Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

A Queen’s Speech without a Queen, but was it a Queen’s Speech without a theme? The Guardian’s Rafael Behr joins the podcast team to dissect Prince Charles’ big day – and make sense of the whopping list of 38 bills unveiled by the government. And just what could Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson have been talking about as they strolled awkwardly together through Parliament to hear the Speech? As the partygate and beergate sagas continue to unfold, which leader is in the most difficulty and what happens next? Presented by Bronwen Maddox, with Alice Lilly and Alex Thomas. Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Election results were landing by the time the IfG podcast team - with guest Anoosh Chakelian of the New Statesman - assembled in the studio.What do the votes all mean for Boris Johnson and who emerged as the night’s big winner? The latest twist in the beergate story broke while the pod was recording - so what will Keir Starmer do next? And with Northern Ireland on the cusp of a historic election result, what happens next (or doesn't) at Stormont?Hannah White is joined by Cath Haddon, Alex Nice and Jess Sargeant.Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With less than a week to go until a series of elections across the UK, the FT's Jim Pickard joins the podcast team to discuss what's at stake - and what the results could mean. The cost of living crisis will no doubt be featuring on the doorstep, so is there more the government could be doing to help? And as Emmanuel Macron secures a second term as French President, the Institut Montaigne's Georgina Wright dials in from Paris to talk through an eventful - and crucial - election.  Presented by Hannah White, with Akash Paun and Olly BartrumProduced by Candice McKenzie   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The prime minister avoided another explosive day in Westminster by heading to India, but is the home front becoming ever-more precarious for Boris Johnson? The i paper’s Paul Waugh joins the Inside Briefing team to make sense of the seemingly never-ending partygate row.                                                                                                                                       And as ministers do their best to knock stories about parties and police fines off the front pages, the podcast crew pick apart the government’s much-criticized plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda and dissect the latest briefings against civil servants who are choosing to work from home. Emma Norris presents with Catherine Haddon, Jill Rutter and Rhys Clyne. Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Boris Johnson’s Fixed Penalty Notice for breaking COVID rules makes him the first sitting Prime Minister who, as far as anyone can remember, has been found to have broken the law while in office. Is this the beginning of the end of the Partygate saga? Or merely the end of the beginning?We discuss what it means for Boris Johnson, his party, the public and for the UK’s system of standards that is supposed to hold our politicians to account. And it has been a tough week for the Chancellor. Even before being fined for walking in on a birthday party, Rishi Sunak was facing a difficult time with revelations over his wife’s tax arrangements and criticism of his department’s response to the cost of living crisis. As Sunak’s popularity plumets, the podcast team weigh up his performance – and what he does next.  Senior UK correspondent at Politico Europe Esther Webber joins presenter Hannah White, Tim Durrant, and Jill Rutter.Produced by Candice McKenzie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Propaganda in warfare is an ancient concept, but has Russia’s information campaign since it invaded Ukraine taken things to a new level? Are Russia’s state-controlled media and troll factories all about domestic support or an attempt to win international support? And how does the West counter fake news and help ensure that people can trust the information they see? In this special edition of Inside Briefing, Bronwen Maddox is joined by Marianna Spring, the BBC’s specialist disinformation and social media reporter, Full Fact director Will Moy, and Ian Garner, historian and translator of Russian war propaganda and author of the forthcoming Stalingrad Lives: Stories of Combat & Survival. Produced by Candice McKenzie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Boris Johnson reckons he is now more popular in parts of Kyiv than parts of Kensington, so how worried should the prime minister be as Partygate returns to the frontpages? With the UK at the heart of the West’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the podcast team weigh up Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin’s comments at the IfG on UK defence priorities. And if it wasn’t for crises – of very different natures – we might be talking more about policy, so was the government’s new education white paper worth the wait? Former Department for Education adviser Sam Freedman joins the podcast to discuss another eventful week in British politics. Bronwen Maddox presents, with Alex Thomas and Tim Durrant. Produced by Candice McKenzie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After Rishi Sunak's spring statement was met with a barrage of bruising headlines, we crunch the numbers and assess what the chancellor announced - and what he didn't say - with guest John Rentoul, the Independent's chief political commentator. Who authorised an airlift of animals in the midst of the UK's chaotic evacuation from Kabul? That was the subject of an excruciating select committee session this week, but what does it say about how well the Foreign Office is functioning?  And what's up with WhatsApp? Westminster's favourite way to communicate may not be great for good government - and a new IfG paper sets out the problems, and what could be done to fix them. Bronwen Maddox presents. With Jill Rutter, Tim Durrant, Tom Pope and guest John Rentoul. Produced by Candice McKenzie  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Britain’s economy survived omicron relatively unscathed, but soaring inflation and energy price rises exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine mean Rishi Sunak has a tough job on his hands to ease the worst cost of living crisis in decades.Ahead of Wednesday’s spring statement, we discuss what options the chancellor has available to him to ease the squeeze. Former Treasury advisor Tim Pitt and National Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses Martin McTague are our special guests.“Unless wage growth can match inflation, the cost of living squeeze is going to be much worse than expected.” - Tom Pope“Ukraine produces a lot of the world’s grain, so food prices are rising because of the conflict.” - Tom Pope“The Chancellor can only take the edge of the pain for people, it will be a difficult period for millions.” - Tim Pitt“Helping the vulnerable has to be the priority, but swathes of middle England are also about to be slapped.”- Tim Pitt“I’ll be very interested to see if the Chancellor mentions the phrase net-zero.” - Jill Rutter“Small businesses are having to compete for a shrinking pool of labour, so there will be pay rises.” - Martin McTagueThis budget preview edition is supported by the Federation of Small Businesses. Find out more at www.fsb.org.ukPresented by Gemma Tetlow with Tom Pope and Jill Rutter. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russia faces a raft of sanctions amid global disgust at the invasion of Ukraine. We discuss nations severing ties with Vladimir Putin’s regime, and what long term ramifications there might be. Plus, as oligarchs hit the headlines, we discuss Russian money in Britain. Financial Times correspondent Polina Ivanova, King’s Russia Institute director Samuel Greene, and Butler to the World author Oliver Bullough join Bronwen Maddox to unpack these issues. “These are speeches and addresses [from Putin] that are meant to make Russian’s angry.” — Samuel Greene “As long as they’re his [Putin’s] friends, he doesn’t really see them as oligarchs.” — Oliver Bullough“This is about punishment and about changing the power structure in Russia.” — Samuel Greene “Russian oligarchs don’t really trust the Russian legal system any more than anyone else does.” — Oliver BulloughPresented by Bronwen Maddox with . Audio production by Jade Bailey. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices