over the past 10 years, the Institute for Government has interviewed more than 170 former ministers from the UK and devolved governments about their time in office

To mark the 10th anniversary of Ministers Reflect, this special edition of Inside Briefing, featuring guests including Jeremy Hunt, Una O’Brien and Marie Le Conte, takes a look at what former ministers have told us in the last decade. Essential listening for anyone wanting to understanding what it is like to be a minister – and especially for anyone who might want to become one.

Presented by Sachin Savur and Paddy McAlary

Produced by Candice McKenzie

Additional recordings by Milo Hynes

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Government in summer: who feels the heat? Aug 07, 2025

Show notes

What is it really like to govern in summer? Who is in charge when ministers leave Westminster? And what happens when, as it so often does, the summer isn’t all that quiet?

The Inside Briefing podcast team have headed into the vaults to dig out a special episode from 2021 featuring Sky’s Sam Coates, former (and future) minister Jacqui Smith, journalist Steve Richards and former No10 adviser Kate Fall.

So join us we return to a time when Boris Johnson was prime minister, Keir Starmer was barely a year into his tenure as leader of the opposition, and Nigel Farage was a few months into his recently announced retirement from politics and busy making Cameo messages.

Presented by Hannah White and Alex Thomas.

Original podcast recording by PodmastersUpdated edits by Candice McKenzie

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The reshuffle revelations Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

Kemi Badenoch has completed one. Keir Starmer is rumoured to be lining one up. Yes reshuffles, or rumours of ministerial reshuffles, are never far away in Westminster.

So what should ministers fear? What should the prime minister avoid? When do reshuffles go right? And why do they sometimes go wrong?

With special guests Cleo Watson and Helen Macnamara, who have had front row seats alongside prime ministers for countless reshuffles, this special Inside Briefing episode takes you behind the No10 front door to reveal the inside story of one of Westminster’s favourite – and most feared – events.

Presented by Cath Haddon. With Tim Durrant.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

Cleo Watson is a former special adviser to Boris Johnson.

Helen MacNamara was Director General of Propriety and Ethics and then Deputy Cabinet Secretary .

Tim Durrant leads the IfG’s ministers work..

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STARMER LAYS DOWN THE RULES Jul 25, 2025

Show notes

Partygate, revolving doors, freebiegate and cash for questions... stories about misbehaviour in public life are never far away, and this week the government has set out new plans for toughening up the rules. Doug Chalmers, who will chair the new Ethics and Integrity Commission, joins the Inside Briefing team for an exclusive interview.

From setting up new bodies to abolishing existing ones. A new report has been published on the state of the water industry - and it says that Ofwat, the water regulator, needs to be scrapped.

Plus: The reshuffle that wasn’t - and the one that was.

Hannah White presents.

With Tim Durrant and Matthew Gill.

Produced by Candice McKenzie.

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The scandal and the superinjunction Jul 18, 2025

Show notes

The Afghan data leak – and the unprecedented superinjunction which followed – has dominated the week in Westminster. The FT’s Lucy Fisher – whose reporting has led coverage of the story – joins the podcast team to discuss who is to blame and what this episode tells us about how the state reacts when mistakes are made.

The story knocked Rachel Reeves off the front pages, but the chancellor has made a big speech this week. We’ll check in with what she had to say.

Plus: The government has just set out some new reforms on voter ID, electoral fraud and, most eye-catching of all, on lowering the voting age. The Inside Briefing team give their instant reaction.

Catherine Haddon presents.

With Gemma Tetlow and Alex Thomas.

Produced by Candice McKenzie.

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