Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government
The first Labour government in 14 years faces a daunting to-do list and complex challenges. Public services are under strain, the civil service is under pressure, and ministers must deliver the government's missions and milestones. This weekly podcast from Britain's leading governmental think tank analyzes the latest events in politics and explains what they mean, with special guests joining director Hannah White for thought-provoking discussions.
Episodes
What’s on Burnham’s Brexit menu?
With Andy Burnham trying to navigate the ever-precarious tightrope that is doing diplomacy with Donald Trump’s White House, Anand Menon joins the podcast team to weigh up the prime minister’s prospects.Burnham is also exploring a new relationship with Europe, but could that really mean reversing Brexit?Plus: Can the government fix the criminal justice system. A new IfG report has given its verdict
Can Zack fight back?
Another by-election, another win for Andy Burnham - with the Greens defeated in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. Deltapoll's Joe Twyman joins the pod team to explore what the PM’s by-election double really tells us about his electoral prospects.
It was another bad day for Green leader Zack Polanski, who was already under pressure after a difficult conference in Brighton.
K
Burnham goes big: What difference does it make?
No lectern. No tie. And quite a few tears. Andy Burnham promised a different kind of speech. But did the prime minister deliver?
After watching Burnham's first Labour conference speech as party leader and prime minister, Hannah White is joined in the IfG's pop-up studio in Liverpool by the IfG's Alex Thomas, IfG senior fellow (and former executive director of policy to Keir Starmer) Claire Ainsle
Mersey Mersey Me: Will Burnham pass his Labour conference test?
From meeting Donald Trump in New York to heading to his first Labour conference as prime minister, it's quite some week for Andy Burnham - so what does he need to do to make a success of Labour's Liverpool gathering? LabourList editor Emma Burnell joins the podcast team to review Burnham's Trump test and preview his conference challenge.
Plus: We take a closer look at an issue that saw Keir
The 72 million pound questions
With Westminster been rocked by the news of a record-breaking – and maybe game-changing – £72 million donation to Reform UK, new Lib Dem peer Tim Leunig joins the podcast team to assess how the government might respond, and what comes next for party political donations.
Next up on the conference circuit are the Liberal Democrats. So how much pressure is leader Sir Ed Davey under as his party gat
Is Ed Miliband rethinking UK foreign policy?
Foreign secretary Ed Miliband has announced UK sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. So what does this change of position say about UK foreign policy under Andy Burnham - and what are the possible consequences for UK domestic policy? The i's Kitty Donaldson joins the podcast team to assess the PM's big move.
On the domestic front it was chancellor John Healey’s turn to make
Burnham down the House - the new PM's Parliamentary debut
The summer recess is over. Parliament is up and running. And the new prime minister gave a mammoth statement in the Commons. There were no new policy announcements, but there was a promise to do things differently. Henry Hill joins the podcast team to make sense of Andy Burnham's first day back in Parliament.Kemi Badenoch has been busy too, with the Conservative leader reshuffling her top team and
Totally Rewired - Can Burnham really do government differently?
Andy Burnham has clocked up a month mark in Number 10. As the long recess draws to a close and Parliament prepares to return, the Guardian's Kiran Stacey joining the podcast to look back on a summer of speeches, policy announcements, guitar-playing and a lot of social media game.
How has Burnham handled the familiar problem of prison capacity and the headache of early release schemes? Do
Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 3: Adjusting to the role
Every new prime minister arrives in No.10 with a view about what brought down their predecessor as well as a ringside seat to the downfall. So after convincing their colleagues why a change of PM is necessary, what happens when the new PM's belief in his or her skills and talents meet the reality of the biggest job in British politics?
How easy it is to learn on the job? What is the right balance
Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 2: The Transition
Becoming prime minister is a job like no other. The arrival of Andy Burnham is the latest in the UK’s recent history of prime ministers coming to the job mid-way through a parliament. Mid-term prime ministers often take over after crisis, political upheaval or the sheer weight of the job have put paid to their predecessor. And mid-term prime ministers come to the job through very different means –
Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 1: Preparing for change
Our first episode explores the recent history of mid-term changes of prime minister from John Major to Rishi Sunak. Speaking to senior officials and advisers involved, we go behind the scenes of the preparation and leadership contests, the context in which they took over, and find out what kind of experience makes a difference when inheriting the top job in UK politics.
Featuring Gus O’Donnell, M
Andy Burnham: How is the new prime minister changing the direction of government?
One week on from becoming prime minister, Andy Burnham has now appointed his cabinet, reshuffled ministers, launched a series of machinery of government changes, and set out a range of immediate policy decisions.
So what have these early choices revealed about the way Burnham wants to govern? How will his restructured No10 make a difference to the way Burnham leads? What does his reshuffled cabin
He wants to be adored – Burnham’s people-pleasing policy debut
Andy Burnham finally takes over No.10 with promises to focus on the cost of living and to make politics better. Can he succeed? Is he the ruthless leader portended by his clearout of Starmerites, or someone more conciliatory? And how will unexpected new Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and surprise Chancellor John Healey work out alongside Shabana Mahmood, who’s staying at the Hom
Full Time for Starmer: Can Burnham Find a Way to Win?
Keir Starmer has bowed out of his final PMQs. Andy Burnham is about to become Britain's next prime minister. But after two turbulent years in Downing Street, what went wrong for Starmer? Can Burnham avoid the same mistakes? And will a change of leader be enough to turn Labour's fortunes around?
Keir Starmer's former director of communications, Steph Driver, joins the podcast to reflect on the out
Burnham, Binface and Starmer's final flight
Reform UK may have dominated the headlines this week, but Westminster's attention is already turning to a far bigger political moment: the arrival of Britain's next prime minister. Mirror political editor Lizzy Buchan joins the podcast team to explore who Andy Burnham might appoint to his cabinet, the priorities that will define his first weeks in office, and whether he can succeed where Keir Star
Northern Soul: Burnham's Manchester No10 plan
The King of the North says he will remain - for some of the time - in his kingdom, but how will Andy Burnham's vision for a devolution circuit breaker - powered by a new Number 10 in Manchester - really work? Former de facto deputy prime minister David Lidington joins the podcast to discuss the would-be PM's big speech.
How would No.10 North work alongside the original? Who calls the shots? Who i
Brexit at 10: A decade of drama, deals and disruption
A decade after the UK voted to leave the EU, the IfG's Jill Rutter and UKICE's Anand Menon are joined by the BBC's Adam Fleming - the former Brussels correspondent and Brexitcast presenter who followed every twist and turn of the UK's EU drama - to share their front row experiences of some of the most significant events in recent British and European political history.
From the night of the refe
What does Andy Burnham really stand for?
Keir Starmer has resigned. Andy Burnham is preparing for power. But what will a mid-parliament change of prime minister mean for the government?
How should an incoming prime minister prepare for the biggest job in government? What can an outgoing leader do to ensure a smooth transition? And after seven prime ministers in a decade, could another change at the top finally bring greater stability to
Burnham v Starmer: The King of the North heads South
As Andy Burnham returns to Parliament after winning the Makerfield by election, the Guardian's Rafael Behr joins the podcast team to discuss a huge week for British politics.
How should the prime minister - who insists he would compete in any leadership contest - respond? What does this period of volatility mean for how government works? And what would a prime minister Andy Burnham mean for the w
The way you Makerfield
There is just a week to go until the people of Makerfield vote in what could turn out to be the most important by election in decades. More in Common's Luke Tryl joins the podcast from Makerfield to discuss the mood on the ground – and how this peculiar by-election, with both local and national consequences, is shaping how voters are thinking.
Burnham is, presumably, both campaigning to win the
Protests, politics and the killing of Henry Nowak
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 sh
The Blair Necessities
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
May 2026 elections: what are the implications for local government reorganisation?
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, Esse
Burnham Issues
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 mayor
Starmer, Streeting and the fight for No10
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, lear
Elections 2026: Fragmentation nation
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
Is Keir Starmer in the last chance saloon?
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 th
Starmer vs Robbins: Why the Mandelson row keeps getting worse
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
The Peter Mandelson scandal: What are the lessons for Keir Starmer's government?
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
Is the UK (and Keir Starmer) under attack?
"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 f
Who will pay the prices of war?
Oil is in short supply as the Middle East conflict continues. Donald Trump has told the UK to “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.” Economist Duncan Weldon joins the pod team to discuss what the government can actually do to respond to rising energy prices.
The message to consumers so far is keep calm and carry on as usual. But will this messaging hold - and, if not
Money talks: Influence and interference
What should the government do about overseas election funding and cryptocurrency donations? Philip Rycroft, who ran the newly-published Rycroft Review into foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics, joins the podcast team to explain the problem and how it could be fixed.
From election funding to funding public services. Labour came into power with a promise to reform the way pub
Can Rachel Reeves protect both households and the public finances from the energy price shock?
As war in the Middle East disrupts energy markets across the world, what are the implications for households and businesses in the UK and how should government respond to the price shock?
This IfG webinar explored Rachel Reeves’s options for supporting consumers – and what the ongoing conflict could mean for energy policy, the transition to net zero and for the public finances.
What are the im
Can the UK weather the Middle East storm?
How prepared is the government - and how healthy is the economy - for dealing with another energy bill crisis? The podcast team review the prime minister's response and assess the UK's resilience.
The chancellor has delivered a big speech promising more financial devolution to English mayors and closer practical alignment with the EU, but do Rachel Reeves's plans add up?
Plus: Should we fire all
Keir Starmer and the cost of security
The conflict in the Middle East has already seen Keir Starmer fall out with Donald Trump - but will the economic fallout of war cause even bigger problems for the government?
Former government adviser Tim Leunig joins the podcast to discuss what the prime minister and Rachel Reeves could do to ease a growing cost of living crisis.
In a big week for the government, the controversial courts and t
International Women's Day special: The inside story of life as an MP
What it is really like to be an MP in 2026? How unusual is the life of a politician? How does power work in parliament? And how can MPs try to have an impact from government or the opposition benches?
For this special International Women's Day episode of Inside Briefing, three MPs – Conservative Karen Bradley, Labour's Beccy Cooper, and Ellie Chowns of the Green Party – head to the IfG podcast st
Trump vs Iran: Is the UK ready for war?
The Middle East is at war - but how does the conflict end and what role will the UK play? Sir Alex Younger, the former head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) joins the podcast team to discuss what the US strikes on Iran mean for the region, for the UK and for global security.
Keir Starmer has said the UK will “not join regime change from the skies”, but huge questions remain over the exten
Will Rachel Reeves spring a forecast surprise?
Fire up the forecasts. Read up on the rules. Study the spending plans. And get ready for Rachel Reeves' big day in Parliament. Rupert Harrison, former chief of staff to George Osborne, joins the Inside Briefing team to preview the chancellor's spring forecast. It’s not a budget. It’s not a fiscal event. So it doesn’t get a primetime post-PMQs slot in the Commons timetable. So what exactly is it fo
All roads lead to Romeo
Antonia Romeo has been appointed as the new Cabinet Secretary and is the first woman to hold the post. So what can she do to turn the civil service, and perhaps the government, around?
Keir Starmer's administration is still reeling from resignations, apologies, suspensions and the latest Peter Mandelson scandal. With questions around ethics and standards back in the news, and both Mandelson and A
Resets and resignations: Starmer's worst week yet
Former Downing Street chief of staff Gavin Barwell joins the podcast to discuss another explosive week at the heart of government.
On Sunday afternoon the prime minister’s chief of staff and closest adviser, Morgan McSweeney, handed in his resignation, followed on Monday by Tim Allan, Downing Street’s director of communication – for just five months. The cabinet secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, too
Keir Starmer's Mandelson Scandal
The revelations about what contact Peter Mandelson had with Jeffrey Epstein, what the government knew, and what it did or is now doing about it is the story that is dominating Westminster.
The FT’s Jim Pickard joins the podcast team to look back at an explosive week in UK politics, and the serious questions being asked about Starmer’s judgement, the vetting process, and the ability to eject unfit
Growth strategy pains, trains and regional deals
Of all its manifesto pledges, missions and milestones, Labour has been most keen to tell the public that it is ‘going for growth’. But does the government have a robust and well thought-through plan to deliver that growth? Or is it, like so many before it, struggling to really take the ‘tough decisions’ required to drag UK GDP growth rates up to meet – and indeed surpass – those of our fellow G7 n
Starmer’s Trump diplomacy and Darren Jones’s fast fixes
In a week when Donald Trump has been escalating his threats to NATO member states over Greenland, Darren Jones was on the home front ensuring that the government’s desire to transform government was also continuing. So what is the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister planning? Is it enough to meet the challenges he has identified, and what will they need to do to actually see change? We get stuck
Wes Streeting’s government health-check
Drop the excuses culture. Stop complaining about civil servants. And just get it right the first time rather than repeatedly u-turning. Wes Streeting didn’t hold back at the IfG conference this week - so what does the health secretary’s verdict on the government say about Keir Starmer and the challenges he and his ministers face in 2026?
Wes Streeting, Mel Stride, Darren Jones, Louise Casey, An
Donald Trumps Starmer’s New Year Plans
With US military strikes on Venezuela dominating headlines, Lawrence Freedman joins the podcast team to ask what Donald Trump's foreign plans mean for the UK - and assess whether Keir Starmer’s Trump strategy will hold in 2026.
The prime minister found his January announcements knocked off the front pages - but was anyone really listening? We explore the government challenges facing Starmer and h
2025 in Review: Starmer's Year of Drama
A year is a long time in the podcasting world, especially for podcasts keeping a close eye on the highs, lows, trials and tribulations of government. Because it has been quite some year for Keir Starmer and his team - and for British politics more generally.
We’ve had reshuffles, resignations and resets. The rise of Reform. The breakthrough of the Greens. Promised policy blitzes. A planned rewir
The Trump challenge: Chaos, confusion and government communications
According to the Washington Post, Donald Trump made 30,573 false or misleading claims during his first term as US president – and Trump 2.0 has also shown little regard for facts or evidence. Unexpected presidential announcements are made on social media or in press conferences, and Trump’s positions can appear to change overnight. Leaders of other countries, including Keir Starmer, find their own
Four mayors delayed, three ministers reflect, and a House of Lords battle renewed
The government announced that elections for new mayors in four regions will now be delayed. Voters in Greater Essex, Sussex and Brighton, Hampshire and the Solent, and Norfolk and Suffolk will be waiting until 2028 instead. Why has the government done this? Is this part of a clever strategy or a desperate last-minute fumble?
Meanwhile, the government is installing yet more peers into the House o
Should the U.K. do budgets differently?
The chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility has gone, the Chancellor is being accused of misleading the public. So how did that budget go?
Richard Hughes has taken responsibility for the accidental leak of the budget and resigned. What does this mean for the OBR’s future and political trust in it?
Meanwhile, the Chancellor has been accused of misleading the public over the state of publ
Autumn budget 2025: What is Rachel Reeves’ plan for the economy?
Just hours after Rachel Reeves sets out the budget to parliament, this webinar brought together a team of Institute for Government (IfG) experts to share their instant and essential analysis of the chancellor’s plans.
Who are the winners and losers of Reeves’s tax and spending announcements? How will her measures affect economic growth? Has the chancellor finally set a coherent tax strategy? A
In conversation with John Swinney MSP, First Minister of Scotland
Scotland is just six months away from May’s crucial parliamentary election, with First Minister John Swinney preparing to lead the SNP into one of the most unpredictable campaigns since the party entered government almost 19 years ago.
On 19 November, the Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Scotland’s First Minister to discuss his priorities ahead of the 2026 Scottish parliament e
John Swinney’s goals for Scotland
The First Minister for Scotland joined the Inside Briefing team to discuss football, the political context in Scotland ahead of the UK budget, and the SNP’s vision for Scotland’s future.
Meanwhile, the Home Secretary announced significant reforms to the UK’s asylum and migration system. We discussed how the plans landed, what might happen next and what challenges lie ahead.
And this week saw
Keir Starmer’s government: Traitors or Faithfuls?
Ambitious Labour politicians might or might not be eyeing up the top job. No. 10 isn’t working well. The Prime Minister is on the defensive. Here we go again.
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is in the headlines - accused of plotting a leadership challenge against the prime minister. Streeting has dismissed the attacks as “self-defeating nonsense” and has urged Keir Starmer to sack whoever
Rachel Reeves and the art of pitch rolling the Budget
Taxes set to rise? Spending set to be cut? Promises to be kept – or maybe broken? Whatever chancellors choose to reveal on budget day, it’s normally a good idea to let people know what they can expect…
So has Rachel Reeves done a good job of rolling the pitch? How did former chancellors go about warming up their party, voters, the media and business? And what can they do to make sure the right
Home Office truths with Shabana Mahmood
The Home Office is not fit for purpose. At least that’s the verdict of the home secretary. So what’s the problem and how can it be fixed? Former home office special adviser Hannah Guerin joins the podcast team for a deep dive into the woes of one of Whitehall’s most challenging departments.
Reform UK’s Danny Kruger has been setting out his plans for government reform. Outlandish or workable? W
The Prisons Crisis Strikes Back
Prisons nearly bursting. Court cases backlogged. Prisoners released early. It couldn’t happen again, could it? Former BBC journalist and Labour adviser Danny Shaw joins the podcast team to discuss a brand new IfG report into the state of the criminal justice system.
In another difficult week for the government, the inquiry into grooming gangs has run into problems after at least four members of t
Tinker, Tailor, Starmer, Spies
With the prime ministers facing awkward questions over the collapse of the Chinese spy case, the Guardian’s Gaby Hinsliff joins the podcast team to explore the row and what it says about the UK’s relations with Beijing.
Local authorities provide services that everybody relies on, but the findings of a new IfG report into the state of local government finances and services makes for some eye-water
Lessons in Kemistry
Lagging well behind Reform in the polls and bruised by a series of defections, the Conservative Party was in low spirits as it gathered for its party conference.
So did party leader Kemi Badenoch answer her critics with that big stamp duty announcement? Will new Conservative policies win back voters? Do Mel Stride's spending pledges add up? And does any of this really make any difference at all?
Gloves off: Starmer v Reform
The gloves are off. And it's a fight for the soul of our country. So says Keir Starmer. So how is he planning to win it? Sophie Stowers of More in Common joins the IfG podcast team for instant reaction to the Prime Minister's speech in Liverpool - which features praise for the swagger of Oasis - and expert analysis of the Labour Party conference.
So what does Starmer's speech say about his Nigel
Starmer’s Liverpool Drama
Labour is heading back to Liverpool for its annual conference, so what does Keir Starmer need to do to lift the party’s spirits and get some momentum behind his government? Former Number 10 adviser Tom Webb joins the podcast team to preview a massive couple of days for the prime minister and his team.
The November budget will loom large over Liverpool – so how might the chancellor approach the
Trump’s State Visit: The Sequel
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
The Mandelson misjudgement
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
Stand and deliver?
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 ne
What really happens at the party conferences…
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 exodu
Getting It Right When Things Go Wrong: Ministerial Leadership During Crises
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 secretarie
The secrets of being a government minister
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 f
Government in summer: who feels the heat?
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 Kat
The reshuffle revelations
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 alongs
STARMER LAYS DOWN THE RULES
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 ne
The scandal and the superinjunction
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
Starmer and Macron: Le Spécial Relationship?
The Prime Minister has racked up the visits, tours and summits over the last year, but this week he turned host and invited President Macron for a state visit. Former Europe minister David Lidington joins the podcast team to assess the state of UK-French relations.
This week has brought us a major new review of criminal courts – with some big recommendations to easing the court case backlog in
Ending in tears: Labour’s first year in government
It is one year since the general election brought Labour back to government and since Keir Starmer walked into Number 10.
Instead of a smooth anniversary, the government has been forced to confront a major parliamentary rebellion and roll back on a flagship spending policy.
So how has Labour’s first year in power really worked out for Keir Starmer? What lessons can they learn for the challen
Starmer vs the Labour rebels
The government’s controversial plans to cut the welfare budget have caused serious disquiet on the Labour benches. Luke Sullivan, former political director to Keir Starmer, joins the IfG podcast to explore how serious a problem this is for Keir Starmer - and how the government got itself into this situation.It isn’t just Labour MPs that are giving No10 a headache. Apparently civil servants are too
What do the Nolan Principles mean today?
To conclude the IfG’s conference on the Nolan Principles, our panel will discuss the impact of the Nolan Principles in public life today. How have they changed the standards landscape in the UK? What do the public think about standards in public life? How useful are standards and principles to leaders in government? And how can a strong standards system support a government’s wider objectives?
Iran-Israel conflict: Will Trump (and Starmer) go to war?
With conflict in the Middle East is dominating the headlines, the New Statesman’s Rachel Cunliffe joins the podcast team to explore Keir Starmer’s attempts to influence Donald Trump and ask whether the UK has a role to play beyond that of a concerned bystander.
There is plenty of domestic politics around too, with the prime minister announcing an inquiry into grooming gangs - having said, only
The morning after the Spending Review before
It’s the morning after one of (perhaps the) most significant days in this government’s lifetime to date. Gideon Skinner of IPSOS joins the podcast team to weigh up what Rachel Reeves’ Spending Review told us about the government’s priorities – and how it has landed with the electorate.
Which departments will be happy and which will be feeling hard done by? What does it mean for public service per
What choices did the government make in the 2025 spending review?
Join IfG experts for instant analysis of the 2025 spending review – a critical moment for Keir Starmer’s government.
Were the spending allocations sufficient to improve public services, deliver growth and make progress on the government’s other missions? Which departments will be pleased – and which lost out? And did this multi-year spending review reveal a coherent strategy for the government
In conversation with Jeremy Hunt MP: Britain's place in the world
Britain has been through a difficult period since the global financial crisis, leading many to conclude the country is doomed to inevitable decline. But Jeremy Hunt, who was at the top of government as both Foreign Secretary and Chancellor, disagrees. In his new book, Can We Be Great Again?, he sets out to rebut those who think Britain is no longer capable of shaping the world we live in.
With
Keir Starmer gets ready for war
The newly-published Strategic Defence Review sets out how the UK can fight and win a full-scale war. So what is it recommending and just how dangerous is the world right now? Tom Newton Dunn, presenter of The General and the Journalist podcast, joins the podcast team to make sense of an ever-shifting – and alarming – defence landscape.
Plus: Spending Review countdown. This Wednesday will see R
How will Starmer rate his ministers
It is one year since the 2024 general election campaign kicked off and already reshuffle rumours are doing the rounds. Adam Payne, Editor of PoliticsHome, joins us to discuss whether a reshuffle is a good way to inject energy into a not-so-new government or risks knocking it off course.
The spending review is looming, and in time-honoured tradition the final negotiations are playing out in the
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Pride and Prejudice (version 6, dramatic reading)
