Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

As the G7 in Cornwall marks the first major summit of the post-COVID era, can Boris Johnson steer conversation away from the worsening Northern Ireland Protocol situation towards his preferred theme of Global Britain? We hear from Tom Newton Dunn, chief political commentator at Times Radio and political columnist at the Evening Standard. Plus, inside UK Government’s woeful record on ethics. ‘Freedom Day’ on June 21 in jeopardy. And your guide to the upcoming Sausage War with the EU. • “The fact that this G7 is even happening is in itself an achievement.” – Tom Newton Dunn • “What does Boris Johnson want from the G7? He wants to be at the centre of global attention for vaccination and climate change.” – Alex Thomas • “Politics is a contact sport… the drought of social interaction will lend extra weight to this G7.” – Hannah White Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Hannah White and Alex Thomas. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Covid-19 will top the agenda at this month's G7 summit in Cornwall. As some countries lift restrictions and near the completion of vaccine rollouts, others face severe outbreaks or progress being derailed by new variants. No country will escape from the Covid crisis alone – a coordinated global plan which covers vaccination, surveillance and health infrastructure is essential. To discuss how world leaders can meet these challenges and put in place long-term plans for handling the threat of Covid-19, this Institute for Government event saw an expert panel draw on a series of roundtables organised by the IfG and Wellcome Trust. Our panel included: Tom Whipple, Science Editor, The Times Sir Suma Chakrabarti, former Permanent Secretary, DfID and the Ministry of Justice, and incoming chair of the Overseas Development Institute. President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development from 2012–20 Dame Una O’Brien, former Permanent Secretary, UK Department of Health; Member of Council, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Professor Gagandeep Kang, Professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, India and Fellow of the Royal Society. The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. #IfGG7 We would like to thank Wellcome Trust for kindly supporting this event. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What divides the great Prime Ministers from the mediocre and the just plain bad? And how does Boris Johnson measure up in those stakes? Author of The Impossible Office: The History of the British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Seldon and former Government advisor Salma Shah take us on a deep dive into the harsh realities of the country’s most powerful office. Is Boris Johnson really as bad a PM as Dominic Cummings says he is? And is unfitness for office just a myth? • “Unfitness for office has never disqualified people as Prime Ministers. The question with Johnson is, was he unfit enough?” – Anthony Seldon • “One of Prime Ministers’ strengths is a complete lack of self-awareness… Otherwise every day would be a duvet day.” – Salma Shah • “Every PM who’s been less successful has lacked that clear, ruthless vision. You must either have it – or history must throw it on your plate.” – Anthony Seldon • “Sajid Javid had a knack of making your believe any decision was yours and not his.” – Salma Shah • “So much of being a Prime Minister is a confidence trick. If confidence collapses, as it did for Theresa May, it’s all over.” – Anthony Seldon Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What should we take from Dominic Cummings’ volcanic testimony before the Commons Heath, and Science and Technology committees, and his excoriation of Matt Hancock? Is Boris Johnson’s No.10 really so chaotic? And if the PM is “unfit for office”, how could Cummings work with him for so long? Special guest Sam Freedman, a former adviser at the Department for Education who has worked with Cummings, helps us sift the rubble from one of Westminster’s most cataclysmic days. “This wasn’t so much a machine-gunning as a bombardment with shells.” – Bronwen Maddox “When you’re spending your time in No.10 managing the PM away from big issues then you have a serious problem.” – Jill Rutter “Johnson behaves like a toddler. All he does is make stupid jokes and try to get attention for himself. You can see how he would be a hindrance in COBRA.” – Sam Freedman “Cummings gave a picture of an incredibly centralised government, very focused on whiteboards in Downing Street and not the outside world.” – Alex Thomas “I’ve never seen Cummings as having any intellectual respect for Johnson. He saw Boris as a vehicle for his ideas.” – Sam Freedman “When you have a Prime Minister who thinks rules are for mugs, you don’t get good government.” – Jill Rutter Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Jill Rutter, Alex Thomas and Sam Freedman. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will the Indian Variant push back the Great Unlocking of June 21 that Boris Johnson has pinned so many hopes on? Are we looking at the return to tiers or even national lockdowns, and will Conservative COVID hawks wear it? Meanwhile the Government’s advice on international travel continues to baffle. Is “go but don’t go” really good enough? And what can we expect from the COVID Inquiry, just confirmed by government? “It’s sobering that, if we accept the worst case scenarios, we could be back at the levels of cases that we saw in January and February.” – Giles Wilkes “Any chair who accepted these terms for the COVID enquiry would not be fit for the job.” – Marcus Shepheard “Did the Government delay ending travel from India because it wanted a deal with the Indian Government? Absolutely. I’ll be amazed if not.” – Giles Wilkes Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Giles Wilkes, Matthew Gill, Rosa Hodgkin and Marcus Shepheard. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do the thirty bills in that very brief Queen’s Speech tell us about No.10’s true priorities, and whatever happened to social care? How is this delivery-obsessed Government doing against its 2019 manifesto commitments? Plus LATIKA BOURKE, a London-based journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, joins us to look at Australia’s draconian but hugely popular COVID response – and its strangely slothful vaccination effort. What can Britain learn from the way Australia tackled Coronavirus? • “Economically this Queen’s Speech was disappointing… It’s as if nothing has changed since January 2020.” – Giles Wilkes • “I’m always amused by this ‘manifesto commitment’ idea you have in the UK, and the idea that governments might keep their promises…” – Latika Bourke • “I’d like to see what Conservative Party this is. Are they going to deregulate, or invest… or have they found some Third Way?” – Giles Wilkes • “In Australia, this pandemic feels like something that’s happening to other people somewhere else.” – Sarah Nickson • “Australia’s isolationist COVID response will damage Australia’s soft power around the world. It’s as if we’ve shirked our responsibilities to the world.” – Latika Bourke Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Giles Wilkes and Sarah Nickson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Was the seismic shock of the Conservative victory in Hartlepool down to Brexit, vaccines, pork barrel politics or something more fundamental? What does this shock by-election mean for the endless battle between Starmer and the Corbynites? In the local elections, are the so-called Green and Lib Dem surges real? And what we know so far about the Scottish and Welsh national elections – all in a Friday afternoon interim election special. • “Journalists will be thumbing over this for days – but political scientists will be looking at the causes for years to come.” – Cath Haddon • “The trend towards this has been decades in the making.” – Jess Sargeant Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Akash Paun and Jess Sargeant. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The bill for renovating Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat, what he might have said about “bodies piling high” and Dominic Cummings’ blog revelations have added up to a nightmare week for the Prime Minister. Special guest Stephen Daisley of The Spectator and Scottish Daily Mail joins us to ask if Johnson can weather it and if new ministerial standards advisor Christopher Geidt has the powers he needs. Plus, could the fall of Arlene Foster lead to a harder-line DUP leadership and even another breakdown of government in Northern Ireland? And we take a deep dive into the realities of Scotland’s potential independent future. “The question is, Has the PM done anything that would put him on the wrong side of Ted Hastings from Line Of Duty?” – Stephen Daisley “The Gove and Henry Newman faction is much in the ascendant and we’re seeing a clear-out of the Vote Leave people.” – Stephen Daisley “For the French, the scandal is that Boris Johnson hasn’t spent ENOUGH on his wallpaper…” – Stephen Daisley Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Gemma Tetlow, Jill Rutter, Cath Haddon and Graham Atkins. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s revelations about James Dyson’s text messages to Boris Johnson have worsened the fog of sleaze and added to accusations that this Government is an opaque chumocracy. Is it possible to keep government “permeable” to valuable outside talent without opening it to backroom favours? Special guest Adrian Masters, Political Editor of ITV Cymru Wales, joins us to explain what could be Wales's closest Parliamentary election of the Devolution era. And how well did the Government play the football Super League fiasco? “The Government might see direct messages as a way of getting quick solutions in a crisis. But if you’ve got the PM’s mobile number, do you get better access than anyone else?” – Cath Haddon “Politicians are the least trusted people in the country, so it’s entirely possible that voters will dismiss this as ‘just what politicians do’.” – Tim Durrant “There’s a danger that we overreact and we don’t get those valuable outside skills because we’re trying to prevent unfair financial advantage.” – Cath Haddon “It feels like this steady flow of revelations is building into a public moment.” – Tim Durrant Presented by Bronwen with Cath Haddon, Tim Durrant and Akash Paun. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The relationship between a failing business and a former prime minister, lobbying in British politics, the rules that guide both ministers and civil servants, and the wider state of standards in public life. Along with former prime minister David Cameron, the Greensill saga has now dragged a growing list of former and current government ministers and officials into its orbit. And it shows no sign of calming down. So what are the latest developments, what rules have been broken, what rules aren’t good enough and will the various inquiries now launched actually fix anything? A special INSIDE BRIEFING EXTRA brings together IfG’s experts on ministers, civil servants and standards in public life to make sense of it all – and look at the current rules and what now needs to change. With Hannah White, IfG deputy director and a former secretary of the committee on Standards in Public Life Tim Durrant, IfG associate director, former civil servant and lead for IfG work on ministers Alex Thomas, IfG programme director and a former civil servant at the heart of government Presented by Catherine Haddon, IfG senior fellow Audio production by Candice McKenzie See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From runways at Heathrow to leaving the EU, the Government dislikes its decisions being challenged in court. Now it’s putting Judicial Review itself under the spotlight. A new IfG report asks if that’s a wise course of action. Plus, are COVID passports really our Get Out Of Corona Jail card? Will they even work? And will they be using them in Parliament? This week’s special guest is Sir Jonathan Jones, head of the government legal service from 2014 to 2020. “Good policymaking and lawful policymaking ought to be two sides of the same coin.” – Jonathan Jones “Brexit has heightened the temperature around judicial review against the Government.” - Cath Haddon “Boris Johnson himself is a big fan of COVID passports… and that means a lot.” – Raphael Hogarth “If policy on vaccine passports is flaky then that’s going to risk a serious challenge.” – Jonathan Jones Presented by Hannah White with Cath Haddon, Raphael Hogarth and Tom Sasse. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As street violence convulses Northern Ireland, is the border in the Irish Sea producing exactly the crisis the Government were warned of? And will the expiry of the Grace Period make things worse? Special guest Ailbhe Rea, the New Statesman’s political correspondent and host of its podcast, explains what’s behind the tensions. Plus, will elections in Scotland and Wales push the UK closer to break-up? And No.10’s growing vaccine confidence problem. “The Union is under the biggest threat it’s seen since the crisis in Ireland that created it.” – Jill Rutter “Paramilitary makes them sound more glamorous than they are. They’re just criminal gangs and drug dealers.” – Ailbhe Rea “Unionists have been forced to accept something that waters down their sense of being part of the UK.” – Jill Rutter Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Jill Rutter, Jess Sergeant and Akash Paun. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As new details emerge about Boris Johnson’s alleged affair with Jennifer Arcuri, the country seems strangely unmoved. Does personal morality really matter in leaders? And should we be thinking about the money not the sex? Plus, what does the unravelling Greensill saga tell us about backdoor access to government? Has David Cameron actually broken any rules? And we look at the trade realities that an independent Scotland would have to face. The Sunday Times's Whitehall Correspondent Gabriel Pogrund is our special guest for this one hundredth edition. “It’s not for journalists to moralise about Johnson’s private life. What matters is that Jennifer Arcuri received public money.” – Gabriel Pogrund “The British public are gloriously indifferent as to whether their leaders have poor personal morality.” – Giles Wilkes “How was it that this guy who had just left a bank was able to inveigle himself into the heart of Government?” – Gabriel Pogrund “Greensill is not just about the rules, it’s about ethical principles. And there’s a risk to public perception over what Cameron chose to do.” – Hannah White “The SNP are taking a leaf out of Vote Leave’s book. It doesn’t help to be too candid.” – Gabriel Pogrund Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Hannah White, Giles Wilkes, Jess Sergeant and Akash Paun. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A year on from Lockdown One, what have we learned – if anything – from the response to the once-in-a-century crisis of COVID? A new IfG paper identifies ten urgent lessons that government needs to learn. And if there is to be a Public Inquiry, what should it seek to discover? Plus, as the post-EU Transition Period ends, does the real Brexit start here? And what problems has the Government’s approach stored up? The Guardian’s Rafael Behr is our special guest. “Boris Johnson wanted to play the role of the happy-go-lucky leader and it just did not equip him for delivering the bad news and hard decisions that the crisis demanded.” – Rafael Behr “There’s a clichéd Yes Minister view that the Civil Service elite know better than operational systems on the ground… But the pandemic turned that on its head.” – Alex Thomas “I fear that the current Prime Minister will quickly seal off the disaster site, bulldoze the black boxes and claim it’s time to move on.” – Rafael Behr Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Maddy Thimont-Jack, Rhys Clyne and Alex Thomas. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s in the mammoth 114-page Integrated Review of Britain’s defence and foreign policy? Should we really be putting aircraft carriers in the South China Sea and lifting the caps on nuclear warheads? And can the Government really re-tilt Britain from Europe to the “Indo-Pacific”? Plus, what will be the fallout from the murder of Sarah Everard and the Met’s disastrous mishandling of a subsequent vigil for policing and women’s safety? Our special guests are Sophia Gaston, Director of the British Foreign Policy group, and former senior advisor to Tony Blair John McTernan. “This review is a totally clean break from the polarised rhetoric of the Brexit era… This is not a pieces of boosterish British exceptionalism. ” – Sophia Gaston “Nuclear decisions are never just about the deterrent. They’re about how you’re perceived at the top table.” – Cath Haddon “Britain wants to be the leading European presence in the Indo-Pacific region… And that means some negotiation with the EU to say the least.” – Sophia Gaston “This doesn’t feel like a properly authored policy. It’s cut and paste. It’s gesture.” – John McTernan Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Alex Thomas. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will the reverberations from Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey change the Monarchy? Is this a passing PR crisis or an existential moment for the Monarchy? And how do you carry out an inquiry into an institution as impenetrable as “the Firm”? Plus, as schools return en masse, can we rely on the £37bn Test and Trace system when inquiries have shown it to have made little to no contribution to the fight against COVID? And is the much-derided 1% pay proposal for NHS staff just Boris Johnson’s next U-Turn in waiting? This week’s special guest is CNN’s Luke McGee. “It’s an institution in crisis but it’s also a family in crisis.” – Cath Haddon “If you look at polling around Meghan and Harry’s generation, they do think it’s absurd to bow and curtsey to your grandmother.” – Luke McGee “If the Government thinks a 1% rise is sufficient for the NHS, it will have to work hard to explain how that’s going to help NHS recruitment.” – Graham Atkins Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Alex Thomas and Graham Atkins. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The highest level of public debt and highest tax burden since the late 1960s, the first increase in corporation tax since 1974, the largest net tax rise since 1993… In this special edition of Inside Briefing, IfG chief economist, Gemma Tetlow, is joined by IfG senior economist Tom Pope, and IfG senior fellows Jill Rutter and Giles Wilkes to trawl through the details of Rishi Sunak’s second budget. Did he do enough to support businesses and households as the lockdown lifts? Will the plans for large future tax rises and cuts to benefit payments stick? What did the budget reveal about the government’s strategy for UK growth? Audio production by Candice McKenzie #IfGBudget2021 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Business was taken aback when Rishi Sunak raised its tax bill in this week’s Budget – but the sums Sunak is dealing with are eyewatering. Is there enough in his plans for tapered support and delayed tax to stimulate a post-COVID recovery? Will a country that’s been sold on “levelling up” accept higher taxes by stealth and lowered living standards? Plus: what on earth is going on with Sturgeon vs Salmond – and how could it affect Scotland’s political future? This week’s special guests are Torcuil Crichton, political editor of the Daily Record, and IfG Fellow and former advisor to Tony Blair John McTernan. “It’s very clear that the Government are going to use the pork barrel. You can see the lineaments of Populist government” – John McTernan “That was the emptiest budget box to come to Parliament in a long time, and Starmer was quite good at laying out what wasn’t there.” – Torcuil Crichton “The Government seems to believe the economy has been suppressed and will come roaring back of its own accord” – John McTernan Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Gemma Tetlow and Akash Paun. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On 3 March, Rishi Sunak will deliver his second Budget – almost a year on from the moment the government took the unprecedented step last spring to lockdown the country. With a third lockdown still in place, how will the chancellor deliver on Boris Johnson’s promise that the government will “continue to do whatever it takes to protect jobs and livelihoods across the UK”? What will the Budget do to support economic recovery once the lockdown is lifted? And will this Budget tell us anything about Sunak’s longer term ambitions for tax, spending, borrowing and debt? In this edition of Inside Briefing Extra, IfG Chief Economist Gemma Tetlow is joined by former special advisor Will de Peyer, IfG senior economist Tom Pope, and IfG senior fellow Giles Wilkes. Audio production by Candice McKenzie #IfGBudget2021 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we pass a year since the first case of Covid-19 was reported in the UK, the Institute for Government is delighted to welcome Tony Blair, Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to reflect on the last 12 months – and look ahead to the lasting impact of the pandemic and the challenges this poses for politicians and policy makers. What lessons have we learned over the last 12 months? How can countries adapt to the continuing existence of Covid-19? What does ‘returning to normal’ really mean in the year ahead? How will the pandemic change the UK? How will it change the world? Tony Blair is in conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is new-look, cautious Boris Johnson’s step-by-step plan for unlocking too timid, or is it over-optimistic? Are vaccine passports workable, let alone defensible from a civil rights perspective? And if Rishi Sunak will do “whatever it takes” to get the economy back on its feet, what can we expect from next week’s COVID Budget? Plus: just how many czars do we need? This week’s special guest is Ben Riley-Smith, the Daily Telegraph’s newly-appointed political editor, fresh from returning from Washington. “No.10 will be pretty pleased with the reaction to the unlocking plans so far. Polls say only a tiny proportion of people think he’s going too quickly.” – Ben Riley-Smith “The Government is keen to do this slowly to ensure that it’s irreversible.” – Ben Riley-Smith Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Tim Durrant, Gemma Tetlow and Tom Sasse. Audio production by Robin Leeburn See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ahead of the Prime Minister producing his new ‘roadmap’, we discuss the plans, priorities and politics for lifting the lockdown. Does the government know what its objectives are? What does ‘data, not dates’ mean in practice? What still needs to be done and what should we look out for when the plan lands? In this edition of Inside Briefing Extra, IfG Senior Fellow Dr Catherine Haddon is joined by Conservative MP and Covid Recovery Group chairman Mark Harper, the New Statesman’s political editor Stephen Bush, Christina Pagel, Director of the Clinical Operational Research Unit at UCL and Tom Sasse, Associate Director at IfG. Audio production by Candice McKenzie See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the Government prepares for the huge leap of unlocking, can it manage expectations from both a weary public and its own restive MPs? Rishi Sunak is about to announce potentially the most painful budget in a decade. Can he pull the Tories’ pre-COVID policy aims out of deep freeze? And how will Conservative MPs feel about “building back better” with more social housing in their own constituencies? This week’s special guests are Mo Hussein, former special advisor to Amber Rudd and chief press officer in No.10, and IfG fellow John McTernan, former senior advisor to Tony Blair. “The government’s line is often ‘we’d love to do this but our scientists won’t let us.’” – Cath Haddon “The idea that absolutely everyone in Whitehall is knuckling down to work on COVID is just fanciful.” – John McTernan “The big question is, is fiscal conservatism dead or just hibernating?” – Gemma Tetlow “Sajid Javid resigned over independence, but Sunak has been the most independent Chancellor we’ve had for a long time. He’s even got his own branding and infographics” .” – John McTernan Presented by Hannah White with Cath Haddon, Maddy Thimont-Jack and Gemma Tetlow. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The government has published its plans for reform of the NHS, with the first health service white paper in a decade setting out a series of major reforms. So what is the government trying to achieve and what would it mean for the NHS? Is this really the moment, with the NHS still reeling from the demands of the coronavirus crisis, to introduce major reform? What has the pandemic revealed about how the NHS is run? And does this white paper finally provide an answer to the question of how to reform social care? For answers to these questions, and more, don’t miss the special edition of Inside Briefing. The IfG’s Nick Davies is joined by IfG senior fellows Nick Timmins and John McTernan, and guest Sally Warren of the King’s Fund. Audio production by Candice McKenzie #IfGpublicservices See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will the Government’s draconian plans for quarantine for travellers really work? How can ten years in prison and £10,000 fines be proportionate to the offence? And why can’t the Government get its line right on whether we can or can’t go on holiday this year? Plus, what are we learning from the unfolding story of vaccine success in the UK and comparative failure in the EU? Is Global Britain going to prove to be rather insular and nationalistic? And is Priti Patel going to carry the can for the Home Office’s data disaster? “The Government’s quarantine plans have so many holes you could drive a truck through them.” – Sarah Nickson “We criticise this Government for not learning. Well these quarantine plans are evidence of them learning – and maybe overreacting.” – Giles Wilkes “One thing the Government has done well is to be honest and upfront about the risks of experimenting with the vaccine.” – Alex Thomas “If the Government pursues quarantine at the expense of containing the virus at home, it looks like a policy designed to seem decisive rather than being effective.” – Sarah Nickson “A company suddenly being British doesn’t make it any easier to tell them what to do with their R&D.” – Giles Wilkes “Gordon Brown’s fall from Stalin to Mr. Bean was partially due to his government’s data problems.” – Alex Thomas Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Jill Rutter, Alex Thomas, Giles Wilkes and Sarah Nickson. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Borders is borders? Impact from the EU’s aborted triggering of Article 16 of the NI Protocol continues to reverberate. Could the UK government really use this episode to tear up their own border agreement? Special guest Tony Connelly, RTE’s Europe Editor and co-presenter of the Brexit Republic Podcast, joins us to explain the Byzantine nature of the Border Protocol. Plus: ahead of COP26 and the IfG’s net zero conference, can carbon mitigation really make Britain a world leader? “It feels like the Internal Market Bill all over again. It’s a gun to the head from the British Government. It’s an ultimatum.” – Tony Connelly “If we don’t make the border protocol work then we will have rolling crises every four years.” – Tony Connelly “The politics of vaccines have become toxic… It’s heat every day for the Commission.” – Tony Connell Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Maddy Thimont-Jack, Jess Sargeant, Tom Sasse and Jill Rutter. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If now is not the time to learn lessons from the COVID crisis, when is? We’re joined by writer, broadcaster and host of the Rock’n’Roll Politics podcast Steve Richards to discuss No.10’s painful learning curve and ask if Boris Johnson’s promised public inquiry ever actually happen. Plus, what have the extraordinary 12 months we’ve just lived through meant for the efficacy of government? The latest edition of the IfG’s annual Whitehall Monitor has all the answers. “The lessons, frankly, are obvious even if Boris Johnson repeatedly refuses to learn them.” – Steve Richards “This is a government that finds it hard to admit mistakes… They say ‘we’ll do the right thing at the right time’ without ever admitting when the right time is.” – Tom Sasse “Boris Johnson doesn’t do context or consequences. He didn’t do consequences as a journalist and it’s a really serious flaw.” – Steve Richards “Even if you can’t start an inquiry in the middle of a crisis, there’s merit in getting the ball rolling fast – because these things take a vast amount of time.” – Emma Norris “The Prime Minister seems incapable of learning lessons. The same mistakes are repeated over and over.” – Steve Richards Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Emma Norris, Sarah Nickson, Tim Durrant and Tom Sasse. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is an audio recording of an IfG Live Event The Institute for Government hosted the annual lecture by Bronwen Maddox, its director. In her speech, Bronwen looked at the government’s performance in the extraordinary circumstances of 2020 and what 2021 might bring. Her discussion was followed by a response from Professor David Runciman and the event was chaired by Sir Richard Lambert. #IfGDirector See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s the reality of No.10’s control over government? Is our supposedly superpowered centre really strong enough to command all the organs of state? Do we have too many generalists and too few specialists, and do we even need Special Advisors? Nick Timothy, Theresa May’s former Chief of Staff, joins us to look at the dismal science of “deliverology”. Plus, what will Joe Biden’s arrival mean for Britain? And what was it like dealing with Donald Trump from within No.10? “I mainly spend my time thinking ‘Thank God I’m not advising a Prime Minister right now’…” – Nick Timothy “For a highly centralised state, we have a surprisingly weak centre of government.” – Alex Thomas “Downing Street was a bit like a sleeping drunk at a party. You’d be going about your life but periodically Downing Street would wake up and start shouting. Then you’ve have to put all your energies into getting them back to sleep.” – Nick Timothy “It’s a real problem that Cabinet doesn’t sit down and set out collective objectives… If you’ve got 570 priorities then you don’t have any.” – Jill Rutter “Special Advisors can be all-powerful or nothing at all. They can practically run a department or be a bag-carrier – or try to run a department with the abilities of a bag-carrier. I’d scrap them altogether.” – Nick Timothy “Donald Trump was a terrible President to deal with but even he didn’t manage to ruin the UK-US relationship.” – Nick Timothy Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas and Jill Rutter. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COVID is on the verge of overwhelming the NHS but Britain is at least vaccinating faster than almost any other country. Almost a year since the first lockdown, is the Government’s pandemic response gaining any traction yet? And how did the Government come to OK the “abysmal” food parcels distributed to families in need? Plus, will local, national and mayoral elections actually go ahead this year? And the science of “deliverology”. Kate Proctor, political editor at PoliticsHome.com, is this week’s special guest. “The new year is showing all the signs of being every bit as chaotic as 2020.” – Kate Proctor “Local elections are a verdict on how people feel about a government. So only year after a General Election, Boris Johnson will probably be very happy to avoid them.” – Kate Proctor “Nicola Sturgeon believes that elections in Scotland will help her mandate for another independence referendum – so she’ll be pushing hard for them to go ahead.” – Kate Proctor Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas, Tim Durrant, Akash Pau and Nick Davies. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The insurrectionary riot in Washington DC has shocked the world. What does it tell us about the fragility of democracies who come up against leaders who reject the rules, fire up popular anger, and trash the institutions that hold up the system? Plus, with the Government still on the back foot over COVID, will the vaccine roll-out lead to some semblance of normality for Britain? And what might 2021 hold for the UK (because everyone’s predictions for 2020 were so accurate, weren’t they)? Paul Goodman, editor of Conservative Home, is our special guest. “Johnson has pulled off the trick of harnessing the popular anger that’s sweeping the world to a tried and tested political agenda.” – Paul Goodman “The Government seems to be continually taken by surprise by events that seem inevitable to others” – Jill Rutter “There are only two or three ministers who have real experience of running departments. And those who do, Boris Johnson has consigned to the backbenches.” – Paul Goodman “Boris Johnson’s approach comes down to who spoke to him last and how they spoke to him.” – Cath Haddon “Boris Johnson’s government very much had to mind its Ps and Qs with regard to Trump. But now Trump’s going they’ve got no reason to give him a fond farewell.” – Paul Goodman Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Tom Sasse. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A special cross-post from our IFG LIVE feed. The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement was published on Christmas Eve, just a week before the transition period was due to end. So what does the deal mean for the UK – and for its relationship with the EU? What will change for businesses? How will data be shared? Will the EU and the UK continue to work closely on security issues? How was the contentious issue of fishing finally sorted? And what does ‘taking back control’ really mean in practice? The Institute for Government Brexit team assembles for a special Brexit deal podcast to make sense of what has been agreed and what will happen on January 1. Hear Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government, in conversation with Maddy Thimont Jack (Associate Director), James Kane (Associate), Georgina Wright (Associate), and Joe Marshall (Senior Researcher). Audio production by Candice McKenzie. #IfGBrexit See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve all had quite enough reality for one year. In an IfG Christmas special, we ask what fictional and fantasy worlds can teach us about governing. What does the collapse of the Republic in Star Wars tell us about Brexit? Does the Harry Potter universe need drastic democratic reform? In the real world, who nails life in government better: Borgen or The West Wing? And where’s the Public Inquiry into the murder epidemic in Midsomer? James Graham – our greatest political playwright and the pen behind This House, Quiz and Brexit: The Uncivil War – is our guest for this special holiday edition. “Dramas like The West Wing let you take an institution like the Presidency and stress-test it in a fictional environment… You get to enjoy the absurdities in a safe place.” – James Graham “What does Obi-Wan Kenobi tell Anakin? ‘Only the Sith deal in extremes’. Star Wars is a love letter to social democracy and George Lucas is the ultimate centrist dad.” – James Graham “Midsomer badly needs a place-based approach to crime prevention.” – Alice Lilly “The Death Star? That’s no moon, that’s a failed Government mega-project.” – Gavin Freeguard “The Thick Of It essentially predicted the Big Society with its ‘Fourth Sector Pathfinders’.” – Emma Norris Presented by Cath Haddon with Alice Lilly, Emma Norris and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Barnard Castle to Brussels, from Wuhan to the White House, it has been a year of unprecedented challenges, impossible choices, huge governmental gambles and astonishing mis-steps. Will 2020 prove to be a wild aberration or a turning point for the business of British government? Our crack team of analysts returns from the (virtual) IfG Christmas Party to discuss the successes and failures of a year of crisis, from the pandemic emergency measures to the reform of the Civil service to, yes, Brexit. “We’ve seen a Prime Minister who struggles to rise to the enormity of what he’s faced with.” – Jill Rutter “The Government’s communications have been so poor that they obscured many of their own successes.” – Alex Thomas “There is a growing narrative about Keir Starmer sitting on the fence. Labour need to address that next year” – Maddy Thimont-Jack “A hard rain fell on a lot of civil servants before it fell on Dominic Cummings himself.” – Bronwen Maddox “Boris Johnson’s optimism has led him into a cycle of overpromising and under-delivering.” – Jill Rutter “To say the peak has passed and you can go out, and then see ANOTHER peak… that could be a blow that a government might not recover from.” – Alex Thomas Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Jill Rutter, Alex Thomas and Maddy Thimont-Jack. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Boris Johnson get the country to stick to his plans for a Compact Christmas – or has he already blown the comms challenge? What has a year of lockdown and surveillance done to Britain’s liberal instincts? Plus, with the Brexit saga at least reaching the end of the beginning, how can Britain build a robust industrial strategy for the future without just throwing money about? Ed Conway, economics editor at Sky News and Times columnist, is this week’s special guest. “Whatever happens with Brexit, we’re really going to need our Christmas to deal with what’s coming up next year.” – Ed Conway “The mixed messages are too much for the public to take. You can’t say ‘go outside’ one day and ‘stay inside’ the next.” – Giles Wilkes “Everyone wants everyone else to be restricted, but not themselves…” – Cath Haddon “If these industrial tools for government weren’t a good idea last time, why would they be a good idea this time?” – Giles Wilkes “Trying to impose policies that nobody is going to follow is a question of realpolitik and I don’t envy anyone making that decision.” – Ed Conway “Politicians like to point at things and say ‘We should be better at that!’ But they seldom answer the question of how.” – Giles Wilkes Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Giles Wilkes. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is an audio recording of an IfG Live Event. Joe Biden is set to become the 46th US president. How will he deal with Coronavirus and the economy? What are his priorities internationally, and will he restore the US’s role in alliances? And what about the trade deal the UK wants so much, and relations with Boris Johnson, dubbed “Britain Trump” by the current occupant of the White House? On our panel to discuss these questions are: Dan Balz, Chief Correspondent for the Washington Post Elizabeth Dibble, Chief Operating Officer at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former Deputy Chief of Mission at the US embassy in London Emily Tamkin, US Editor for the New Statesman Sir Paul Tucker, Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England The event is chaired by Sir Richard Lambert, Board member of the Institute for Government and former Editor of the Financial Times. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As EU trade talks go down to the wire of Transition’s end on Dec 31, was Boris Johnson and Ursula van der Leyen’s dinner a deux really the failed last chance to avoid No Deal? Does the EU Parliament have enough time to pass a new trade arrangements anyway? Does everything really depend on what Boris Johnson himself wants? And what happens if you want to take a ferret into the EU in 2021? Special guest Tom McTague, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins the IfG Brexit Team over an Eleventh Hour meal deal. “On Europe, you could argue that Johnson is the most powerful Prime Minister we’ve seen since Thatcher.” – Tom McTague “We voted to take back control. The big question for next year is, what are we taking back control of?” – Maddy Thimont-Jack “Labour has to strike a balance between saying ‘I told you so’ and not looking like they want Britain to fail.” – Tom McTague “This is a defining moment for the EU too. They’ve shown almost national solidarity towards Ireland and French fishermen.” – Tom McTague Presented by Hannah White with Maddy Thimont-Jack, Joe Marshall, Jess Sergeant and Joe Marshall. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world’s first green light for a COVID vaccine is a clear boost of the Government. But how can they ensure the right people take it without falling back on strong-arm tactics? Also, who’s rebelling against the Government’s COVID restrictions and why? Special guest Iain Dale – Conservative columnist and LBC presenter – explains how his new book The Prime Ministers names Britain’s good, bad and ugly Premiers. Will the end of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act open a Pandora’s Box of constitutional wrangling? And Brexit. It’s still not sorted. “If there isn’t a Deal with the EU, it will be the biggest failure of statecraft in modern times.” – Iain Dale “When a government is upsetting its mainstream, moderate MPs it’s in trouble.” – Iain Dale “If the Government gets the vaccine rollout right, that’s a genuine reset. If they get it wrong, that’s a disaster.” – Alex Thomas “The worst kind of Prime Minister is an indecisive one.” – Iain Dale “It seems ridiculous that a Prime Minister can choose an election at a time they think they’re going to win… Except often, they choose the time and still lose.” – Iain Dale Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas and Maddy Thimont-Jack. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In January, the government will be doing battle on two fronts: dealing with a likely disruptive end to the Brexit transition period as the UK faces a new trading relationship with the EU while the covid crisis is still raging. Even if the UK government is able to deploy and manage its resources effectively, local authorities and businesses may still be overwhelmed. In this podcast, we will consider how the government should prepare for a difficult January including what the government can learn from its initial pandemic response and previous iterations of no-deal planning. Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government is in conversation with Dame Clare Moriarty, former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Professor Jonathan Portes, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Kings College London, Tom Riordan, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Audio production by Candice McKenzie #IfGBrexit See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With eyewatering sums spent on the COVID crisis and Britain facing the lowest growth since the 1700s, will Rishi Sunak’s spending review do enough to keep the public finances from meltdown? Will the public sector pay freeze really make a difference? And are the health risks of saving Christmas worth the potential political gain? “This is a good year to have bad figures… If there was ever a year to do a lot of borrowing, it’s this year.” – Giles Wilkes “It’s strange when Sunak has spent billions this year and we’re debating whether he’s a generous or a tough chancellor.” – Tom Pope “Sunak seems to have got the politics right. Whether it’s the right thing for the country remains to be seen.” – Giles Wilkes Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Gemma Tetlow, Tom Pope and Giles Wilkes. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Boris Johnson make his reset stick? Will changing his advisors change his problems? Is No.10 getting nervous as the Brexit endgame looms? And what does the departure of Dominic Cummings mean for the use of digital data to revolutionise government? John McTernan, political strategist and former Director of Political Operations to Prime Minister Tony Blair, joins us to hack through the thickets of government. “This is Theresa May all over again. It wasn’t the advisors that were the problem. The Prime Minister is the problem.” – John McTernan “If you can’t reset your character, you can’t reset your government.” – John McTernan “Gordon Brown was right. The UK may not be breaking up but governance is definitely breaking down.” – John McTernan Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas, Jill Rutter and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does the defenestration of Lee Cain from No.10 mean for the Vote Leave faction that got Johnson into power? Who are the Conservatives’ restive ‘Covid Recovery Group’ and what do they want? As the end of Brexit transition looms, does the PM have to choose between the economic damage of No Deal and the political damage of caving to the EU? And will government ever get out of London? This week’s special guest is Peter Foster, public policy editor at the FT. “People should be really clear: we’re going back to 1992. The big political calculation is, does Johnson want to own this deal?” – Peter Foster “Seeing through the fog, this is all about the Prime Minister’s authority… and he’s failed to make clear what his decision is.” – Peter Foster “If No Deal happens it’s a lot easier to blame disruption on the EU.” - Maddy Thimont Jack “If we’re heading towards No Deal, the Government will put extraordinary pressure on the Lords to let the clauses through” – Alex Thomas “Westminster still treats the regions like distant colonies” – Peter Foster Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas, Maddy Thimont-Jack and Sarah Nickson. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After an incredible week, and even with votes still being counted, we now know that Joe Biden has won the US presidential election. But Donald Trump is refusing to concede that he last lost, and is instead mounting a series of legal challenges. So what happens now? How does a smooth transition of power work in this scenario? What will Donald Trump do next – and what next for Trumpism? How will Joe Biden lead – and reset – the US? What does his election mean for the special relationship? And how will President Biden work with Boris Johnson? In this special edition of the Institute for Government podcast, Bronwen Maddox is joined by Henry Zeffman, Washington correspondent for the Times, the New York Times’ London bureau chief Mark Landler, and IfG senior researcher Alice Lilly. Audio production by Candice McKenzie. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is an audio recording of an IfG Live Event The announcement of a second England lockdown came following repeated warnings from the UK government’s scientific advisers about the spread of coronavirus. Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, scientific advice to the government has been highly visible, with Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, repeatedly sharing a platform with Boris Johnson. Members of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) continue to feature prominently across broadcast outlets and in coverage of the government’s handling of the crisis. Other forms of advice, including economic advice from the Treasury, have been far less transparent, often creating the impression that SAGE is the government’s main and most influential advisory body. And yet economic arguments have also featured prominently in the debate about whether and when to lockdown again. How should science advice be combined with other kinds of evidence and presented to ministers? Does there need to be more transparency about the type of advice government is receiving and how it is using it? Does the prominence of SAGE undermine public understanding of other forms of evidence? To discuss these questions, the IfG was delighted to welcome: Professor John Edmunds, Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and participant in SAGE