Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

Boris Johnson’s finger is hovering over the Unlock button. How can the Government reopen the economy without allowing the virus a second wind? What if the different Nations of the UK want very different approaches? Why Nicola Sturgeon is the most experienced leader on pandemics in Britain… and maybe Britain’s most experienced leader full stop. Guests Torcuil Crichton, Westminster Editor of the Daily Record, and IfG Fellow Nicholas Timmins of the King’s Fund join Bronwen Maddox, Jill Rutter and Akash Paun to discuss a women of truth for Britain’s health and economy.  “Parliament has gone from Plague Ship to Ghost Ship… And of course SNP MPs would be happy not to be in Westminster at all.” – Torcuil Crichton “For decades the Scots have defined their health service as ‘Not England’.” – Nick Timmins “Fear rules everything. Nobody wants to be the politician who gets this wrong.” – Torcuil Crichton Presented by Bronwen Maddox. 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

How do you weigh human wellbeing against Coronavirus deaths? How do we get “R”, the rate of Corona transmission, to a manageable level? As the government wrestles with lifting the lockdown, has “relying on the science” given it too narrow a focus regarding the serious trade-offs that are coming? And how will the criminal justice system deal with the massive backlog created by COVID? Cabinet secretary of the Blair and Brown years GUS O’DONNELL joins us to discuss the enormity of the Government’s challenges. “We’ve effectively got huge experiments going on all over the world to try to find out how we get out of this.” – Gus O’Donnell“To say the peak has passed and you can go out, and then see ANOTHER peak… that could be a blow that a government might not recover from.” – Giles WilkesHosted by Bronwen Maddox with Giles Wilkes and Nick Davies. 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

Is the future made for virtual democracy? In this bonus interview, Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg talks to Bronwen Maddox about organising a new dispersed Commons, the pros and cons of remote voting, and why a living Parliament requires more than simply occupying benches. Do MPs gain in independent-mindedness what the Whips maybe lose in influence? And can we look forward to virtual party conferences too…?“Before the Easter Recess there was serious debate about whether ANYTHING would be technically possible…”Presented by Bronwen Maddox. 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 Government is under fire over COVID as seldom before. Was it wise to aggressively rebut the Sunday Times report on their preparations for the pandemic? Is the idea of a risk-free exit strategy from lockdown a myth? Do we need bipartisan agreement on the COVID strategy for the sake of national cohesion… or perhaps radical openness? And is there really such thing as being “led by the science”?  Special guests Lord Danny Finkelstein and former Blair/Brown advisor John McTernan join the IfG’s Bronwen Maddox and Jill Rutter for this week’s podcast.  “In life, risk can’t be abolished. It can only be mitigated. You have to draw people into the choices you have to make.” – John McTernan“We need to level with people that we’re not creating an exit strategy, we’re making a big exit moral choice.” – Danny FinkelsteinPresented by Bronwen Maddox. 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

To unlock or not to unlock? The government faces a momentous choice of easing the lockdown to resurrect the economy, or keeping it in place to preserve human lives. How can they find the right balance? Are today’s politicians able to cope with a return of mass unemployment after almost 40 years? The Guardian’s health editor Sarah Boseley joins us to explore the background to one of the gravest decisions in modern British history. “This might well mean austerity for certain high-rate taxpayers who perhaps got off more easily last time.” – Giles WilkesPresented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas 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

Corona is straining Government as never before outside peacetime – and Boris Johnson is still mostly incapacitated. David Lidington, Theresa May’s former deputy, explains exactly what happens when the understudy must step up. How much power does Dominic Raab actually have right now? And do we need a US-style formal succession programme? Plus: When should the lockdown be eased? Does virtual government work? And what is Parliament doing during this strange recess?“The Whitehall machine had already been working with the dial in the red because of Brexit when this crisis hit.” – David LiddingtonPresented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon with Hannah White. 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

Who takes over when the PM is incapacitated? Can Boris Johnson lead the country from his bedroom? Has COVID given the Civil Service a reprieve from the swingeing reforms that would otherwise be coming its way? Plus the Guardian’s Washington Bureau chief David Smith joins us to explain how both the White House and the United States’ Trump-besieged institutions are coping with a once-in-century crisis. “The value of the President’s press conferences are questionable… We are watching the first President elected with no political experience, facing the first real crisis of his life and by all accounts failing it miserably.” – David SmithPresented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and special guests David Smith and Jill Rutter. 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

That “draconian” Corona Bill: exactly how swingeing are the powers it bestows? And will the Government give them up as fast as they assumed them? Special guest Paul Waugh of Huffington Post on what it’s like to be present in one of Johnson’s emergency press conferences. Jeremy Corbyn’s last stand. And has the BBC’s temporary reprieve from Government attention bought it a whole new set of headaches for the future?“Labour are now thinking that if Johnson is going be Churchill in this crisis, can their next leader be Attlee?” – Paul Waugh“It was pretty extraordinary that Johnson made that announcement to 27 million people, and the next day he didn’t put himself forward for questions… Johnson likes the cut and thrust of questions. But those around him aren’t so keen.” – Paul WaughPresented by Bronwen Maddox with Hannah White 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

“Change your life. Do everything differently.” Is Government rising to the Corona crisis? How can it ensure that state aid helps employees and businesses and doesn’t go straight into owners’ pockets? Have we fallen for a dangerous form of British exceptionalism in our approach? Will some form of Universal Basic Income prove to be inevitable to get us through this? And does Boris Johnson need to do a bit more than just listen to the experts? Special guests Matthew Parris of The Times and IfG fellow Jill Rutter join Bronwen Maddox and Cath Haddon to discuss the economic and legal backdrop to the most serious crisis in modern British history. “Governments have made an enormous moral choice in sacrificing the economic well-being of younger people simply to keep the older generation alive. I’m not sure they’ve made the right choice.” - Matthew Parris“Even though I was in government for a long time, I never encountered an emergency like this.” – Jill Rutter“It’s all very well saying this is temporary, but tell that to your bank manager.” – Matthew ParrisPresented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and special guests Matthew Parris and Jill Rutter. 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

COVID-19 is developing into the biggest threat to public health in a generation. How does government move through the gears when a crisis of this magnitude strikes? What is it like to sit in COBRA? How crucial is clear motivational communication? Three experienced firefighters – former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, advisor to Gordon Brown Lord Stewart Wood and ex-DEFRA communications director Steve Morris – join the IfG’s Bronwen Maddox and Cath Haddon for a riveting explanation what it’s like to handle a true crisis up close.“If you announce a bail-out at 6pm it’s panic. If you announce it at 7am it’s strategy.” – Steve Morris“It’s extraordinary how few leaders, Macron excepted maybe, have made international coordination part of the Corona response. The ‘your country first’ approach is being replicated and that’s really regrettable.” – Stewart Wood“Late one Friday Gordon Brown grabbed me and said ‘There’s a serious chance the police will be on the streets on Monday to stop people taking money out of the banks. Oh and probably the army as well. Have a nice weekend.’” – Steve Morris Presented by Bronwen Maddox. 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