Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

As the EU gives notice of legal action against Britain, are the trade talks about to enter the Tunnel, the Submarine or total meltdown? Is Lindsay Hoyle right to accuse the Government of holding Parliament in contempt with its overreach on Corona powers? Is a Tory backbench rebellion brewing already – and could some internecine warfare be a good look for embattled Boris Johnson? And can Dominic Cummings just snap his fingers and bring a billion-dollar tech giant to life just like that? “This looks like an increasing war between backbenchers and Boris Johnson and his advisors.” – Jill Rutter “The Government thinks that under these circumstances, Parliament should be a rubber stamp. But MPs think you make better policy by debating it.” – Hannah White “It’s not always a bad look for a PM to be fighting a lone battle, as long as it’s for the right thing.” – Giles Wilkes “The Government seems in tune with public opinion but not with the libertarian wing of its own party.” – Jill Rutter Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Hannah White, 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

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 Sir David Lidington, former de facto Deputy Prime Minister, explains the consequences of a new near-lockdown for consumer confidence, public health and the Government’s stability. “If you don’t get the tax receipts coming in from the economy then you’ll have some very difficult decisions about public spending.” – David Lidington “The Government needs to be seen to reach out… Metro mayors and local authorities need to be partners not adversaries.” – David Lidington “MPs who brief the papers about how unhappy they are generally do not speak for the majority of the Parliamentary party” – David Lidington Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Nick Davies 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

What has gone so wrong with the Government’s “world-beating” COVID response? After a summer of confusion, can the “moonshot” get the Government’s pandemic policy back on course, or is it just more spin? And can its audacious Internal Market Bill make it through the Commons and Lords without being amended out of all recognition? Special guest Anoosh Chakelian of the New Statesman joins us to discuss Boris Johnson’s two biggest headaches. “From the start this Government has been putting spin and rhetoric before levelling with the public.” – Anoosh Chakelian “If Boris Johnson is having deep conversations with MPs in the tea room, you know they’re spooked.” – Anoosh Chakelian Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Jess Sargeant, Tom Pope and Alex Thomas. 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

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? “I can’t see any way this gets through the Lords in its current form.” – Alex Thomas “The nature of the law is, you don’t get to choose when to follow it – because it’s the law.” – Raphael Hogarth “Some of the rationale for this is reasonable and some of it is Mad Max chaos and destruction.” – Alex Thomas Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Maddy Thimont-Jack, Alex Thomas and Raphael Hogarth. 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

It’s all change at the top of the Civil Service as the youngest Cabinet Secretary in over a century begins his job next week. But who is Simon Case? Why has he got the job? And what are the big tasks lining his in-tray? Plus - despite everyone around him taking the fall, Gavin Williamson still remains in post at the Department for Education, but what does this say about the accountability of ministers? And as schools reopen and people are urged to return to the office, we’ll look back at Government decision making in the first phase of the pandemic. “The key is having the Prime Minister’s confidence in your own authority” - Cath Haddon “The real issue in terms of ministerial responsibility is that other people have gone” - Cath Haddon “The Dept for Education made grade inflation their issue, which is why we ended up where we did” - Chris Wilkins “At DfE you fix the last battle and another one comes onto the horizon” - Alex Thomas “How much sympathy do you give the Government for a lack of information?” - Cath Haddon Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Alex Thomas 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

Brexit may be Done but it’s about to rise from the grave as we get closer to Dec 31. The IfG’s Brexit Team convene to look ahead to a tumultuous autumn. Are the EU:UK negotiations really going as badly as it seems? What’s the very last moment when a deal could be struck? Are cash-strapped, COVID-battered businesses in any shape to deal with a new customs regime, let alone No Deal? And what’s actually going to change for UK citizens on Jan 1, 2021? “Businesses are faced with one big difficulty which is, what exactly are the preparing for?” – Joe Marshall “The EU always wanted a deal with the UK but they were never prepared to offer Britain a better deal than, say, South Korea.” – Georgina Wright Presented by Hannah White with Georgina Wright, Joe Marshall 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

