Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

44:08

Can Zack fight back?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/10/09

Another by-election, another win for Andy Burnham - with the Greens defeated in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. Delatpoll's Joe Twyman joins the pod team to explore what the PM’s by-election double really tells us about his electoral prospects.It was another bad day for Green leader Zack Polanski, who was already under pressure after a difficult conference in Brighton. Kemi Badenoch, on the other, was all smiles in Birmingham - but does the Conservative party really have grounds for

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35:29

Burnham goes big: What difference does it make?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/09/30

No lectern. No tie. And quite a few tears. Andy Burnham promised a different kind of speech. But did the prime minister deliver?After watching Burnham's first Labour conference speech as party leader and prime minister, Hannah White is joined in the IfG's pop-up studio in Liverpool by the IfG's Alex Thomas, IfG senior fellow (and former executive director of policy to Keir Starmer) Claire Ainsley, and More in Common's Sophie Stowers to share their instant reactions on the big speech, dissect the

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47:22

Mersey Mersey Me: Will Burnham pass his Labour...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/09/25

From meeting Donald Trump in New York to heading to his first Labour conference as prime minister, it's quite some week for Andy Burnham - so what does he need to do to make a success of Labour's Liverpool gathering? LabourList editor Emma Burnell joins the podcast team to review Burnham's Trump test and preview his conference challenge.Plus: We take a closer look at an issue that saw Keir Starmer stumble badly, and that’s benefits reform. How could Burnham approach this thorniest of issues? A new

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40:55

The 72 million pound questions

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/09/18

With Westminster been rocked by the news of a record-breaking – and maybe game-changing – £72 million donation to Reform UK, new Lib Dem peer Tim Leunig joins the podcast team to assess how the government might respond, and what comes next for party political donations.Next up on the conference circuit are the Liberal Democrats. So how much pressure is leader Sir Ed Davey under as his party gather in Brighton this weekend? Plus: These are uncertain times... but just how uncertain are

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34:47

Is Ed Miliband rethinking UK foreign policy?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/09/10

Foreign secretary Ed Miliband has announced UK sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. So what does this change of position say about UK foreign policy under Andy Burnham - and what are the possible consequences for UK domestic policy? The i's Kitty Donaldson joins the podcast team to assess the PM's big move.On the domestic front it was chancellor John Healey’s turn to make headlines, with a big pre-Budget speech on growth and the economy. So does this mark the dawn of a new

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45:31

Burnham down the House - the new PM's Parliamentary...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/09/03

The summer recess is over. Parliament is up and running. And the new prime minister gave a mammoth statement in the Commons. There were no new policy announcements, but there was a promise to do things differently. Henry Hill joins the podcast team to make sense of Andy Burnham's first day back in Parliament.Kemi Badenoch has been busy too, with the Conservative leader reshuffling her top team and bringing in, amongst others, a new chancellor and foreign secretary. So what is she trying to do and

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57:20

Totally Rewired - Can Burnham really do government...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/08/28

Andy Burnham has clocked up a month mark in Number 10. As the long recess draws to a close and Parliament prepares to return, the Guardian's Kiran Stacey joining the podcast to look back on a summer of speeches, policy announcements, guitar-playing and a lot of social media game.How has Burnham handled the familiar problem of prison capacity and the headache of early release schemes? Do his devolution plans really add up and will Number 10 North make any difference to government? Is this PM's

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36:57

Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 3: Adjusting to...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/08/20

Every new prime minister arrives in No.10 with a view about what brought down their predecessor as well as a ringside seat to the downfall. So after convincing their colleagues why a change of PM is necessary, what happens when the new PM's belief in his or her skills and talents meet the reality of the biggest job in British politics?How easy it is to learn on the job? What is the right balance between continuity and reinventing the government? And how good is the UK at preparing for mid-term

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40:50

Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 2: The Transition

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/08/13

Becoming prime minister is a job like no other. The arrival of Andy Burnham is the latest in the UK’s recent history of prime ministers coming to the job mid-way through a parliament. Mid-term prime ministers often take over after crisis, political upheaval or the sheer weight of the job have put paid to their predecessor. And mid-term prime ministers come to the job through very different means – a leadership contest rather than a general election, or sometimes even without that. They have less

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38:23

Mid-term prime ministers - Episode 1: preparing for...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/08/06

Becoming prime minister is a job like no other. The arrival of Andy Burnham is the latest in the UK’s recent history of prime ministers coming to the job mid-way through a parliament. Mid-term prime ministers often take over after crisis, political upheaval or the sheer weight of the job have put paid to their predecessor. And mid-term prime ministers come to the job through very different means – a leadership contest rather than a general election, or sometimes even without that. They have less

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38:23

Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 1: Preparing for...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/08/06

Our first episode explores the recent history of mid-term changes of prime minister from John Major to Rishi Sunak. Speaking to senior officials and advisers involved, we go behind the scenes of the preparation and leadership contests, the context in which they took over, and find out what kind of experience makes a difference when inheriting the top job in UK politics.Featuring Gus O’Donnell, Mark Sedwill, Helen MacNamara, Simon Case, Stewart Wood, Salma Shah, Lee Cain, Asa Bennett and Rupert

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48:16

Andy Burnham: How is the new prime minister changing...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/07/30

One week on from becoming prime minister, Andy Burnham has now appointed his cabinet, reshuffled ministers, launched a series of machinery of government changes, and set out a range of immediate policy decisions.So what have these early choices revealed about the way Burnham wants to govern? How will his restructured No10 make a difference to the way Burnham leads? What does his reshuffled cabinet reveal about the PM's priorities? And how will the new prime minister set about delivering a "new

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43:42

He wants to be adored – Burnham’s people-pleasing...

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/07/24

Andy Burnham finally takes over No.10 with promises to focus on the cost of living and to make politics better. Can he succeed? Is he the ruthless leader portended by hisclearoutof Starmerites, or someone more conciliatory? And how will unexpected new Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and surprise Chancellor John Healey work out alongside Shabana Mahmood,who’sstaying at the Home Office? Plus, Burnham takes theIfG’sadvicebyfinallycreating a new Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet. How will that

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48:47

Full Time for Starmer: Can Burnham Find a Way to Win?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/07/17

Keir Starmer has bowed out of his final PMQs. Andy Burnham is about to become Britain's next prime minister. But after two turbulent years in Downing Street, what went wrong for Starmer? Can Burnham avoid the same mistakes? And will a change of leader be enough to turn Labour's fortunes around?Keir Starmer's former director of communications, Steph Driver, joins the podcast to reflect on the outgoing prime minister's biggest successes and failures - and what Burnham must do differently from day

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39:02

Burnham, Binface and Starmer's final flight

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/07/09

Reform UK may have dominated the headlines this week, but Westminster's attention is already turning to a far bigger political moment: the arrival of Britain's next prime minister. Mirror political editor Lizzy Buchan joins the podcast team to explore who Andy Burnham might appoint to his cabinet, the priorities that will define his first weeks in office, and whether he can succeed where Keir Starmer could not. As the Prime Minister attends his final NATO summit, we ask what mark he is trying to

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44:25

Northern Soul: Burnham's Manchester No10 plan

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/07/02

The King of the North says he will remain - for some of the time - in his kingdom, but how will Andy Burnham's vision for a devolution circuit breaker - powered by a new Number 10 in Manchester - really work? Former de facto deputy prime minister David Lidington joins the podcast to discuss the would-be PM's big speech. How would No.10 North work alongside the original? Who calls the shots? Who is in charge? And what does it mean for the balance of power across the centre of government? Plus: Keir

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53:12

Brexit at 10: A decade of drama, deals and disruption

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/06/29

A decade after the UK voted to leave the EU, the IfG's Jill Rutter and UKICE's Anand Menon are joined by the BBC's Adam Fleming - the former Brussels correspondent and Brexitcast presenter who followed every twist and turn of the UK's EU drama - to share their front row experiences of some of the most significant events in recent British and European political history. From the night of the referendum to the painful Brexit deal negotiations, the endless parliamentary votes and the rapid turnover

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42:09

What does Andy Burnham really stand for?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government ·

2026/06/24

Keir Starmer has resigned. Andy Burnham is preparing for power. But what will a mid-parliament change of prime minister mean for the government? How should an incoming prime minister prepare for the biggest job in government? What can an outgoing leader do to ensure a smooth transition? And after seven prime ministers in a decade, could another change at the top finally bring greater stability to British politics—or is volatility now the new normal? The Economist's Hugo Gye joins the podcast to

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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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