

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, 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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 25, 2022 • 43min
Rishi Sunak’s Growing Pains
Liz Truss put economic growth front and centre of her premiership, but does Rishi Sunak even have a coherent growth policy? The Guardian’s City Editor Anna Isaac joins the IfG team to go in search of the prime minister’s plan. Could Sunak take a new approach towards Brexit? What exactly is a Swiss-style deal? And is the Conservative Party in the mood for compromise? Plus: What does the Supreme Court verdict mean for SNP’s plans to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence? And: Do Labour’s plans for reforming the House of Lords make sense? Hannah White presents. With Jill Rutter and Jess Sargeant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 19, 2022 • 44min
Autumn Statement of intent
Jeremy Hunt has unveiled the government's economic plans, with the chancellor handing out giveaways now but setting out tax rises - and spending cuts - to come. So now what? The IfG podcast crunch the chancellor's numbers. The Dominic Raab claims are causing problems for the justice secretary, but do multiplying leaks about ministerial behaviour point to a wider breakdown of trust inside government? And a new joint paper for the Institute for Government and Cambridge University’s Bennett Institute explores 25 years of erratic government attempts to update and reform the British constitution. The paper's author, former DEXEU permanent secretary Peter Rycroft, drops into the studio.Presented by Hannah White, with Gemma Tetlow and Giles Wilkes Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 11, 2022 • 42min
Gavin Williamson shuts up and goes away
We didn't have to wait long for the first ministerial resignation of Rishi Sunak's premiership, and it's Gavin Williamson who is out of government - again. ConservativeHome's Henry Hill joins then podcast team to weigh up what Williamson's exit means for the PM and explore how Rishi Sunak can prove his commitment to integrity is genuine.The PM decided, in the end, to attend the COP27 summit - but does this government even have a credible net zero plan?Plus: Next week the government unveils its endlessly rescheduled, rebadged, and rewritten fiscal plan. The podcast team crunch the numbers and look ahead to next Friday's big event.Hannah White presents, with Cath Haddon and Tom Sasse Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 4, 2022 • 42min
Rumble in the Westminster Jungle
While Matt Hancock’s bushtucker trials will be making all the headlines, Westminster is wondering how Rishi Sunak will manage his ongoing Suella Braverman challenges. The IfG podcast team are joined by John Stevens, the Daily Mirror’s new political editor, to reflect on a bruising week for the restored Home Secretary. Also: the rearranged fiscal statement is looming. With the Prime Minister dropping plans to axe 91,000 civil service jobs, a new IfG paper sets out how to cut budgets with care. And is Keir Starmer on course for election success or is Labour in danger of a Sunak bounce? Hannah White presents, with Jill Rutter and Rhys Clyne.Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 28, 2022 • 44min
Ready for Rishi?
Another podcast, another prime minister. Liz Truss is out after just 50 days in No.10. Rishi Sunak is in, with the former Chancellor avoiding a showdown with Conservative party membership after both Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt dropped out of the race. So what next for the UK’s 57th PM? The IfG podcast team, with guest Emilio Casalicchio of Politico, analyse Sunak’s first days in the job – and weigh up the tricky challenges coming down the track. Restoring the economy to rude health, or at least getting it out of intensive care, is top of Sunak’s in-tray. But where can he find the spending cuts needed to balance the books? A new IfG paper warns that a re-run of austerity will be more difficult – and damaging – than the 2010 era. The pod team crunch the numbers.Presented by Gemma Tetlow with Tom Pope and Cath Haddon. Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 21, 2022 • 41min
Broken Truss
After a feverish week in Westminster and a chaotic 24 hours in government, Liz Truss has called time on her record-breakingly short stay in Number 10. The IfG podcast, with special guest Henry Newman, a former adviser to Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, assemble at the very moment Truss was preparing to announce her departure. The podcast team pick apart Truss’s failures in No10, the economic decisions that face new chancellor Jeremy Hunt, and how the next few weeks and months might play out. Plus: Could Boris Johnson really make a comeback? Alex Thomas presents. With Giles Wilkes and Gemma Tetlow. Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 14, 2022 • 41min
Is the lady for u-turning?
As pressure piles up on the prime minister, the IfG podcast team assemble - with guest Aubrey Allegretti of the Guardian - to work out what Liz Truss might do to calm both the markets and Conservative MPs The Halloween fiscal event isn't the only date in the Commons that will be spooking the PM - so join the Inside Briefing team on a walk through the government's autumn parliamentary minefield. And remember Brexit? A new IfG paper says that MPs aren't doing enough to scrutinise the UK's post-Brexit EU relationship. So what's the problem and how can it be fixed? Presented by Hannah White With Jill Rutter and Alice Lilly Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 7, 2022 • 49min
"The nightmarish state of British politics"
Academic, author and former Talking Politics host David Runciman joins the IfG podcast team to take stock of the state of British politics.As wearing Conservative politicians make their way back from Birmingham, and with Labour MP's having left Liverpool, just how health are Westminster's largest parties right now? Is growth the new dividing line in Westminster and beyond - and is there really an anti-growth coalition? And what on earth is going to happen next in the never-ending, unpredictable rollercoaster ride of British politics?Hannah White presentsWith Alex Thomas and Gemma TetlowProduced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 30, 2022 • 38min
Gilt trips & bank statements
The fallout from Kwasi Kwarteng's budget continues, so what can the chancellor do to calm the nerves? Guest Soumaya Keynes of the Economist joins the IfG podcast team to discuss what has gone wrong for Kwarteng and Liz Truss, and the lessons to be learnt from a week of economic turmoil. No drama for Starmer? We take a look back at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool and what Keir Starmer's speech tells us about the direction of travel for His Majesty's Opposition. And as the Conservative Party assembles in Birmingham, we look ahead to what could be a lively few days for Liz Truss - and what awaits at her first party conference since becoming PM. Presented by Hannah WhiteWith Giles Wilkes and Tom Pope Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 28, 2022 • 47min
Europe's Energy Crisis
With winter fast approaching, politicians across Europe have been taking dramatic steps to address the ongoing energy crisis. The IfG team are joined by Alice Hancock from the FT and Elisabetta Cornago from the Centre for European Reform to assess different countries’ responses. Is Europe ready for the winter ahead? Why is the UK’s support package so expensive? Are the public up for cutting their energy use? And what should countries be doing to tackle the crisis in the longer term? Presented by Tom Sasse with Olly Bartrum Produced by Candice McKenzie https://www.cer.eu/insights/eus-energy-plan-difficult-winter-what-are-options https://www.bruegel.org/dataset/national-policies-shield-consumers-rising-energy-prices https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/tackling-energy-efficiency-problem.pdf https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/Addressing-rising-energy-bills_0.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


