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Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

Institute for Government

300 episodes

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.

Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. Budget 2026: Does John Healey mean business?

    · 44 min

    The budget is nearly here. So what is chancellor John Healey going to say at the Despatch Box on Wednesday? The Observer’s Ben Zaranko joins the podcast team to preview the biggest day yet in Andy Burnham’s…

  2. What’s on Burnham’s Brexit menu?

    · 45 min

    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…

  3. Can Zack fight back?

    · 44 min

    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…

  4. Burnham goes big: What difference does it make?

    · 35 min

    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…

  5. Mersey Mersey Me: Will Burnham pass his Labour conference test?

    · 47 min

    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?…

  6. The 72 million pound questions

    · 41 min

    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…

  7. Is Ed Miliband rethinking UK foreign policy?

    · 35 min

    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…

  8. Burnham down the House - the new PM's Parliamentary debut

    · 46 min · S1 E378

    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.…

  9. Totally Rewired - Can Burnham really do government differently?

    · 57 min

    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…

  10. Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 3: Adjusting to the role

    · 37 min

    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…

  11. Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 2: The Transition

    · 41 min

    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…

  12. Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 1: Preparing for change

    · 38 min

    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…

  13. Andy Burnham: How is the new prime minister changing the direction of government?

    · 48 min

    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…

  14. He wants to be adored – Burnham’s people-pleasing policy debut

    · 44 min

    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…

  15. Full Time for Starmer: Can Burnham Find a Way to Win?

    · 49 min

    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…

  16. Burnham, Binface and Starmer's final flight

    · 39 min

    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…

  17. Northern Soul: Burnham's Manchester No10 plan

    · 44 min

    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…

  18. Brexit at 10: A decade of drama, deals and disruption

    · 53 min

    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…

  19. What does Andy Burnham really stand for?

    · 42 min

    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…

  20. Burnham v Starmer: The King of the North heads South

    · 45 min

    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…

  21. The way you Makerfield

    · 32 min

    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…

  22. Protests, politics and the killing of Henry Nowak

    · 42 min

    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…

  23. The Blair Necessities

    · 52 min

    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…

  24. May 2026 elections: what are the implications for local government reorganisation?

    · 51 min

    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…

  25. Burnham Issues

    · 41 min

    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…

  26. Starmer, Streeting and the fight for No10

    · 40 min

    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?…

  27. Elections 2026: Fragmentation nation

    · 1 h 02 min

    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…

  28. Is Keir Starmer in the last chance saloon?

    · 41 min

    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…

  29. Starmer vs Robbins: Why the Mandelson row keeps getting worse

    · 42 min

    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…

  30. The Peter Mandelson scandal: What are the lessons for Keir Starmer's government?

    · 42 min

    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,…

  31. Is the UK (and Keir Starmer) under attack?

    · 41 min

    "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…

  32. Who will pay the prices of war?

    · 49 min

    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…

  33. Money talks: Influence and interference

    · 43 min

    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,…

  34. Can Rachel Reeves protect both households and the public finances from the energy price shock?

    · 1 h 02 min

    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…

  35. Can the UK weather the Middle East storm?

    · 32 min

    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…

  36. Keir Starmer and the cost of security

    · 42 min

    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…

  37. International Women's Day special: The inside story of life as an MP

    · 34 min

    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…

  38. Trump vs Iran: Is the UK ready for war?

    · 41 min

    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…

  39. Will Rachel Reeves spring a forecast surprise?

    · 43 min

    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…

  40. All roads lead to Romeo

    · 40 min

    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…

  41. Resets and resignations: Starmer's worst week yet

    · 40 min

    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…

  42. Keir Starmer's Mandelson Scandal

    · 33 min

    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…

  43. Growth strategy pains, trains and regional deals

    · 41 min

    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…

  44. Starmer’s Trump diplomacy and Darren Jones’s fast fixes

    · 37 min

    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…

  45. Wes Streeting’s government health-check

    · 36 min

    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…

  46. Donald Trumps Starmer’s New Year Plans

    · 37 min

    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…

  47. 2025 in Review: Starmer's Year of Drama

    · 46 min

    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 -…

  48. The Trump challenge: Chaos, confusion and government communications

    · 1 h 01 min

    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…

  49. Four mayors delayed, three ministers reflect, and a House of Lords battle renewed

    · 39 min

    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…

  50. Should the U.K. do budgets differently?

    · 41 min

    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…

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