The A-Levels fiasco could damage more than pupils’ futures and the career of Gavin Williamson. What will it mean for any potentially beneficial future use of algorithms in welfare, criminal justice, tax and social care? Does abolishing Public Health England make any sense except as a headline – and do panic reorganisations ever work? And can our political classes survive September without warm white wine at an in-person party conference? Special guest Sonia Sodha, chief leader writer at The Observer, joins us to explore the least silly Silly Season on record. “The algorithm gave us workable average results, but children are not averages. They are individuals.” – Nick Timmins “The most selective institutions are now oversubscribed while middle and lower-tier universities are threatened with empty places and financial disaster.” – Sonia Sodha “Replacing Public Health England is extraordinary. It’s rebuilding the plane in mid-flight.” – Nick Timmins Presented by Hannah White with Gavin Freeguard and Nick Timmins. 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

As pupils and parents fume over the A Levels mess, how and why did the Government inflict this fiasco on itself? As cheese drives a wedge between Britain and Japan, is this a taster of a smorgasbord of problems facing our post-EU trade talks? Can Rishi Sunak maintain his popularity when the bills for buying the nation dinner and more come in? And what happens to governments when Prime Ministers go on holiday? Special guest Rafael Behr of The Guardian joins us for the Inside Briefing Seaside Special. “Hardworking pupils from deprived areas are being dragged down and slackers from rich areas are being dragged up.” – Rafael Behr “Japan is a very long way away and economic geography wasn’t abolished this year… I’m not sure Liz Truss is wise to draw attention to £102,000 worth of cheese.” – Giles Wilkes “In 2025 will the terribly inflated A Level grades of the COVID Cohort really be such a big thing?” – Rafael Behr “We’re learning how great it was to NOT have an independent trade policy…” – Giles Wilkes “Either chlorinated chicken is coming into this country or it isn’t… The Government needs to start a real conversation about the trade-offs in trade.” – James Kane “The economic figures are so bad that you need a whole new graph to show them.” – Giles Wilkes Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Giles Wilkes, Alex Thomas and James Kane. 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’s emergency lockdown of Greater Manchester took the public by surprise and left them confused and resentful. Special guest Jennifer Williams of the Manchester Evening News describes the disarray and what Government needs to fix, fast. Plus: How fit were public services for coronavirus? Not very, says a new IfG report. What needs to happen, and why didn’t the Government act on the learnings from Operation Cygnus? And as Boris Johnson loads up on Lords, is the Upper Chamber becoming the Crony Express? “People can’t follow the logic. If you can’t sit in a friend’s garden but you can meet them in a beer garden, it’s little wonder people are confused.” – Jennifer Williams “Boris Johnson’s honours list touches all the bases of cronyism.” – Hannah White “The Government went for private contracts because they could scale up fast – but whether that leads to effective track and trace is another matter.” – Jennifer Williams “Lords reform needs something a bit more fundamental than moving some Lords to York.” – Jennifer Williams Presented by Bronwen Maddox with the IfG’s Hannah White 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 Government’s emergency Spanish quarantine: decisive action, poor planning or a failure to understand what working life is really like? With the inevitable Public Inquiry into Coronavirus now confirmed, special guest Sir Lawrence Freedman – emeritus professor of War Studies at Kings College London and a former member of the Iraq War inquiry – tells us how to run an effective inquiry. And is No.10’s proposed US-style spokesperson designed to help Boris Johnson dodge real scrutiny? “The Government is desperate to be seen to react quickly to combat the perception that in the early days of COVID they were slow off the mark.” – Alex Thomas “Any inquiry shouldn’t just ask why we reacted slowly but why we had outbreaks across the country, not just in one epicentre.” – Lawrence Freedman “We won’t get conclusions from a COVID inquiry in time for a second wave. The learning has to happen right now.” – Emma Norris Presented by Bronwen Maddox with the IfG’s Alex Thomas, Jill Rutter and Emma Norris. 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

