Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

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

Despite peace talks taking place, Russia’s assault on Ukraine shows no sign of slowing down. With Boris Johnson jetting to the Gulf in an effort to ease the energy crisis, we discuss the latest from the conflict.Also, in light of Partygate plans to streamline the prime minister’s team have emerged. Will they work? And we take a look at a new IFG report on how Brexit is affecting agricultural support. Former Sky News editor Adam Boulton is this week’s special guest.“We’re in a different time, Russia is aggressive in a way that it wasn’t for much of the Cold War.” - Adam Boulton“The Government have changed their relationship with Russian donors, but Johnson has gone to another dictator looking for oil.” - Cath Haddon“British foreign policy is all over the place… Brexit means we’re not identifying with a common European effort.” - Adam Boulton“The Cabinet Office has grown to over 8,000 people as it has taken on the operational aspects of Government.” - Alex ThomasPresented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Alex Thomas 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

The war in Ukraine shows no sign of easing, and its impact is being felt across UK government. What will it mean for bills if Russian energy imports are cut off? And why is the Home Office making such a mess of the Ukraine refugee crisis? Robert Colvile, director of the Centre for Policy Studies and Sunday Times columnist, joins the pod team to discuss. And a new IfG report looks back at the last crisis, which saw a lack of accountability and blame-gaming mark central government’s relationship with public bodies during the pandemic. So what went wrong and what needs to be done to get it right next time? We speak to the report author. Presented by Catherine Haddon, with Giles Wilkes, Jill Rutter and Matthew Gill.Produced by Candice McKenzie. “The problem with energy is that you can’t conjure it into being” – Robert Colvile “Net zero commitments are just going to be parked in a lot of countries while we deal with this crisis” – Robert Colvile “Lord knows how the internal economy of Russia works right now” – Giles Wilkes “I’m still recovering my morale … I might own a little bit of Chelsea” – Giles Wilkes “The Home Office is fundamentally a department of control – it’s lagging very badly” – Jill Rutter “It’s not an accident that the phrase ‘not fit for purpose’ was coined about the Home Office” – Robert Colvile Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The awful scenes of war and violence in Ukraine show no sign of ending. Will an unprecedented barrage of sanctions be enough to shift Vladimir Putin’s strategy? If not, what other options are available to the West? The IfG team are joined by Georgina Wright of Institut Montaigne to discuss where the crisis might go next, assess a notably coordinated EU response, and make sense of a stunning shift in German policy. We then switch attention to the UK, where questions at the heart of the IfG’s mission – how good governments function, how to strengthen institutions, and how to ensure politicians follow the rules and are held to account – look more relevant than ever. Two new IfG reports set out what can be done to reform and strengthen the civil service.  “Other than some kind of major event in Russia, it is hard to see a route of this that isn’t incredibly depressing” - Catherine Haddon “The threat that Putin could put his missiles on an even higher standing of readiness is hanging over this” – Bronwen Maddox “It is absolutely incredible what we are seeing happen in Germany. You have a government that is giving way completely to radical new policy” – Georgina Wright “We saw how difficult it was to leave the EU. It’s just as difficult to join. Can the EU realistically grant Ukraine, a country at war, candidate status?” – Georgina Wright “Confused accountability undermines the civil service’s confidence. Bolstering its legitimacy will help bolster its confidence and authority inside government” – Alex Thomas Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas, Cath Haddon, and guest Georgina Wright. Produced by Candice McKenzie for the Institute for Government in association with Podmasters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russia invades Ukraine and shocks the world, with casualties already reported and citizens fleeing Kyiv. What does Putin want? And can a raft of sanctions introduced by Western governments force him to change his mind? Former chair of the Intelligence and Security committee DOMINIC GRIEVE joins us to discuss the crisis and its ramifications for Europe.“Ukraine’s status as an independent state on Russia’s borders has become intolerable to Putin.” - Alex Nice“The signs have been clear for a long time that Putin will use any means if it furthers his agenda.” - Dominic Grieve“This crisis could extend to the Baltic states. If Putin thinks there is a weakness, then he will exploit it.” - Dominic Grieve“BBC Russia does an excellent job, and removing RT might result in a ‘tit-for-tat’ response from Russia.”“This refugee crisis will primarily focus on Poland, but other states including the UK should be involved in this.” - Alex Nice “Three decades of German foreign policy has been washed away by this crisis.” - Cath HaddonPresented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Alex Nice. 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

The Ukraine Crisis is still unresolved. What exactly does Putin want, is he determined to use force to achieve it – and can Britain do anything about it? Plus, Boris Johnson plans to create a new ‘Office of the Prime Minister’. But what exactly is the Cabinet Office, how does this “odds and sods department” work – and is the idea of creating a whole new department wise, Prime Minister? Ex-Cabinet Office minister and Justice Secretary David Lidington and former (founding) head of the National Cyber Security Centre Ciaran Martin are our special guests.  “Any Ukrainian will tell you they’ve been at war with Russia since 2014… They’ve been under severe cyber-harassment from Russia ever since.” – Ciaran Martin “If Ukraine makes a success of democracy and a Euro-Atlantic way of looking at the world, that’s a mortal threat to Putin and his regime.” – David Lidington “When you’re doing civil service reform, don’t hide behind jargon because that might be the thing that sinks it.” – Cath Haddon “Ukraine is Russia’s cyber playground… The Russians constantly use it to undermine Ukrainians’ faith in their society and their government.” – Ciaran Martin Presented by Alex Thomas and Cath Haddon. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bronwen Maddox gives the Institute for Government’s annual Director’s Lecture, followed by a response from New Statesman political editor Stephen Bush and a discussion chaired by Sir David Lidington, the former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Minister for the Cabinet Office, and Justice Secretary.In her speech, Bronwen reflects on the Government’s handling of the pandemic, expectations of government now, and the reforms that are needed.Audio production by Candice McKenzie for IfG#IfGDirector Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will Boris Johnson’s panic reshuffle provide the hard reset he needs? Can reorganising the No.10 backroom dispel the shadows of the Gray Report and the Met investigation into parties at Downing Street? Plus Sir John Major launches stinging criticism of the PM at an IfG event this week. Will it tip the scales for Boris Johnson? And the big question… what’s wrong with British government?Political commentator Steve Richards – host of the Rock’n’Roll Politics podcast – is our special guest this week. “This is the most blistering attack from a former occupant of No.10 to a current occupant that I can recall.” – Steve Richards “This was John Major battling for the heart and soul of the Conservative Party… He was calling out the entire Cabinet for tolerating this Prime Minister.” – Jill Rutter “Blair told me one of his reshuffles was a two-year project. This one took place over a weekend. It’s shallow.” – Steve Richards “You can have the most tightly organised government in the world but unless Johnson becomes more serious and focused, it won’t matter.” – Emma Norris Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Emma Norris and Jill Rutter. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Institute for Government is delighted to welcome Sir John Major KG CH to give a keynote speech on the issue of trust and standards in British democracy. The event is chaired by Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government.Watch the keynote here. Sir John Major was Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997. He served as MP for Huntingdon from 1979 to 2001.Audio production by Candice McKenzie for IfG Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sue Gray has finally published her report into Downing Street parties, and despite it being a diminished version, it was damning about the culture and structure of No. 10. What does it mean for Boris Johnson - and what happens next?The Met Police’s decision to launch their own investigation stymied Gray’s report, and reports of misogyny within the Met has put chief commissioner Cressida Dick under huge pressure. And the long-awaited levelling up white paper has been released. Was it worth the wait?- “The party in the Downing Street flat on 13th November is most dangerous for Johnson.” - Emma Norris- “Most people do think the rules were broken in Downing Street, it doesn’t really matter what the Prime Minister says.” - Tim Durrant- “No matter how independent Civil Servants are, they are not the right person to investigate the Prime Minister, who is also their boss.” - Emma Norris- “When Sue Gray announced she was going to slim down her report, the odds of Johnson staying past June went up 20%.” - Giles WilkesPresented by Bronwen Maddox with Emma Norris. Tim Durrant and Giles Wilkes. 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