Inside Briefing with the Institute fo...

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.

Government
Politics
26
Keir Starmer and the cost of security
42 min
27
International Women's Day special: The inside s...
34 min
28
Trump vs Iran: Is the UK ready for war?
40 min
29
Will Rachel Reeves spring a forecast surprise?
42 min
30
All roads lead to Romeo
40 min
31
Resets and resignations: Starmer's worst week yet
39 min
32
Keir Starmer's Mandelson Scandal
32 min
33
Growth strategy pains, trains and regional deals
41 min
34
Starmer’s Trump diplomacy and Darren Jones’s fa...
37 min
35
Wes Streeting’s government health-check
35 min
36
Donald Trumps Starmer’s New Year Plans
36 min
37
2025 in Review: Starmer's Year of Drama 
46 min
38
The Trump challenge: Chaos, confusion and gover...
61 min
39
Four mayors delayed, three ministers reflect, a...
38 min
40
Should the U.K. do budgets differently? 
41 min
41
Autumn budget 2025: What is Rachel Reeves’ plan...
57 min
42
In conversation with John Swinney MSP, First Mi...
64 min
43
John Swinney’s goals for Scotland
34 min
44
Keir Starmer’s government: Traitors or Faithfuls?
32 min
45
Rachel Reeves and the art of pitch rolling th...
41 min
46
Home Office truths with Shabana Mahmood
30 min
47
The Prisons Crisis Strikes Back
34 min
48
Tinker, Tailor, Starmer, Spies
36 min
49
Lessons in Kemistry
43 min
50
Gloves off: Starmer v Reform
35 min