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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, the Treasury and the rest of government function more effectively? What can Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves do to achieve faster economic growth? What will Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives and the other opposition parties do to hold the government to account? How might Donald Trump shape British politics – and how could the UK’s relations with the EU change in the years ahead?
Get behind the scenes in Westminster, Whitehall and beyond on the weekly podcast from Britain’s leading governmental think tank, where we analyse the latest events in politics and explain what they mean. Every week on Inside Briefing, IfG director Hannah White and the team welcomes special guests for a thought-provoking conversation on what makes government work – and how to fix it when it doesn’t.

INSIDE BRIEFING with Institute for Government

What is it really like to govern in summer? Who is in charge when ministers leave Westminster? And what happens when, as it so often does, the summer isn’t all that quiet?

 

The Inside Briefing podcast team have headed into the vaults to dig out a special episode from 2021 featuring Sky’s Sam Coates, former (and future) minister Jacqui Smith, journalist Steve Richards and former No10 adviser Kate Fall.

 

So join us we return to a time when Boris Johnson was prime minister, Keir Starmer was barely a year into his tenure as leader of the opposition, and Nigel Farage was a few months into his recently announced retirement from politics and busy making Cameo messages. 

 

Presented by Hannah White and Alex Thomas.

Original podcast recording by PodmastersUpdated edits by Candice McKenzie
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Government in summer: who feels the heat?

Kemi Badenoch has completed one. Keir Starmer is rumoured to be lining one up. Yes reshuffles, or rumours of ministerial reshuffles, are never far away in Westminster.

 

So what should ministers fear? What should the prime minister avoid? When do reshuffles go right? And why do they sometimes go wrong? 

 

With special guests Cleo Watson and Helen Macnamara, who have had front row seats alongside prime ministers for countless reshuffles, this special Inside Briefing episode takes you behind the No10 front door to reveal the inside story of one of Westminster’s favourite – and most feared – events.

 

Presented by Cath Haddon. With Tim Durrant.

 

Produced by Milo Hynes.

 

Cleo Watson is a former special adviser to Boris Johnson. 

Helen MacNamara was Director General of Propriety and Ethics and then Deputy Cabinet Secretary .

Tim Durrant leads the IfG’s ministers work..
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The reshuffle revelations

Partygate, revolving doors, freebiegate and cash for questions... stories about misbehaviour in public life are never far away, and this week the government has set out new plans for toughening up the rules. Doug Chalmers, who will chair the new Ethics and Integrity Commission, joins the Inside Briefing team for an exclusive interview.

From setting up new bodies to abolishing existing ones. A new report has been published on the state of the water industry - and it says that Ofwat, the water regulator, needs to be scrapped. 

Plus: The reshuffle that wasn’t - and the one that was. 

Hannah White presents.

With Tim Durrant and Matthew Gill.

Produced by Candice McKenzie.
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STARMER LAYS DOWN THE RULES

The Afghan data leak – and the unprecedented superinjunction which followed – has dominated the week in Westminster. The FT’s Lucy Fisher – whose reporting has led coverage of the story – joins the podcast team to discuss who is to blame and what this episode tells us about how the state reacts when mistakes are made.

 

The story knocked Rachel Reeves off the front pages, but the chancellor has made a big speech this week. We’ll check in with what she had to say.

 

Plus: The government has just set out some new reforms on voter ID, electoral fraud and, most eye-catching of all, on lowering the voting age. The Inside Briefing team give their instant reaction.

 

Catherine Haddon presents.

With Gemma Tetlow and Alex Thomas.

Produced by Candice McKenzie.
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The scandal and the superinjunction

The Prime Minister has racked up the visits, tours and summits over the last year, but this week he turned host and invited President Macron for a state visit. Former Europe minister David Lidington joins the podcast team to assess the state of UK-French relations.

 

This week has brought us a major new review of criminal courts – with some big recommendations to easing the court case backlog in England and Wales. So what’s the plan - and will it work?

 

Plus: The government has published a new bill on devolution. And it’s a big one….

 

Hannah White presents

With Jill Rutter, Akash Paun and Cassia Rowland.
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Starmer and Macron: Le Spécial Relationship?

It is one year since the general election brought Labour back to government and since Keir Starmer walked into Number 10.

Instead of a smooth anniversary, the government has been forced to confront a major parliamentary rebellion and roll back on a flagship spending policy.

So how has Labour’s first year in power really worked out for Keir Starmer? What lessons can they learn for the challenges ahead?

Jill Rutter, Claire Ainsley and Sam Freedman join Hannah White to weigh up the government’s highs and lows - and what comes next.
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Ending in tears: Labour’s first year in government

The government’s controversial plans to cut the welfare budget have caused serious disquiet on the Labour benches. Luke Sullivan, former political director to Keir Starmer, joins the IfG podcast to explore how serious a problem this is for Keir Starmer - and how the government got itself into this situation.It isn’t just Labour MPs that are giving No10 a headache. Apparently civil servants are too - because No10 has issued new guidance demanding that civil servants no longer speak on panels at public events. So what’s the thinking behind this heavy handed approach - and does it add up? 

Presented by Cath Haddon With Alex Thomas and Tim Durrant.

Produced by Candice McKenzie
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Starmer vs the Labour rebels

To conclude the IfG’s conference on the Nolan Principles, our panel will discuss the impact of the Nolan Principles in public life today. How have they changed the standards landscape in the UK? What do the public think about standards in public life? How useful are standards and principles to leaders in government? And how can a strong standards system support a government’s wider objectives? 

 

Speakers: 

 

Doug Chalmers, chair, Committee on Standards in Public Life

Chris Morris, CEO, Full Fact

Sachin Savur, researcher, Institute for Government

Rowena Mason, Whitehall Editor at the Guardian

 

This session was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government 
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What do the Nolan Principles mean today?

With conflict in the Middle East is dominating the headlines, the New Statesman’s Rachel Cunliffe joins the podcast team to explore Keir Starmer’s attempts to influence Donald Trump and ask whether the UK has a role to play beyond that of a concerned bystander.

 

There is plenty of domestic politics around too, with the prime minister announcing an inquiry into grooming gangs - having said, only a few months ago, that he wouldn’t – and the government trying to face down a rebellion over its welfare budget cuts.

 

Plus: John Major at the IfG and what comes next for government standards and ethics.

 

Presented by Hannah White.

 

With Catherine Haddon.

 

Produced by Candice McKenzie
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Iran-Israel conflict: Will Trump (and Starmer) go to war?

Join IfG experts for instant analysis of the 2025 spending review – a critical moment for Keir Starmer’s government.

Were the spending allocations sufficient to improve public services, deliver growth and make progress on the government’s other missions? Which departments will be pleased – and which lost out? And did this multi-year spending review reveal a coherent strategy for the government over the next few years?

 

To answer these questions and more, IfG experts convened shortly after the chancellor’s announcement to provide their initial analysis.

 

The webinar was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government, with a panel including:

 
Nick Davies, Programme Director for Public Services at the Institute for Government

 
Ben Paxton, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government

 
Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government

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What choices did the government make in the 2025 spending review?

A weak No.10 Downing Street compulsively micro-manages. The Cabinet Office is bloated and unwieldy. The Treasury dominates decision-making. And prime ministers often find that the levers of power aren’t working.
So what is going wrong with the centre of government? What can be done to fix it? And, as a general election approaches, what difference would a re-designed centre mean for either Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer?
A new Institute for Government report – the result of a year-long commission on the centre of government – has examined the problem and come up with some radical recommendations for reform. The report was launched was this week, at an event featuring two former prime ministers: Sir John Major and Gordon Brown. So on this special edition of Inside Briefing, the IfG team – with special guest Sally Morgan, Tony Blair’s former political secretary – take a deep dive into the heart of government.
Hannah White presents, with Alex Thomas and Jordan Urban. Produced by Candice McKenzie
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What’s wrong with the centre of government – and how can we fix it?

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