Negotiating Government: Public Sector Strategy for Business Leaders
Negotiating Government is a podcast about how businesses and advisers can negotiate with the UK public sector and influence government decisions. It is hosted by former Cabinet Ministers, Treasury officials and senior public sector negotiators who explain how Whitehall really works. Episodes cover the UK Budget process, Spending Review priorities, fiscal rules and the role of the Office for Budget Responsibility. The show also examines public sector negotiation strategy, government contracts, industrial action, trade deals and regulatory reform. It is aimed at business leaders and organisations engaging with government.
Episodes
Why UK Infrastructure Costs So Much: What Government and Business Need to Change
Why does UK infrastructure cost so much — and why do major projects so often face delays, redesigns and spiralling budgets?In this episode of Negotiating Government, David Gauke is joined by John Hall, former Treasury and Department of Health official, to examine what sits behind the UK’s infrastructure challenges and what government and the private sector can do differently.They explore the impac
How Geopolitics is Reshaping Government Negotiations
Geopolitics is becoming an increasingly important factor in government negotiations.The relatively predictable global environment of recent decades is giving way to greater uncertainty. Trade relationships are changing, protectionism is increasing, supply chains are vulnerable and governments are reconsidering their reliance on overseas suppliers and traditional allies.In this episode of Negotiati
Winning Government Defence Contracts: What the Defence Investment Plan Really Means
In this episode of Negotiating Government, David Gauke is joined by former Aviation, Maritime & Security Minister Robert Courts to explore what the plan really means for defence suppliers, technology companies and businesses looking to work with government.Rather than treating the document as a shopping list of future contracts, they examine the strategic thinking behind government investment
How Governments Co-ordinate Investor-State Negotiations and Disputes
How Governments Co-ordinate Investor-State Negotiations and DisputesWhat makes the difference between a successful investor-state negotiation and an expensive international dispute?In this episode of Negotiating Government, Negotient founding partner Iain Steel is joined by Katerina Drisi of ProSovereign Global to explore the often-overlooked challenge at the heart of major government investment d
Devolution is a Negotiation: Delivering Successful Regional Government in the North East
The English Devolution Act 2026 has just passed — but how do combined authorities actually negotiate the deals, powers and investment that make devolution work in practice? Phil Witcherley, Director of Economic Growth and Innovation at the North East Combined Authority, joins James Dowling to reveal the strategy behind building regional coalitions, securing integrated settlements and attracting pr
Why You’re Always Negotiating with the Treasury
Former Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke and HM Treasury official John Hall reveal the single most important insight for anyone negotiating with government: you are never just negotiating with a department — you are always negotiating with the Treasury. They explain the three tests every proposal must pass, why the person across the table from you is rarely the real decision-maker, and h
The SAG-AFTRA Strike Explained: AI, Streaming Residuals and Labour Negotiation Strategy
Miranda Worthington and Josh Flax use the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike as a case study in why rational negotiators sometimes choose mutually destructive outcomes — examining the sunk cost fallacy, stop-loss bias and optimism bias that caused a 118-day dispute that cost the industry billions. They explain why maximum leverage exists before a work stoppage begins rather than after, and how the union's
How the UK Budget Affects Business: Pharma, Energy, Oil and Regional Growth Strategy
David Gauke and John Hall dissect the November 2025 Budget from an insider's perspective — concluding it was a fiscal repair Budget rather than a growth Budget, and explaining what that distinction means for businesses engaging with government. They examine the Fingleton Review's implications for regulatory reform across infrastructure sectors, the hidden £20 billion of spending pressure
How the UK Budget Process Works: Inside HM Treasury and the Role of the OBR
Former Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke and HM Treasury official John Hall take listeners inside the Budget — explaining how Treasury and the OBR work through six rounds of iteration, why measures can be dropped three days before Budget day, and how the post-Budget consultation process is the window most industries miss. They also set out how to engage government effectively if your sec
What Is a Strike? UK vs US Industrial Action, Rolling Strikes and Lockouts Explained
Miranda Worthington, former NHS industrial relations director, and Josh Flax, former US federal mediator, compare how strikes work on either side of the Atlantic — covering the legal definitions, the difference between indefinite and rolling strikes, lockouts, workforce replacement and the reputational consequences for employers. Drawing on experience from the NHS strikes and the London tube dispu
Negotiating with Government from the Inside: How Whitehall Decision-Making Really Works
Former Cabinet Minister David Gauke and former Whitehall Director Miranda Worthington explain why negotiating with government is fundamentally different from any other negotiation — and what private sector organisations consistently get wrong. They examine how scale, silos, ministerial turnover and public scrutiny shape every government decision, and what the most effective counterparts do differe
US-UK Trade Deal Explained: How Government Trade Negotiations Really Work
Chris Brown and Josh Flax apply a negotiator's lens to the US-UK trade deal — breaking down Trump's playbook move by move, from the blanket tariff setup to the late-night phone call that reshaped the final terms. They assess Starmer's decision to go first as a strategic play, not just political theatre, and explain what the deal reveals about anchoring, leverage and narrative contro
Spending Review 2025 Explained: Capital Investment, Growth Strategy and Fiscal Credibility
David Gauke and John Hall analyse the June 2025 Spending Review from an insider perspective — examining why defence and net zero were the clear winners, why the NHS faces a capacity crunch despite generous day-to-day funding, and why the Sizewell nuclear investment failed to qualify as an off-balance-sheet financial asset. They also assess whether the Green Book rewrite signals a shift from econom
How the UK Spending Review Works: HM Treasury Strategy Explained
Former Treasury Minister David Gauke and HM Treasury official John Hall explain how the Spring Statement signals what to expect from the June Spending Review — and what it means for organisations negotiating with government. They assess the UK's shrinking fiscal headroom, the shift from revenue to capital spending, and why the Transformation Fund may disappoint. Essential listening for anyone
Recommended
A Good Read
Easy English: Learn English with everyday conversations
SAS: The Shadow War
Esme's Country Life
Miles From Ordinary Podcast
Off The Telly
Murder of a Famous Bastard
Learn UK English By Podcast
My IELTS Classroom Podcast
People Fixing the World
The History Hour
The Healing Childhood Trauma Podcast