Reforming the Civil Service is the biggest of Big Asks. Can Dominic Cummings pull off his radical plans in the middle of a once-in-a-century health crisis? And do we need fewer “fixers” who change jobs a lot, and more long-term experts? Plus, the Russia Report: what went wrong in protecting the integrity of our elections? Who should feel most embarrassed: Government, security services or civil servants? And what should be done next? “Framing Civil Service reform as ‘us against them’ is not going to encourage civil servants to give their best advice.” – Alex Thomas “Civil Service reform is quite nerdy so it’s unusual for politicians to give it such attention.” – Cath Haddon Presented by Bronwen Maddox with the IfG’s Alex Thomas, Cath Haddon and Emma Norris. Audio production by Alex Rees ENDS See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Britain’s decision to rip out Huawei kit from our mobile network by 2027 has set the Government on a collision course with China. Who forced this decision: Washington, the security establishment or the Government’s own backbenchers? And what does this change of posture towards a powerful trading nation mean for Brexit? The BBC’s Security Correspondent Gordon Corera joins us to discuss the tension between London and Beijing plus the detail Britain’s Integrated Security and Defence Review. And how does Russia fit in to a new Tech Cold War? “You can have the best decision-making architecture in the world – but it doesn’t mean you’ll make good decisions.” – Alex Thomas “Putin sees the end of the Soviet Union as a humiliation and he sees weakening the West as a goal.” – Gordon Corera “We’re in a world where the UK is being forced to choose between geopolitical alliances.” – Alex Thomas Presented by Bronwen Maddox with the IfG’s Alex Thomas, Cath Haddon and Alex Nice. 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

Is Rishi Sunak’s colossal £30bn package of jobs stimulus, training subsidy, VAT cuts and stamp duty changes be enough to stave off a COVID crash? And will his Mega Meal Deal make a difference to the comatose cafe and restaurant industry? Special guest Rupert Harrison, a portfolio manager at Blackrock and previously Chief of Staff to former chancellor George Osborne, joins us to unpick the Chancellor’s summer statement. “Sunak has given notice that he’s turning off the spraygun of business support.” – Rupert Harrison Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Gemma Tetlow and Giles Wilkes. 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

Sir Bernard Jenkin, chairman of the Commons Liaison Committee, discusses a turbulent week for the Civil Service, Mark Sedwill’s departure as cabinet secretary, and the government's plans for reforming the way that government works, with Alex Thomas, Programme Director at 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 Build Build Build just Talk Talk Talk? With its £5bn shopping list of infrastructure spending, is Boris Johnson’s so-called New Deal really as big and Rooseveltian as he’d like the world to believe? Does the sudden departure of Sir Mark Sedwill indicate that the Government is just building another brand of groupthink? And as Leicester locks down again, does a ‘whack-a-mole’ COVID strategy make sense if you can’t see the mole? Special guest Robert Shrimsley, chief political commentator and editor at large at the Financial Times, joins us to examine the economics beneath the announcements. “Someone described Johnson as ‘Brexity Hezza’… This is a Prime Minister who will intervene before breakfast, lunch and dinner.” – Robert Shrimsley “This is not a free trade government… and there’s a tension between that and its post-Brexit free trade rhetoric.” – Robert Shrimsley “We’re going to spend the next 15 years negotiating and renegotiating its trade agreements with the EU.” – Robert Shrimsley Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Gemma Tetlow and Raphael Hogarth. 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

Sir Mark Sedwill’s departure as Cabinet Secretary after weeks of sniping has startled Westminster, with many fingers pointing at Dominic Cummings. No Cabinet Secretary has ever been forced out of office like this before, least of all in the middle of a national crisis. What does Sedwill’s resignation mean for reform of the Civil Service? Is the centre of government facing evolution or revolution? And are we seeing the politicisation of the Civil Service? “It’s extraordinary for civil servants to be talking about reform in the middle of a national crisis.” – Cath Haddon Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Alex Thomas. 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

There’s a new three-word slogan in town: “Build, build, build.” As the Government unlocks more sectors of public life, Boris Johnson is keen to finally put COVID-19 behind him and get on with governing. But will questions of competence and Cummings continue to cast a pall over the Government’s agenda? Plus: Will the Robert Jenrick affair blow up into an old-fashioned scandal? And is the Brexit extension deadline the real deadline? “The Government still has some extraordinarily difficult questions on the economy coming up.” – Joe Owen “The idea that ‘If we announce it, it will happen’ has been a big failing of Government in this crisis.” – Jill Rutter Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Joe Owen, Jill Rutter and Raphael Hogarth. 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

How did the Government end up completely wrong-footed by a footballer in the issue of extending free school meals? Are ministers getting broad enough – and sufficiently independent – scientific advice when it comes to quarantine and the 2m Rule? Will the folding of the “world-beating development agency” DFiD into the Foreign Office mean damage British soft power? And will insourcing probation reverse the “total disaster” of outsourcing? “The Marcus Rashford episode shows a lack of political antenna in Downing Street.” – Jill Rutter “A government with an 80-strong majority is now being pulled around by its backbenchers.” – Cath Haddon “What we’re seeing now is that the attitude that the private sector is ALWAYS best was wrong.” – Tom Sasse “The Government says it has diversity of thought. But they don’t have a lot of diversity of experience.” – Jill Rutter Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Jill Rutter, 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

Is the Government running scared of a full public inquiry into the Coronavirus crisis? When and how should it happen and what questions should it ask? And how do you stop a fact-finding investigation from turning into a blame game? Also veteran politics commentator, host of the Rock’n’Roll Politics podcast and author of The Prime Ministers: Lessons of Leadership Steve Richards joins us to discuss the state of the Government’s implementation game. And how should Keir Starmer develop his Parliamentary repertoire to keep Boris Johnson on his toes? “An inexperienced Cabinet chosen largely for its loyalty to Brexit has found itself faced with the biggest crisis since 1945.” – Steve Richards “You’ve got to start learning those lessons now in case we get a second wave in the autumn.” – Cath Haddon “The Government are already paranoid, neurotic about a possible inquiry… I think they’ll try to avoid it.” – Steve Richards “If you’re legally obliged to hand over your emails it changes your calculus as a civil servant.” – Alex Thomas “Governing is wholly different from getting a strong headline in tomorrow’s papers.” – Steve Richards Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Emma Norris and Alex Thomas. 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

Trump, Facebook, the economy, the Presidential election and the unprecedented tumult in the US following the killing of George Floyd. The New York Times’ London bureau chief MARK LANDLER talks to Bronwen Maddox of the IfG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The return of Parliament-in-person was met with dismay as disgruntled MPs were forced to conga through Palace of Westminster, and distanced or shielded Members were sidelined. Will remote voting have to return, and are Wales and Scotland doing digital democracy better than England? Rowland Manthorpe, Tech Correspondent from Sky News, joins us to explain. Plus: Is the Government’s slipshod use of data in the COVID fight storing up trouble for the future? And what do the tumultuous events in America mean for democracy in the USA? Mark Landler of the New York Times sets out the enormity of these historic events. “Not everyone likes technology til they try it… but perhaps we shouldn’t throw it away in a reactionary way.” – Hannah White “The conga of MPs was as long as 89 London buses. That’s hardly social distancing.” – Gavin Freeguard “Compared to the Commons the Lords looks like a go-ahead organisation right now.” – Hannah White Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Hannah White 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

Could the Government ever have controlled the fallout from Dominic Cummings’ breach of COVID travel rules, and is it too late now? Why is Boris Johnson so bound to his key advisor? And with SPADs more centrally vetted than ever, do a majority of No.10 staff owe more personal loyalty to Dominic Cummings than to the Prime Minister? Special guest Tim Montgomerie joins us to discuss a defining week for the Johnson government. Plus: might the UK change its mind on an extension with the EU after all? “Dominic Cummings is a genius – but nobody’s perfect.” – Tim Montgomerie “One surefire way to shut down debate inside government was to say ‘Dom doesn’t like that’. I’ve always feared that the Reign of Terror would lead to a Reign of Error.” – Tim Montgomerie Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Hanna White, 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

Bonus extended interview: The Trump administration’s response to the COVID emergency has been widely decried as inconsistent and unequal to the enormity of the task. DAN BALZ of the Washington Post tells the IfG’s Bronwen Maddox how decades of “hollowing out” government were compounded by the President’s suspicion of a “Deep State” to produce a crisis in state effectiveness. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the COVID lockdown eases, will the blame land on ministers, scientists, advisers, Public Health England or Number Ten? What can the drama of the Brexit Parliament teach us about running the Palace of Westminster when it reconvenes – physically – for the post-COVID era? A new IfG report digs into the detail. And is America’s chaotic responsive to Coronavirus a result of the hollowing-out of US government institutions? Special guest Dan Balz of the Washington Post explains. “When there are major communications moments that affect people’s lives, the ‘dipping your toe in the water’ approach doesn’t really work.” – Alex Thomas “The Brexit Parliament really exposed the system’s weakness in dealing with major political problems.” – Joe Marshal Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas and Joe Marshal. 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

Has the Government lost control of the unlocking narrative? Boris Johnson’s new advice confused much of the country, but how will it translate into real-world rules and regulations? Plus we discuss the new IfG report into the torrid relationship between Government and Civil Service during run-up to Brexit. Did tussles over Brexit damage the relationship between the Executive and and those who put its policies into action? Iain Martin, Times columnist and editor of Reaction, is this week’s special guest. “Boris is a journalist. He should have remembered a golden rule: Don’t do anything complicated on a Sunday for Monday’s papers…” – Iain Martin “When you have 27 million tuning into to a Prime Ministerial statement on TV, that’s a new level of engagement for Government.” – Joe Owen Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Gemma Tetlow, Joe Owen 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

Boris Johnson’s finger is hovering over the Unlock button. How can the Government reopen the economy without allowing the virus a second wind? What if the different Nations of the UK want very different approaches? Why Nicola Sturgeon is the most experienced leader on pandemics in Britain… and maybe Britain’s most experienced leader full stop. Guests Torcuil Crichton, Westminster Editor of the Daily Record, and IfG Fellow Nicholas Timmins of the King’s Fund join Bronwen Maddox, Jill Rutter and Akash Paun to discuss a women of truth for Britain’s health and economy. “Parliament has gone from Plague Ship to Ghost Ship… And of course SNP MPs would be happy not to be in Westminster at all.” – Torcuil Crichton “For decades the Scots have defined their health service as ‘Not England’.” – Nick Timmins “Fear rules everything. Nobody wants to be the politician who gets this wrong.” – Torcuil Crichton Presented by Bronwen Maddox. 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

How do you weigh human wellbeing against Coronavirus deaths? How do we get “R”, the rate of Corona transmission, to a manageable level? As the government wrestles with lifting the lockdown, has “relying on the science” given it too narrow a focus regarding the serious trade-offs that are coming? And how will the criminal justice system deal with the massive backlog created by COVID? Cabinet secretary of the Blair and Brown years GUS O’DONNELL joins us to discuss the enormity of the Government’s challenges. “We’ve effectively got huge experiments going on all over the world to try to find out how we get out of this.” – Gus O’Donnell “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.” – Giles Wilkes Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Giles Wilkes 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

