Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

A weak No.10 Downing Street compulsively micro-manages. The Cabinet Office is bloated and unwieldy. The Treasury dominates decision-making. And prime ministers often find that the levers of power aren’t working.So what is going wrong with the centre of government? What can be done to fix it? And, as a general election approaches, what difference would a re-designed centre mean for either Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer?A new Institute for Government report – the result of a year-long commission on the centre of government – has examined the problem and come up with some radical recommendations for reform. The report was launched was this week, at an event featuring two former prime ministers: Sir John Major and Gordon Brown. So on this special edition of Inside Briefing, the IfG team – with special guest Sally Morgan, Tony Blair’s former political secretary – take a deep dive into the heart of government.Hannah White presents, with Alex Thomas and Jordan Urban. Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeremy Hunt’s budget was a massive day in Westminster – and a big moment for the country. But what difference did it really make to the government’s fortunes – and to people’s pockets? Straight after crunching the numbers, studying the forecasts and making sense – or trying to – of the chancellor’s statement, the IfG public finances team gathered in the studio to record a special livestreamed episode of Inside Briefing. What have we learned from the chancellor’s big announcements and what choices did he make? What did the new OBR forecasts show about the UK’s economic prospects? What did it mean for public services? How did Labour respond? And how might this budget shape the battles on the economy at the next general election – and when that election might be held?Presented by Gemma Tetlow with Giles Wilkes, Jill Rutter and Olly Bartrum. Produced by Milo Hynes and Neil Bowerman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A general election is getting closer – and whoever forms the next government needs to be prepared. The campaign will dominate time and resources, but the job of being in government begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted. Preparing for Power, a special six-part series from the Institute for Government, takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get ready for what follows once the votes are counted.Episode 5 explores the role that manifestos play in – and after – an election campaign. How do political parties write their manifestos? What does a good manifesto look like? What are the questions that Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer will be considering when signing off on their manifestos for the 2024 general election? And how hard is it to deliver manifesto promises once a government is formed?Packed with insight and revelations from key figures behind past manifestos – including Oliver Letwin, Jonathan Powell and Polly Mackenzie – and former civil servants who were asked to turn manifesto pledges into workable policy, this episode of Preparing for Power reveals the inside story of this key part of a general election campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tom Baldwin joins the Inside Briefing team on the day his long-awaited biography of Keir Starmer is published. So what does the book reveal about the man who wants to be the next prime minister? How did Starmer’s upbringing – and his complicated relationship with his father – shape the politician he became? Do the book’s revelations give us a sense of what will define the general election showdown between Starmer and Rishi Sunak? And can political biographies affect how people think about politicians – and will this one answer the questions ask about the Labour leader?Plus: Lee Anderson is making headlines and political parties are accusing each other of Islamophobia and antisemitism. So why is the use of divisive political language getting worse – and what can be done it about it?And: Does it matter if Jeremy Hunt uses the Budget to say he has met his fiscal rules? A new IfG report accuses politicians of gaming the rules with “worse than fiction” spending plans. Its author joins the podcast to explain the problem – and set out a solution.Hannah White presents, with Cath Haddon, Tim Durrant and Olly Bartrum. Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A general election is getting closer – and whoever forms the next government needs to be prepared. The campaign will dominate time and resources, but the job of being in government begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted. Preparing for Power, a special six-part series from the Institute for Government, takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get ready for what comes after.Episode 4 explores how the governing party prepares for an election while continuing to govern, with ministers, civil servants and special advisers – including Oliver Letwin, Harriet Harman, Gus O'Donnell, Polly Mackenzie and Nick Macpherson – revealing how they approached the work of government during an election campaign.
How does a governing party balance a gruelling campaign alongside running the country? What are the advantages of being the party in power as the election approaches? And how can a governing party make the most of those final months before polling day? Veterans of the 2010 and 2015 elections share their stories. Produced by Milo Hynes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wednesday night’s debate on Gaza saw chaotic – and unedifying – scenes in Commons which brought parliament into disrepute. ConservativeHome’s Henry Hill joins the podcast team to make sense of what happened and to weigh up how much trouble Speaker Lindsay Hoyle is in.From trouble in parliament to problems with government, the IfG’s Commission on the Centre of Government will publish its final report on March 11. The podcast team set the scene – and explain why the winner of the next general election needs to radically redesign the centre of power.PLUS: Kemi Badenoch vs The Post Office.  The business secretary has knocked Rishi Sunak out of the headlines, but will this help her chances of succeeding him if a vacancy were to arise?Hannah White presents, with Alex Thomas. Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A general election is getting closer – and whoever forms the next government will need to prepare for the possibility of power. Thecampaign will dominate time and resources, but the job of being in government begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted. Preparing for Power, a special six-part series from the Institute for Government, takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get ready for being in government. Episode 3 explores how opposition parties prepare for a potential transition of government, with ministers, civil servants and advisors, including Jonathan Powell, Harriet Harman, Gus O’Donnell and Oliver Letwin, revealing how they got ready for the possibility of a change of government.How does an opposition develop policies that would actually work once they are in office? How can shadow teams ready themselves for taking over departments? What is the role of the chief of staff in these preparations? And what lessons could the approaches of Tony Blair and David Cameron provide for opposition parties preparing for the possibility of being in government?Veterans of the 1997 and 2010 transitions share their recollections – and their advice forKeir Starmer’s Labour party as a general election approaches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A double by-election battering for the government has made this a very bad week for Rishi Sunak. The loss of Kingswood and Wellingborough to Labour followed the news that the UK has fallen into recession. Conservative backbenchers are restless. And the polls are showing no signs shifting. Chris Cook of the Financial Times joins the podcast team to explore just how much trouble the prime minister is in – and what he can do to turn things around as a general election approaches.While the week ended on a high for Keir Starmer, it has not been a happy time for the Labour leader. Far from it. The selection - and then slow rejection - of Labour’s candidate in the Rochdale by-election has put Starmer under pressure – and left Labour without a candidate. So who is to blame for this clumsy handling of an increasingly embarrassing situation?Gemma Tetlow presents with Catherine Haddon and Giles Wilkes. Produced by Candice McKenzie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whoever forms the next government will need to be prepared. The job begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted. Preparing for Power, a special six-part series from the Institute for Government, takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get ready for being in government.Episode 2 explores how the civil service prepare for a potential transition of government, with five former permanent secretaries revealing how they readied themselves and their departments for a potential change in their political bosses.How does Whitehall prepare for a change in the party in power? What can civil servants do to get ready for a hung parliament? And how do they continue to serve the current government while these preparations are going on? In this episode of preparing for power, we speak to former senior civil servants to discover how they prepared for that all important election result and its aftermath, hear their secrets, and work out the lessons for 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The King’s health has dominated the news this week, but the prime minister has been making controversial headlines with his televised bet with Piers Morgan and a major PMQs bust-up with Keir Starmer. It hasn't been an easy couple of days for the Labour leader either, with Starmer dropping his £28bn green pledge – but will voters notice? Plus: How can we fix the NHS? This week sees the publication of the Times Health Commission. Its chair, Rachel Sylvester, is this week’s guest.Hannah White presents, with Cath Haddon and Stuart Hoddinott. Produced by Candice McKenzie   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices