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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

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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42:52

Will Rachel Reeves spring a forecast surprise?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/02/26

Fire up the forecasts. Read up on the rules. Study the spending plans. And get ready for Rachel Reeves' big day in Parliament. Rupert Harrison, former chief of staff to George Osborne, joins the Inside Briefing team to preview the chancellor's spring forecast. It’s not a budget. It’s not a fiscal event. So it doesn’t get a primetime post-PMQs slot in the Commons timetable. So what exactly is it for and how significant is this forecast for the government? What will we hear from Rachel Reeves? And

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40:23

All roads lead to Romeo

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/02/20

Antonia Romeo has been appointed as the new Cabinet Secretary and is the first woman to hold the post. So what can she do to turn the civil service, and perhaps the government, around?Keir Starmer's administration is still reeling from resignations, apologies, suspensions and the latest Peter Mandelson scandal. With questions around ethics and standards back in the news, and both Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor facing Misconduct in Public Office investigations, what does the government

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39:34

Resets and resignations: Starmer's worst week yet

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/02/12

Former Downing Street chief of staff Gavin Barwell joins the podcast to discuss another explosive week at the heart of government. On Sunday afternoon the prime minister’s chief of staff and closest adviser, Morgan McSweeney, handed in his resignation, followed on Monday by Tim Allan, Downing Street’s director of communication – for just five months. The cabinet secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, too will be leaving his post, also after a brief tenure.  But the prime minister remains

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32:45

Keir Starmer's Mandelson Scandal

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/02/06

The revelations about what contact Peter Mandelson had with Jeffrey Epstein, what the government knew, and what it did or is now doing about it is the story that is dominating Westminster.The FT’s Jim Pickard joins the podcast team to look back at an explosive week in UK politics, and the serious questions being asked about Starmer’s judgement, the vetting process, and the ability to eject unfit members from the Lords – from which Peter Mandelson is on a voluntary leave of absence. Presented by

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41:28

Growth strategy pains, trains and regional deals

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/01/29

Of all its manifesto pledges, missions and milestones, Labour has been most keen to tell the public that it is ‘going for growth’. But does the government have a robust and well thought-through plan to deliver that growth? Or is it, like so many before it, struggling to really take the ‘tough decisions’ required to drag UK GDP growth rates up to meet – and indeed surpass – those of our fellow G7 nations?This government has not been short of plans and strategies, but what it has not produced is a

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37:07

Starmer’s Trump diplomacy and Darren Jones’s fast fixes

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/01/21

In a week when Donald Trump has been escalating his threats to NATO member states over Greenland, Darren Jones was on the home front ensuring that the government’s desire to transform government was also continuing. So what is the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister planning? Is it enough to meet the challenges he has identified, and what will they need to do to actually see change? We get stuck into the latest government reform plans, joined by Francis Maude, a previous minister for civil service

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35:56

Wes Streeting’s government health-check

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/01/16

Drop the excuses culture. Stop complaining about civil servants. And just get it right the first time rather than repeatedly u-turning. Wes Streeting didn’t hold back at the IfG conference this week - so what does the health secretary’s verdict on the government say about Keir Starmer and the challenges he and his ministers face in 2026? Wes Streeting, Mel Stride, Darren Jones, Louise Casey, Andy Burnham, Michael Gove, Ayesha Hazarika and Ed Balls all joined the IfG Annual Conference to discuss

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36:41

Donald Trumps Starmer’s New Year Plans

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/01/09

With US military strikes on Venezuela dominating headlines, Lawrence Freedman joins the podcast team to ask what Donald Trump's foreign plans mean for the UK - and assess whether Keir Starmer’s Trump strategy will hold in 2026.The prime minister found his January announcements knocked off the front pages - but was anyone really listening? We explore the government challenges facing Starmer and his team in the year ahead. Plus: Ed Balls, Wes Streeting, Mel Stride, Louise Casey, Ayesha Hazarika,

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46:28

2025 in Review: Starmer's Year of Drama

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2025/12/22

A year is a long time in the podcasting world, especially for podcasts keeping a close eye on the highs, lows, trials and tribulations of government. Because it has been quite some year for Keir Starmer and his team - and for British politics more generally. We’ve had reshuffles, resignations and resets. The rise of Reform. The breakthrough of the Greens. Promised policy blitzes. A planned rewiring of the state. The start - apparently - of the government’s delivery phase. A government-defining

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61:14

The Trump challenge: Chaos, confusion and government...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2025/12/16

According to the Washington Post, Donald Trump made 30,573 false or misleading claims during his first term as US president – and Trump 2.0 has also shown little regard for facts or evidence. Unexpected presidential announcements are made on social media or in press conferences, and Trump’s positions can appear to change overnight. Leaders of other countries, including Keir Starmer, find their own plans and statements overshadowed or knocked off course.Despite this chaos and confusion, Trump

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