Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

Institute for Government
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May 11, 2023 • 42min

Sunak's Little Local Difficulties and Starmer's Big Local Victories

Big wins for Labour. Big losses for the Conservatives. But just how much should we read into this week’s local election results? The Guardian’s Rafael Behr joins the podcast team to crunch the numbers and examine what the votes mean for Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.  The Labour leader is reported to have delayed plans for shadow cabinet reshuffle until the autumn – but is that the right call? A new IfG paper, which analyses the transitions of 1997 and 2010, sets out the steps Starmer should take to ensure his shadow team is best prepared for government – should Labour win the next general election. And how can we all stay engaged with politics without getting enraged? What steps can we take to survive the toxicity of British politics? Rafael Behr explains why his new book can help. Presented by Emma Norris. With Cath Haddon, Peter Hourston and Grant Dalton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Apr 28, 2023 • 41min

Scapegoats or snowflakes?

Dominic Raab’s exit from government hasn’t drawn a line under the simmering tensions between ministers and civil servants. So have expectations of behaviour changed or has snowflakery broken out in Whitehall? The IfG podcast team asks what this all means for the future of the civil service.The Foreign Office is trying to manage another tricky evacuation of UK nationals from an increasingly dangerous situation – so how well is it responding to the crisis in Sudan?And why did the Treasury end up creating a “tug of war” at the heart of government during the Covid pandemic? A major new IfG report reveals all.Hannah White presents.With Cath Haddon, Alex Thomas, Tim Durrant and Gemma Tetlow.Produced by Milo Hynes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Apr 26, 2023 • 43min

Extra: The Treasury and the Covid crisis

Do you remember being told to stay at home? Or becoming very familiar with the word “furlough”? How about all those assurances that the Government was following the science? And were you persuaded when ministers urged you to Eat Out to Help Out? The Treasury was at the heart of the Government’s response to the pandemic, rapidly designing and rolling our policies designed to protect jobs, support people and help businesses through an extraordinary – and unprecedented – time. But it was also wary of sharing its analysis, wary of external advice, and reluctant to work openly with other Government departments.To mark the publication of a major new IfG report into the Treasury’s Covid response, Financial Times economics editor Chris Giles joins this special episode of Inside Briefing for a deep dive into how the UK’s finance ministry performed during the pandemic – and asks what lessons needs to be learned. Presented by the IfG’s Emma Norris with Gemma Tetlow and Olly Bartrum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Apr 21, 2023 • 56min

Non-Dom Status

Dominic Raab has resigned. The report into whether or not he bullied civil servants finally landed on the prime minister’s desk – so what should we make of Adam Tolley’s findings? Is Rishi Sunak’s response adequate? And what will Dominic Raab’s stinging resignation letter mean for tensions between ministers and civil servants? It had already been a lively week for the prime minister, with a big speech on maths education and some awkward headlines over declaring and registering interests. But did Sunak’s speech add up? And how significant was his slip up?Plus: Why can’t government ever come up with plan to tackling this country’s obesity problem?Hannah White presents, with Jill Rutter, Alex Thomas, Sam Freedman and Sophie Metcalfe. Produced by Milo Hynes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Apr 14, 2023 • 42min

Striking images: What caused the NHS crisis and can it be fixed?

From unsolved pay disputes to record backlogs, abandoned social care reforms and now accusations of sexual harassment of female surgeons, finding a good news story about health and care services in the U.K. is nigh on impossible.So just how bad is the crisis facing the NHS? Who, or what, can be blamed for the pile-up of problems? And is there any way that Rishi Sunak - or maybe Keir Starmer - can fix the crisis?In this special episode of Inside Briefing, Nick Davies is joined by IfG senior fellow Jill Rutter, Rachel Sylvester, who chairs the Times' Health Commission, and Rachel Wolf, founding partner at Public First, co-author of the 2019 Conservative manifesto, and now also co-author of an upcoming report on NHS productivity in partnership with the Institute and the Health Foundation.Presented by Nick Davies.Produced by Milo Hynes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Apr 7, 2023 • 42min

Dover Queues and Brexit Truths?

Delays at the Dover border mean holidaymakers are getting hot under the collar – while the heat is on the government to fix the problem. The FT's Peter Foster joins us to explore whether the long queues are just an inevitable Brexit non-benefit. Also, the government appears to have ditched any plans (and a manifesto promise) to reform social care. So why is this policy challenge proving beyond the wit of ministers? And teachers have rejected a pay offer from the government. Just how distant is a deal to end public sector strikes?PLUS: In praise of politicians, and politics. This weekend is the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. How was the historic deal reached, what is its legacy, and what might happen next in Northern Ireland?Hannah White presents, with Jill Rutter, Jess Sargeant and Stuart Hoddinott.Produced by Milo Hynes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Apr 7, 2023 • 1h 17min

EXTRA - The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement: 25 years on

The 10 April marks 25 years since the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement was signed, paving the way for peace in Northern Ireland and the restoration of devolved government. The agreement was a triumph of political leadership, endorsed overwhelmingly by the public in votes in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. This special podcast episode brings together some of the key people who worked behind the scenes to make a deal happen – the officials working in the UK, Northern Ireland, Irish governments – to look back on how the historic agreement was reached, discuss the challenges in supporting the peace process, and reflect on what has been achieved.Presented by Jill RutterProduced by Podmasters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Apr 1, 2023 • 38min

Someone Like Yousaf

Humza Yousaf is Scotland’s new first minister – but following the Nicola Sturgeon era is no easy task. The Sunday Mail’s Hannah Rodger joins the podcast team to weigh up the challenge ahead for Yousaf, and ask what the SNP’s change at the top means for the Scottish political landscape. Is Rishi Sunak really that much of a Green Day fan? As parliament rises for recess, Inside Briefing turns its attention to Westminster to issue an Easter report card for Rishi Sunak. PLUS: Panic on the streets of Paris! The Institut Montaigne’s Georgina Wright drops in to the IfG to give us the lowdown on the problems facing Emmanuel Macron. Hannah White presents. With Emma Norris and Akash Paun Produced by Neil Bowerman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Mar 31, 2023 • 37min

EXTRA - The Emily Maitlis interview

Leaving the BBC has given Emily Maitlis the freedom to say what she really thinks, and the co-host of The News Agents podcast doesn’t hold back in this special edition of Inside Briefing. In a wide-ranging and frank discussion with Hannah White, the former Newsnight presenter discusses the media’s role in holding politicians to account, the recent travails of her former employer, and whether government ministers should really by taking part in broadcast interviews conducted by MPs of the same party. Produced by Neil Bowerman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Mar 24, 2023 • 22min

EXTRA - Iraq War 20th Anniversary: The Robin Butler Interview

The decision to go to war in Iraq – 20 years ago this week - remains both the most controversial and consequential American and British foreign policy of the last quarter of a century.Just over a year after the war began, Robin Butler, a former cabinet secretary, published his Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction - better known as the Butler Review. The weapons were never found, and the debate about the decision to go to war has never ended.To mark the 20th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, to look back at the key findings of his report, and to ask how government has changed since - and whether lessons have been learned, Catherine Haddon speaks to Lord Butler for this special episode of Inside Briefing.Presented by Cath Haddon, produced by Alex Rees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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