Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

This is an audio recording of an IfG Live Event. Joe Biden is set to become the 46th US president. How will he deal with Coronavirus and the economy? What are his priorities internationally, and will he restore the US’s role in alliances? And what about the trade deal the UK wants so much, and relations with Boris Johnson, dubbed “Britain Trump” by the current occupant of the White House?On our panel to discuss these questions are: Dan Balz, Chief Correspondent for the Washington Post Elizabeth Dibble, Chief Operating Officer at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former Deputy Chief of Mission at the US embassy in London Emily Tamkin, US Editor for the New Statesman Sir Paul Tucker, Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England The event is chaired by Sir Richard Lambert, Board member of the Institute for Government and former Editor of the Financial Times. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As EU trade talks go down to the wire of Transition’s end on Dec 31, was Boris Johnson and Ursula van der Leyen’s dinner a deux really the failed last chance to avoid No Deal? Does the EU Parliament have enough time to pass a new trade arrangements anyway? Does everything really depend on what Boris Johnson himself wants? And what happens if you want to take a ferret into the EU in 2021? Special guest Tom McTague, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins the IfG Brexit Team over an Eleventh Hour meal deal.  “On Europe, you could argue that Johnson is the most powerful Prime Minister we’ve seen since Thatcher.” – Tom McTague “We voted to take back control. The big question for next year is, what are we taking back control of?” – Maddy Thimont-Jack  “Labour has to strike a balance between saying ‘I told you so’ and not looking like they want Britain to fail.” – Tom McTague “This is a defining moment for the EU too. They’ve shown almost national solidarity towards Ireland and French fishermen.” – Tom McTague Presented by Hannah White with Maddy Thimont-Jack, Joe Marshall, Jess Sergeant and Joe Marshall. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world’s first green light for a COVID vaccine is a clear boost of the Government. But how can they ensure the right people take it without falling back on strong-arm tactics? Also, who’s rebelling against the Government’s COVID restrictions and why? Special guest Iain Dale – Conservative columnist and LBC presenter – explains how his new book The Prime Ministers names Britain’s good, bad and ugly Premiers. Will the end of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act open a Pandora’s Box of constitutional wrangling? And Brexit. It’s still not sorted.  “If there isn’t a Deal with the EU, it will be the biggest failure of statecraft in modern times.” – Iain Dale “When a government is upsetting its mainstream, moderate MPs it’s in trouble.” – Iain Dale “If the Government gets the vaccine rollout right, that’s a genuine reset. If they get it wrong, that’s a disaster.” – Alex Thomas “The worst kind of Prime Minister is an indecisive one.” – Iain Dale “It seems ridiculous that a Prime Minister can choose an election at a time they think they’re going to win… Except often, they choose the time and still lose.” – Iain Dale Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas and Maddy Thimont-Jack. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In January, the government will be doing battle on two fronts: dealing with a likely disruptive end to the Brexit transition period as the UK faces a new trading relationship with the EU while the covid crisis is still raging. Even if the UK government is able to deploy and manage its resources effectively, local authorities and businesses may still be overwhelmed.In this podcast, we will consider how the government should prepare for a difficult January including what the government can learn from its initial pandemic response and previous iterations of no-deal planning.Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government is in conversation with Dame Clare Moriarty, former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Professor Jonathan Portes, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Kings College London, Tom Riordan, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Audio production by Candice McKenzie#IfGBrexit See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With eyewatering sums spent on the COVID crisis and Britain facing the lowest growth since the 1700s, will Rishi Sunak’s spending review do enough to keep the public finances from meltdown? Will the public sector pay freeze really make a difference? And are the health risks of saving Christmas worth the potential political gain?  “This is a good year to have bad figures… If there was ever a year to do a lot of borrowing, it’s this year.” – Giles Wilkes “It’s strange when Sunak has spent billions this year and we’re debating whether he’s a generous or a tough chancellor.” – Tom Pope “Sunak seems to have got the politics right. Whether it’s the right thing for the country remains to be seen.” – Giles Wilkes Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Gemma Tetlow, Tom Pope and Giles Wilkes. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Boris Johnson make his reset stick? Will changing his advisors change his problems? Is No.10 getting nervous as the Brexit endgame looms? And what does the departure of Dominic Cummings mean for the use of digital data to revolutionise government? John McTernan, political strategist and former Director of Political Operations to Prime Minister Tony Blair, joins us to hack through the thickets of government. “This is Theresa May all over again. It wasn’t the advisors that were the problem. The Prime Minister is the problem.” – John McTernan “If you can’t reset your character, you can’t reset your government.” – John McTernan “Gordon Brown was right. The UK may not be breaking up but governance is definitely breaking down.” – John McTernan Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas, Jill Rutter and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does the defenestration of Lee Cain from No.10 mean for the Vote Leave faction that got Johnson into power? Who are the Conservatives’ restive ‘Covid Recovery Group’ and what do they want? As the end of Brexit transition looms, does the PM have to choose between the economic damage of No Deal and the political damage of caving to the EU? And will government ever get out of London? This week’s special guest is Peter Foster, public policy editor at the FT.  “People should be really clear: we’re going back to 1992. The big political calculation is, does Johnson want to own this deal?” – Peter Foster “Seeing through the fog, this is all about the Prime Minister’s authority… and he’s failed to make clear what his decision is.” – Peter Foster “If No Deal happens it’s a lot easier to blame disruption on the EU.” - Maddy Thimont Jack “If we’re heading towards No Deal, the Government will put extraordinary pressure on the Lords to let the clauses through” – Alex Thomas “Westminster still treats the regions like distant colonies” – Peter Foster Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas, Maddy Thimont-Jack and Sarah Nickson. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After an incredible week, and even with votes still being counted, we now know that Joe Biden has won the US presidential election. But Donald Trump is refusing to concede that he last lost, and is instead mounting a series of legal challenges. So what happens now? How does a smooth transition of power work in this scenario? What will Donald Trump do next – and what next for Trumpism? How will Joe Biden lead – and reset – the US? What does his election mean for the special relationship? And how will President Biden work with Boris Johnson? In this special edition of the Institute for Government podcast, Bronwen Maddox is joined by Henry Zeffman, Washington correspondent for the Times, the New York Times’ London bureau chief Mark Landler, and IfG senior researcher Alice Lilly. Audio production by Candice McKenzie. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is an audio recording of an IfG Live Event The announcement of a second England lockdown came following repeated warnings from the UK government’s scientific advisers about the spread of coronavirus. Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, scientific advice to the government has been highly visible, with Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, repeatedly sharing a platform with Boris Johnson. Members of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) continue to feature prominently across broadcast outlets and in coverage of the government’s handling of the crisis.Other forms of advice, including economic advice from the Treasury, have been far less transparent, often creating the impression that SAGE is the government’s main and most influential advisory body. And yet economic arguments have also featured prominently in the debate about whether and when to lockdown again.How should science advice be combined with other kinds of evidence and presented to ministers? Does there need to be more transparency about the type of advice government is receiving and how it is using it? Does the prominence of SAGE undermine public understanding of other forms of evidence?To discuss these questions, the IfG was delighted to welcome: Professor John Edmunds, Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and participant in SAGE Professor Susan Michie, Professor of Health Psychology at UCL and participant in SAGE and Independent SAGE Lord Macpherson of Earl’s Court, former Treasury Permanent Secretary (2005–16) Nancy Hey, Executive Director of What Works Wellbeing This event was chaired by Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.#IfGScience See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As counting continues in the US election, and with both candidates claiming they’ve won, we take a look at the contest so far, and what the result will mean for America, Britain and the world. Meanwhile back in the UK, MPs have voted for a second national lockdown, but with Boris Johnson facing opposition from all sides, what can he do to ease the pressure on himself and the Government? YASMEEN SERHAN, staff writer at The Atlantic, is our special guest. “Those wanting a repudiation of the last four years found it hasn’t happened” - Yasmeen Serhan “I can imagine a world where there is a Biden presidency narrated by Trump’s tweets” - Yasmeen Serhan “Trump has been laying the groundwork for his claim that this would be a dodgy election for some time” - Jill Rutter “For a new President coming in, sitting on the sidelines for 10 weeks is going to be very difficult” - Cath Haddon “The Government isn’t explaining where the risky transmission centres are” - Jill Rutter Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Jill Rutter and Georgina Wright. Audio production by Alex Rees. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices