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PODCAST

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,

government politics

All Episodes

44:54

Burnham v Starmer: The King of the North heads south

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/06/19

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 insists he would compete in any leadership contest - respond? What does this period of volatility mean for how government works? And what would a prime minister Andy Burnham mean for the way Britain is governed? Hannah White presents. With Giles Wilkes and Cath Haddon. Learn more about

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32:08

The way you Makerfield

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/06/12

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 the ground – and how this peculiar by-election, with both local and national consequences, is shaping how voters are thinking.Burnham is, presumably, both campaigning to win the seat and preparing for government if he makes it to Westminster. So how should he, Keir Starmer and

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42:20

Protests, politics and the killing of Henry Nowak

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/06/04

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 for the police and for politics.What questions do the police need to answer? What could an inquiry explore - and what might need to change? And how could the events of this week shape British politics in the months ahead? Plus: The footage of the riots in Southampton has knocked the

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52:05

The Blair Necessities

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/05/28

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 podcast team to explore the Kruger blueprint for government. Tony Blair has entered the Labour leadership race! Well, sort of. The former PM's 5000 word essay sets out his vision for government. But is it a sensible plan for the current - or future - prime minister to follow? Plus:

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50:34

May 2026 elections: what are the implications for...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/05/22

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 reorganisation (LGR) agenda? In this special episode of Inside Briefing, Matthew Fright, the Institute for Government’s LGR anorak, has been gathering views across three areas - Surrey, Essex and Kent – at the forefront of LGR delivery to see how the government’s aims to remove two-tier

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40:30

Burnham Issues

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/05/21

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 plays out around him. If Burnham makes it to Number 10, then he will follow a path once trodden by Boris Johnson in being a mayor turned prime minister. So what skills does the mayoralty provide - and how might they be transferable to Downing Street? Plus: What is in Rachel Reeves's

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39:50

Starmer, Streeting and the fight for No10

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/05/13

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? How could a leadership contest play out? And what have the bust-ups of the last few days revealed about the failings of Starmer’s premiership - and what can he, or someone else, learn from these mistakes? Plus: On a day of pomp and pageantry, what stood out in the King’s Speech - and

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62:06

Elections 2026: Fragmentation nation

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/05/08

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 consequences for British politics could be huge. So what happens next?What will results mean for who governs in Holyrood? Is Wales ready for a whole new governing party? What will the changes - big changes - to England's electoral map mean for Keir Starmer's prospects? And how

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41:07

Is Keir Starmer in the last chance saloon?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/04/30

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 podcast team to assess the Prime Minister's options as the days count down to a big set of big local and devolved elections. For lessons on relationship rebuilding - and delivering the positive vibes - perhaps the PM should turn to King Charles? The monarch is over in the US, where he

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42:29

Starmer vs Robbins: Why the Mandelson row keeps...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/04/23

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 this leave Keir Starmer? Foreign Office permanent secretary Peter Ricketts joins the podcast team to work out where a week of blame and counter-blame has left the government - and what it means for an already damaged relationship between civil servants and ministers.Plus: new IfG

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41:30

The Peter Mandelson scandal: What are the lessons for...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/04/22

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, what will we learn from Keir Starmer's 'judgment day' Commons statement? What will Olly Robbins – who was sacked by the PM as Foreign Office permanent secretary – reveal in a crucial select committee appearance? What has the vetting row shown about the way decisions are made at the top

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41:29

Is the UK (and Keir Starmer) under attack?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/04/16

"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 Britain's national security. So how serious is it - and what should Keir Starmer do? PLUS: From defence to employment. A new IfG paper argues the government should go further and faster on devolving employment support - we talk to its authors about a potentially better route back

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49:07

Who will pay the prices of war?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/04/02

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 what the government can actually do to respond to rising energy prices.The message to consumers so far is keep calm and carry on as usual. But will this messaging hold - and, if not, how bad could things get - and how quickly? And finally: It’s a long time since we first heard about

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42:45

Money talks: Influence and interference

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/03/27

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, joins the podcast team to explain the problem and how it could be fixed.From election funding to funding public services. Labour came into power with a promise to reform the way public services are delivered. But what has actually been done, and is it working? The IfG has issued our

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61:32

Can Rachel Reeves protect both households and the...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/03/20

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 Rachel Reeves’s options for supporting consumers – and what the ongoing conflict could mean for energy policy, the transition to net zero and for the public finances. What are the implications of different scenarios for oil and gas shipments from the Middle East? What do they mean for

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32:04

Can the UK weather the Middle East storm?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/03/20

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 delivered a big speech promising more financial devolution to English mayors and closer practical alignment with the EU, but do Rachel Reeves's plans add up? Plus: Should we fire all the permanent secretaries and directors general and replace them with true believers throughout the

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42:21

Keir Starmer and the cost of security

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/03/13

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 the podcast to discuss what the prime minister and Rachel Reeves could do to ease a growing cost of living crisis. In a big week for the government, the controversial courts and tribunals bill returned to the House of Commons. The government is - in its words - “throwing the kitchen

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34:20

International Women's Day special: The inside story...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/03/06

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 International Women's Day episode of Inside Briefing, three MPs – Conservative Karen Bradley, Labour's Beccy Cooper, and Ellie Chowns of the Green Party – head to the IfG podcast studio to explore the challenges, surprises and perhaps frustrations of life in parliament as one of the

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40:47

Trump vs Iran: Is the UK ready for war?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/03/04

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 on Iran mean for the region, for the UK and for global security.Keir Starmer has said the UK will “not join regime change from the skies”, but huge questions remain over the extent of British involvement in the crisis - and the conflict is certain to have lasting consequences for

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40:47

Trump vs Iran: Is the UK ready for war?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/03/03

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 on Iran mean for the region, for the UK and for global security. Keir Starmer has said the UK will “not join regime change from the skies”, but huge questions remain over the extent of British involvement in the crisis - and the conflict is certain to have lasting consequences for

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