Professor Susan Michie, Professor of Health Psychology at UCL and participant in SAGE and Independent SAGE Lord Macpherson of Earl’s Court, former Treasury Permanent Secretary (2005–16) Nancy Hey, Executive Director of What Works Wellbeing This event was chaired by Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. #IfGScience See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As counting continues in the US election, and with both candidates claiming they’ve won, we take a look at the contest so far, and what the result will mean for America, Britain and the world. Meanwhile back in the UK, MPs have voted for a second national lockdown, but with Boris Johnson facing opposition from all sides, what can he do to ease the pressure on himself and the Government? YASMEEN SERHAN, staff writer at The Atlantic, is our special guest. “Those wanting a repudiation of the last four years found it hasn’t happened” - Yasmeen Serhan “I can imagine a world where there is a Biden presidency narrated by Trump’s tweets” - Yasmeen Serhan “Trump has been laying the groundwork for his claim that this would be a dodgy election for some time” - Jill Rutter “For a new President coming in, sitting on the sidelines for 10 weeks is going to be very difficult” - Cath Haddon “The Government isn’t explaining where the risky transmission centres are” - Jill Rutter Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Jill Rutter and Georgina Wright. Audio production by Alex Rees. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s no escaping COVID19, and with calls for a ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown growing by the day, how is the Government coping as the pressure mounts? And with Number 10 sidelining the devolved administrations, Jess Sargeant joins to discuss the impact of the Britain’s varied coronavirus response. Plus, with the US Presidential election less than a week away, what will the result mean for the UK? “Boris Johnson hasn’t found a way to navigate between the scientists and his backbenchers” - Mark Landler “Whether or not the Government acts now affects if people can see their families at Christmas” - Cath Haddon “Angela Merkel has political capital to spend on a lockdown that Boris Johnson does not” - Alex Thomas “Closing borders is not a sustainable solution, practically or politically” - Jess Sargeant “Biden would not view a UK-US trade deal as a priority” - Mark Landler Presented by Hannah White with Cath Haddon, Alex Thomas, Jess Sargeant and Mark Landler. Audio production by Alex Rees. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who came off worse in the stand-off between Manchester’s Andy Burnham and London, and what does the confrontation say about Westminster’s real attitude to the regions? With Rishi Sunak launching yet more economic support packages, is the Government’s economic strategy in disarray? A new IfG report reveals exactly what Dominic Cummings’ reforms of Special Advisors is meaning for day-to-day government. Oh, and the Brexit talks. Yes, they’re still going. “The Treasury and No.10 are paying a price for not treating Manchester strategically.” – Jill Rutter “Yes, the Brexit talks are about brinkmanship – but it’s also about making any failure look like the other side’s fault.” – Cath Haddon “Many PMs have complained that No.10 is underpowered compared to departments – and that’s why SpAds have become so important.” – Tim Durrant “A lot of business leaders didn’t see the sunlit uplands that Michael Gove was seeing” - Jill Rutter “None of the SPADs we spoke to had anything positive to say about the management of the civil service” – Tim Durrant Presented by Emma Norris with Jill Rutter, Alex Thomas, Tim Durrant and Cath Haddon. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First birthday edition! Is Boris Johnson’s tiers-based compromise on fighting COVID worse than simply biting the bullet of a national lockdown? Is Westminster command-and-control creating an irreparable breach between London, Scotland, Wales and the North of England? And does that road end in full devolution? JACK BLANCHARD, UK politics editor at politico.com, is our special guest. “It’s very hard to find anyone who thinks the tiers approach is really going to work.” – Jack Blanchard “We assume that the Government has good reasons for its approach, not just ‘We’re frightened of the lockdown sceptics’.” – Jill Rutter “There is no worse way to win hearts and minds than to have scenes of angry disagreement like we saw this week.” – Jack Blanchard Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Jill Rutter and Cath Haddon. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is an audio recording of an IfG Live Event The UK and EU have agreed to continue the Brexit negotiations in an effort to resolve outstanding issues such as fishing rights, state aid and governance. Although both sides say they want an agreement, a no-deal Brexit is still possible. Even if there is a deal, there will be significant changes to how businesses trade between the UK and EU – but this message has failed to cut through. Selling a deal back home – and the compromises it might involve – could also be politically difficult. In the week of the Prime Minister’s initial deadline for negotiations and a critical meeting of the European Council, our panel takes stock of the Brexit talks and look ahead to what we can expect before the end of the year. Panellists Tony Connelly, Europe Editor at RTE News Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) James Forsyth, Political Editor at The Spectator Sam Lowe, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Reform The event is chaired by Georgina Wright, Senior Researcher, Institute for Government #IfGBrexit See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is the smorgasbord of Big Ideas that Boris Johnson announced to the virtual Conservative Conference actually deliverable? Do plans for the Saudi Arabia of wind, expanded social care and a New Jerusalem all at once contradict one another? And as the Corona bills come in, is crunch time on the way for former distributor of good news and sunshine Rishi Sunak? Special guest SALMA SHAH, former advisor to Sajid Javid, joins us for the IfG’s own autumn statement. “Nobody doubts that the Government can make big announcements. The question is whether they can deliver it.” – Jill Rutter “This wasn’t a traditionally Conservative speech and this isn’t a traditional Conservative government.” – Salma Shah “When we hear about 30 year mortgages or social care or offshore wind, it’s fair to wonder why nobody’s delivered them so far. And the answer is, it’s hard.” - Giles Wilkes “We’ve had two consecutive governments that are, for Conservatives, amazingly uninterested in what business has to say.” – Jill Rutter Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Jill Rutter and Giles Wilkes. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices