

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 26, 2023 • 39min
Special: Sunak’s ethics plan
After two years of ethical scandals, the government finally published its plans to clean up standards just before parliament went into recess. We’ll dive into the detail to find out what Sunak will be changing and how the rules around ministers, civil servants and other government employees are upheld – and what isn’t going to change after all.We’ll be joined by Fleur Anderson MP, John Penrose MP and Dr Susan Hawley from Spotlight on Corruption to look at the government’s proposals, how they compare with the various independent reviews into government ethics, find out where the gaps are and ask what else might need to change in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 21, 2023 • 44min
Uxbridge Over Troubled Water?
By-elections are rarely like buses, but this time three have arrived at once. The Conservatives lost Somerset and Frome and Selby, but held on to Boris Johnson’s old seat in Uxbridge… by a hair’s breadth. As parliament prepares to shut up for summer, the podcast team discuss a night that produced plenty of food for thought in government and the opposition - and not forgetting the by-election experts, the Lib Dems. Will Jennings, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Southampton also joins us after a busy night of polling. With Alex Thomas, Giles Wilkes and Cath Haddon. Produced by Podmasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 14, 2023 • 33min
Good chaps and bad apples
Rishi Sunak pledged to lead a government of integrity after the high-profile scandals of the Boris Johnson era, but Angela Rayner says only a Labour government would restore trust in politics. The podcast team, with guest Rachel Wearmouth of the New Statesman, review the Labour deputy leader’s big speech at the IfG – and examine whether she has come up with a workable plan. Plus: Simon says what exactly? What did we learn from a rare public appearance by embattled cabinet secretary Simon Case. What follows first past the post? A new IfG report looks at the knock-on implications of changing the UK’s electoral system. Mastering the Art of the Devolution Deal. How Westminster – and local government – can make a success of giving away power. Catherine Haddon presents. With Alex Thomas, Jack Pannell and Peter Hourston. Produced by Podmasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 7, 2023 • 43min
Searching For Evidence
It's Evidence Week in the House of Commons and on Inside Briefing, we’re interrogating just how effective Parliament actually is at scrutinising and testing policy. We’re joined by Tracey Brown, director of Sense about Science, the independent charity that promotes the public interest in sound science and evidence.We’ll also hear from former Chancellor Sajid Javid, whose big idea for a more effective Parliament is half the MPs… on twice the pay. And, as Rishi Sunak skips out on PMQs once again, we ask if the Prime Minister himself is scrutinised enough. Alex Thomas presents, with Cath Haddon and Alice Lilley. Produced by Alex Rees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 30, 2023 • 42min
Rishi Sunak and the drip-drip of bad news
Thames Water struggles to stay afloat. But who is to blame, will the taps dry up, and what solutions are there? ConservativeHome’s Henry Hill joins the podcast team to discuss the latest headache for the PM. And are there any good chaps left in politics anymore? Boris Johnson’s new job as a newspaper columnist has caused controversy – so perhaps it is time to overhaul the rules for jobs after government. Plus, does Rishi Sunak actually believe in the Net Zero agenda? A new report by the Climate Change Committee is far from impressed with the government’s efforts to drive down emissions. Tim Durrant presents, with Jill Rutter and Alex Thomas.Produced by Milo Hynes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 23, 2023 • 41min
Rishi Sunak counts the costs
The prime minister has been trying to fend off a barrage of bad economic news - but what can he actually do about stubbornly high inflation, rising interest rates, and a predicted surge in mortgage payments? The Guardian’s City Editor Anna Isaac joins the podcast team to see what options - if any - Sunak has available.Whatever the cause might be for the UK’s economic woes, don’t mention the ‘B’ word. Ok, whisper it: is Brexit to blame? As the seventh anniversary of the 2016 referendum result passes, the podcast team check in on how leaving the EU has worked out for the UKPLUS: Is there a way out of the political stalemate in Northern Ireland?Hannah White presents.With Jess Sargeant and Giles Wilkes.Produced by Milo Hynes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 16, 2023 • 38min
Boris Johnson: The Party’s Over
The Privileges Committee has delivered its verdict on Boris Johnson, with the former PM lashing out after the committee found he had lied to Parliament. Sam Freedman joins the podcast team to ask what the damning conclusions – and a recommended 90-day suspension from Parliament which Johnson has avoided by quitting as an MP – means for the former prime minister and the Conservative Party. Plus, from an inquiry that is over to one that has just got going. The Covid Inquiry has held its first public hearings, and some big-name witnesses are booked in for next week. And: Is the NHS in a death spiral? A new IfG report examines why more money and extra staff has failed to turn around declining performance levels in hospitals.Hannah White presents, with Emma Norris and Cath Haddon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 9, 2023 • 39min
Ex-Prime Ministers' Question Time
As the Covid inquiry gets underway, the Financial Times’ Chris Cook joins the IfG podcast to examine whether public inquiries can actually make any difference – and look ahead to the potential twists and turns – and witnesses – that await inquiry chair Baroness Hallett and her team. Rishi Sunak’s No10 predecessors are notably vocal, and a batch of former Labour leaders still have plenty to say. Should we welcome the contribution of former party leaders or are they just a source of irritation? PLUS: Relocation, relocation! Has the government’s plan to relocate parts of the civil service to Darlington been a success – and is it actually making any difference to its levelling up mission? A new IfG report reveals the answers. Hannah White presents. With Emma Norris and Jordan Urban. Producer by Milo Hynes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 2, 2023 • 35min
WhatsApp with the Covid Inquiry?
Westminster watchers are used to the long tails of public inquiries. Baroness Hallett’s investigation of the pandemic will be no different, with hers due to take evidence until 2026. Her first big hurdle is the cache of government WhatsApps that have long been withheld by Number 10. With a legal challenge looming, what do the messages contain that has pushed their publication to the deadline? Former advisor to Sajid Javid, Salma Shah, and the Independent’s Paul Waugh join Catherine Haddon and Tim Durrant to discuss the unprecedented scale of the Inquiry. Plus, with an election not far off, Rishi Sunak is in search of his own strategy, as he attempts to clean up the messes his predecessors left behind. Can he activate the machinery of Whitehall in time to make his own mark on Number 10?Produced by Andrew Harrison and Alex Rees of Podmasters for the IFG Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 26, 2023 • 43min
Drivetime with Suella Braverman
It has been quite some week for the home secretary. From a row over her handling of a speeding ticket to a row over the latest release of net migration stats, Suella Braverman has hardly been out of the headlines. Sunday Times deputy political editor Harry Yorke, the journalist who broke the speeding story, joins the podcast team to pass judgment on Braverman’s performance. Why does the Home Office always seem to lurch from crisis to crisis – and what can be done to fix it? A new IfG report lays bare the department’s institutional and cultural problems. Boris Johnson is back in the news too – so what exactly is his bust-up about lawyers, WhatsApp messages and Covid rules all about? And is a deteriorating relationship between ministers and civil servants a reason to allow more political appointments into the civil service? A new report sets out the IfG view. Emma Norris presents. With Cath Haddon, Alex Thomas, Tim Durrant and Rhys Clyne. Produced by Milo Hynes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


