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
301
Freeze A Jolly Good Furlough
<p>As the COVID outlook worsens dramatically, can Boris Johnson make another six months of restrictions stick? Is Rishi Sunak’s new Job Support Scheme just the old furlough in disguise, and will it hold back a tide of autumn job losses? And how prepared are public services for an extended crisis? Special guest <strong>Sir David Lidington</strong>, former de facto Deputy Prime Minister, explains the consequences of a new near-lockdown for consumer confidence, public health and the Government’s stability.&nbsp;</p><br><p><em>“If you don’t get the tax receipts coming in from the economy then you’ll have some very difficult decisions about public spending.” –</em><strong> David Lidington</strong></p><br><p><em>“The Government needs to be seen to reach out… Metro mayors and local authorities need to be partners not adversaries.” </em>– <strong>David Lidington</strong></p><br><p><em>“MPs who brief the papers about how unhappy they are generally do not speak for the majority of the Parliamentary party”</em> – <strong>David Lidington</strong></p><br><p><br></p><p>Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Nick Davies and Gemma Tetlow. Audio production by Alex Rees</p><p><br></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>
42 min
302
Test Botch Special
With guest Anoosh Chakelian of the New Statesman
39 min
303
Specific and Limited Chaos
<p>As Boris Johnson attempts to feed the Withdrawal Bill into a shredder marked “Internal Market Bill”, what does it mean for the rule of law, civil servants and the devolved nations when a government tries to abrogate international law? And as a new IfG report shows the Government’s plans to reach zero carbon by 2050 are way off track, what does it need to do to meet this ambitious target – and what will it cost?&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p>“I can’t see any way this gets through the Lords in its current form.” – <strong>Alex Thomas&nbsp;</strong></p><p>“The nature of the law is, you don’t get to choose when to follow it – because it’s the law.” – <strong>Raphael Hogarth</strong></p><p>“Some of the rationale for this is reasonable and some of it is Mad Max chaos and destruction.” – <strong>Alex Thomas</strong></p><br><p>Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Maddy Thimont-Jack, Alex Thomas and Raphael Hogarth. Audio production by Alex Rees</p><p><br></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>
40 min
304
Simon’s on the Case
What's in store for the new Cabinet Secretary?
34 min
305
Return to Brexit Island
The IfG Brexit team on the rocky path to Dec 31
32 min
306
Slave To The ’Rithm – Exams crisis fallout
With guest Sonia Sodha of The Observer
29 min
307
Marksism Today: The A Levels Fiasco
With special guest Rafael Behr of The Guardian
44 min
308
Northern Uproar and Overloading the Lords
With guest Jennifer Williams of the Manchester Evening News
41 min
309
The Pain In Spain
With guest Sir Lawrence Freedman, former member of the Iraq War inquiry
39 min
310
Civil Service: Is a Hard Rain really gonna fall?
Plus the Russia Report: what should happen next?
41 min
311
Huawei, Lewis And The News
With special guest GORDON CORERA, BBC Security Correspondent
36 min
312
Rishi’s Groupon Gamble
With guest Rupert Harrison, ex-Chief of Staff to George Osborne
41 min
313
SIR BERNARD JENKIN on the Civil Service’s turbu...
A bonus conversation with Alex Thomas of the IfG
20 min
314
A Good Year For The Roosevelts
With guest Robert Shrimsley of the Financial Times
46 min
315
Resign o’the Times: Mark Sedwill departs
Can you reform the Civil Service in the middle of a crisis?
23 min
316
Let’s Go Outside?
Can Boris Johnson put COVID behind him?
43 min
317
U-Turn When You Don’t Want To
Insourcing probation, assimilating DFiD
35 min
318
COVID: You do the Aftermath
Towards a Corona inquiry with special guest Steve Richards
40 min
319
BONUS: Mark Landler of the NYT extended interview
Our full-length conversation with the New York Times’ London bureau chief
17 min
320
Do the Demoggcracy Conga
With special guests Rowland Manthorpe of SKY and Mark Landler of the NY Times
43 min
321
Should Have Gone To SPAD-Savers
With special guest TIM MONTGOMERIE
42 min
322
BONUS: The roots of America's COVID chaos with ...
An extended version of this week's interview
22 min
323
Back To Life, Back To Reality?
As the COVID lockdown eases, who will share the blame?
47 min
324
On Her Majesty’s Beleagured Service
With special guest Iain Martin of The Times
48 min
325
For Those About To Unlock
With guests Torcuil Crichton and Nick Timmins
42 min