Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

Keir Starmer has signed off on a so-called UK/EU reset. So, what’s in the new deal and what does it mean for the never-ending Brexit drama? The Guardian’s Kiran Stacey joins the podcast team to dig into the detail.   Davie Gauke has been uncorked. So, what is in his review of prison sentencing? The team dig into his recommendations and give their verdict.   Plus: Nick Clegg is back! The former deputy prime minister returned to the British political stage with a big speech at the IfG this week - and he also sat down for an exclusive interview for Inside Briefing. So, is it time to reevaluate the coalition?   Presented by Jill Rutter. With Giles Wilkes and Cassia Rowland  Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After Keir Starmer made headlines with his warnings of an “island of strangers”, British Future’s Sunder Katwala joins the podcast team to dig into the detail of the government’s new immigration policy. Farewell to 102 Petty France - and a few other Whitehall buildings too. The government is dispersing civil servants to new locations around the country. Will the plan work? Plus: Why the government needs to fundamentally shift its strategy for tackling homelessness. Presented by Hannah White. With Hannah Keenan, Sachin Savur and Amber Dellar. Produced by Candice McKenzie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will white smoke on two trade deals help shift the narrative for Keir Starmer after a tricky week? Peter Foster, the FT’s new world trade editor, joins the podcast team to dig into the details of breakthrough agreements with both the US and India. Perhaps a bigger win for the government would be to achieve that elusive reset with the EU. A big summit is looming. So what is on the table and is progress on the cards? Plus:  The reshuffle rumour mill is in overdrive. Who is up? Who is in? Who is out? No, we’re not talking about ministers. This time it’s the changing of the permanent secretary guard. And the IfG is watching closely.  Hannah White presents. With Jill Rutter and Alex Thomas. Produced by Simon Williams for Podmasters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Votes have been counted – well, most of them. So what do Thursday’s elections for four regional mayors, more than 1000 councillors and the new MP for Runcorn and Helsby mean for British politics, Keir Starmer and the Labour government’s devolution agenda? Another big election has taken place too – and that’s in Canada. Mark Carney – remember him? – has won the general election, and in doing so turned around months of terrible polling for the now still ruling Liberal Party. So how did he do it and what does it mean for the UK? Plus: The data on school absence is moving in the wrong direction. Moira Wallace, who used to run Tony Blair’s Social Exclusion Unit, joins the podcast team to tell us what Keir Starmer needs to do – and how he could learn from the last Labour government. Presented by Catherine Haddon with Akash Paun and Alex Thomas. Music: ‘Everything to Me [Instrumental]’ by Notize courtesy of artlist.io Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Labour jostles with Reform for polling points and the Conservatives debate the merits of cosying up to Nigel Farage's party, More in Common's Luke Tryl joins the podcast team to take stock of the polls - and what they might say about the upcoming local elections.With Rachel Reeves still looking nervously at the economic data and Donald Trump making increasingly hard-to-follow statements about tariffs, we assess the chancellor's trip to Washington.Plus: Are people satisfied with their GPs? A new IfG paper reveals all.Presented by Hannah White.With Jill Rutter, Tom Pope and Stuart Hoddinott.  Produced by Candice McKenzie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Procurement is central to the operation of modern government but, following a series of high-profile scandals, is often controversial. Much of the criticism has focused on the role of the biggest suppliers, some of whom have become household names for the wrong reasons. But who are these big suppliers and how dependent is the government on them?This special episode of Inside Briefing will tell you everything you need to know about how much the government actually spends with big suppliers, the kind of services these companies provide, how well do they perform compared to other suppliers, and how effective the government is at holding them to account.With IfG programme director Nick Davies, former Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude, Capita Public Service CEO Richard Holroyd, the TUC’s Director of Organising Public Services and Skills Sian Elliott, and Gus Tugendhat, Founder of Tussell.This podcast episode is kindly supported by Tussell. Produced by Candice McKenzie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Donald Trump pauses his trade war (well, except in the case of China) the podcast team are joined by economist and author Duncan Weldon to make sense of the president’s wild economic rollercoaster ride – and the uncomfortable choices it means for Keir Starmer.The PM and his team have some levers to pull, and this week they eached for a familiar one labelled ‘Quango Bonfire’. So what has been announced, and will it work? Plus: What does the government want to do about immigration? A white paper is on the way. But an IfG paper is out now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The rules of global trade have been dramatically ripped up by Donald Trump. So what is the US president’s tariff plan actually meant to do? Has a global trade war started? How big a hit will the UK economy take? And what options does Keir Starmer have to fight back? The government urgently needs to inject some growth into the economy, but can Whitehall make that happen? Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, joins the podcast to argue for more powers to be given away by London. Plus: Who reviews the reviews? The government has launched a lot of them. But will they succeed? A new IfG report has set out its verdict. We’ll talk to its authors. Tim Durrant presents.With Giles Wilkes, Jill Rutter and Ben Paxton.Produced by Milo Hynes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spring has nearly sprung, but the fiscal forecasts made for a rather gloomy spring statement for Rachel Reeves. Stewart Wood, a Labour peer and former adviser to Gordon Brown, joins the podcast team to assess the state of the economy - and Reeves’s attempts to turn it around. How much will welfare cuts upset Labour backbenchers? What could Donald Trump's tariffs mean for Reeves's plans? And just how difficult are the choices awaiting the chancellor as the spending review approaches?Plus: New IfG research focuses on left behind groups - and sets out some of the tensions in how the government is approaching one of its missions and milestones.Presented by Alex Thomas.With Jill Rutter, Gemma Tetlow and Sophie Metcalfe.Produced by Candice McKenzie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Rachel Reeves just days away from setting out her spring statement to parliament, chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones MP drops into the podcast studio to discuss the Treasury’s new plans for watching the pennies.So what could the chancellor do? What shouldn’t the chancellor do? The podcast team weigh up her options - and analyse the government’s controversial welfare reforms.Plus: IfG senior fellow and public policy expert Nick Timmins gives his expert take on the big decision to abolish NHS England.Presented by Emma Norris.With Cath Haddon and Tom Pope.Produced by Candice McKenzie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices