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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 2 of 6
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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 -…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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THE ART OF THE BREXIT DEAL
Keir Starmer has signed off on a so-called UK/EU reset. So, what’s in the new deal and what does it mean for the never-ending Brexit drama? The Guardian’s Kiran Stacey joins the podcast team to dig into the detail.…
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Starmer and the strangers
After Keir Starmer made headlines with his warnings of an “island of strangers”, British Future’s Sunder Katwala joins the podcast team to dig into the detail of the government’s new immigration policy. Farewell to…
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The Trump-Starmer trade deal: What’s the beef?
Will white smoke on two trade deals help shift the narrative for Keir Starmer after a tricky week? Peter Foster, the FT’s new world trade editor, joins the podcast team to dig into the details of breakthrough…
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Local elections: Ready for Reform?
Votes have been counted – well, most of them. So what do Thursday’s elections for four regional mayors, more than 1000 councillors and the new MP for Runcorn and Helsby mean for British politics, Keir Starmer and the…
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Are Starmer and Badenoch making plans for Nigel?
As Labour jostles with Reform for polling points and the Conservatives debate the merits of cosying up to Nigel Farage's party, More in Common's Luke Tryl joins the podcast team to take stock of the polls - and what…
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Extra: What is the role of big suppliers in government procurement?
Procurement is central to the operation of modern government but, following a series of high-profile scandals, is often controversial. Much of the criticism has focused on the role of the biggest suppliers, some of…
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Trump’s Tariff Turnaround
As Donald Trump pauses his trade war (well, except in the case of China) the podcast team are joined by economist and author Duncan Weldon to make sense of the president’s wild economic rollercoaster ride – and the…
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Trump Declares War: Tariff Liberation Day
The rules of global trade have been dramatically ripped up by Donald Trump. So what is the US president’s tariff plan actually meant to do? Has a global trade war started? How big a hit will the UK economy take? And…
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Will Trump rip up Reeves’s rebalanced books?
Spring has nearly sprung, but the fiscal forecasts made for a rather gloomy spring statement for Rachel Reeves. Stewart Wood, a Labour peer and former adviser to Gordon Brown, joins the podcast team to assess the state…
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Will Rachel Reeves and Darren Jones’ sums add up?
With Rachel Reeves just days away from setting out her spring statement to parliament, chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones MP drops into the podcast studio to discuss the Treasury’s new plans for watching the…
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Keir Starmer rewires the state: An interview with the prime minister
Minutes after setting out his plans for reforming the civil service, abolishing NHS England, and ending ministerial reliance on quangos, Keir Starmer joined Inside Briefing for an exclusive interview with IfG director…
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Will Ukraine be “Keir Starmer’s Falklands - or his Iraq”?
So much has happened since that explosive – and unsettling – White House press conference bust-up between Donald Trump and Vlodymer Zelensky, but does Keir Starmer have a workable plan for peace? UKICE’s Anand Menon…
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Starmer and Trump: special relationship or odd couple?
Keir Starmer has completed his first visit to the White House – and delivered a letter from King Charles to Donald Trump. So just how special is the special relationship looking this weekend? Defence expert Karin von…
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What is the UK’s place in Trump’s world?
With Donald Trump making a series of headline-making statements on Ukraine and its leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, former national security adviser Peter Ricketts joins the podcast team to make sense of America’s place in…
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In conversation with John Healey MP, Secretary of State for Defence
The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Rt Hon John Healey MP, Secretary of State for Defence, to discuss his priorities for reforming UK defence. With war in Europe, instability in the Middle East and a…
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Starmer’s border crackdown, Trump’s Ukraine sellout
Valentine’s Day is upon us... but there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of love for Keir Starmer and his government right now. So what is the PM going to do about it? Commentator Ian Dunt joins the podcast team to…
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Keir Starmer: Leader or HR Manager?
Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor of the Sunday Times, joins the podcast team to discuss his new book Get In, which is being billed as the definitive account of Labour’s reinvention under Keir Starmer. The prime…
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