Is the future made for virtual democracy? In this bonus interview, Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg talks to Bronwen Maddox about organising a new dispersed Commons, the pros and cons of remote voting, and why a living Parliament requires more than simply occupying benches. Do MPs gain in independent-mindedness what the Whips maybe lose in influence? And can we look forward to virtual party conferences too…? “Before the Easter Recess there was serious debate about whether ANYTHING would be technically possible…” Presented by Bronwen Maddox. 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 is under fire over COVID as seldom before. Was it wise to aggressively rebut the Sunday Times report on their preparations for the pandemic? Is the idea of a risk-free exit strategy from lockdown a myth? Do we need bipartisan agreement on the COVID strategy for the sake of national cohesion… or perhaps radical openness? And is there really such thing as being “led by the science”? Special guests Lord Danny Finkelstein and former Blair/Brown advisor John McTernan join the IfG’s Bronwen Maddox and Jill Rutter for this week’s podcast. “In life, risk can’t be abolished. It can only be mitigated. You have to draw people into the choices you have to make.” – John McTernan “We need to level with people that we’re not creating an exit strategy, we’re making a big exit moral choice.” – Danny Finkelstein Presented by Bronwen Maddox. 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

To unlock or not to unlock? The government faces a momentous choice of easing the lockdown to resurrect the economy, or keeping it in place to preserve human lives. How can they find the right balance? Are today’s politicians able to cope with a return of mass unemployment after almost 40 years? The Guardian’s health editor Sarah Boseley joins us to explore the background to one of the gravest decisions in modern British history. “This might well mean austerity for certain high-rate taxpayers who perhaps got off more easily last time.” – Giles Wilkes Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas 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

Corona is straining Government as never before outside peacetime – and Boris Johnson is still mostly incapacitated. David Lidington, Theresa May’s former deputy, explains exactly what happens when the understudy must step up. How much power does Dominic Raab actually have right now? And do we need a US-style formal succession programme? Plus: When should the lockdown be eased? Does virtual government work? And what is Parliament doing during this strange recess? “The Whitehall machine had already been working with the dial in the red because of Brexit when this crisis hit.” – David Liddington Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon with Hannah White. 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 takes over when the PM is incapacitated? Can Boris Johnson lead the country from his bedroom? Has COVID given the Civil Service a reprieve from the swingeing reforms that would otherwise be coming its way? Plus the Guardian’s Washington Bureau chief David Smith joins us to explain how both the White House and the United States’ Trump-besieged institutions are coping with a once-in-century crisis. “The value of the President’s press conferences are questionable… We are watching the first President elected with no political experience, facing the first real crisis of his life and by all accounts failing it miserably.” – David Smith Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and special guests David Smith 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

That “draconian” Corona Bill: exactly how swingeing are the powers it bestows? And will the Government give them up as fast as they assumed them? Special guest Paul Waugh of Huffington Post on what it’s like to be present in one of Johnson’s emergency press conferences. Jeremy Corbyn’s last stand. And has the BBC’s temporary reprieve from Government attention bought it a whole new set of headaches for the future? “Labour are now thinking that if Johnson is going be Churchill in this crisis, can their next leader be Attlee?” – Paul Waugh “It was pretty extraordinary that Johnson made that announcement to 27 million people, and the next day he didn’t put himself forward for questions… Johnson likes the cut and thrust of questions. But those around him aren’t so keen.” – Paul Waugh Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Hannah White 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

“Change your life. Do everything differently.” Is Government rising to the Corona crisis? How can it ensure that state aid helps employees and businesses and doesn’t go straight into owners’ pockets? Have we fallen for a dangerous form of British exceptionalism in our approach? Will some form of Universal Basic Income prove to be inevitable to get us through this? And does Boris Johnson need to do a bit more than just listen to the experts? Special guests Matthew Parris of The Times and IfG fellow Jill Rutter join Bronwen Maddox and Cath Haddon to discuss the economic and legal backdrop to the most serious crisis in modern British history. “Governments have made an enormous moral choice in sacrificing the economic well-being of younger people simply to keep the older generation alive. I’m not sure they’ve made the right choice.” - Matthew Parris “Even though I was in government for a long time, I never encountered an emergency like this.” – Jill Rutter “It’s all very well saying this is temporary, but tell that to your bank manager.” – Matthew Parris Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and special guests Matthew Parris 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-19 is developing into the biggest threat to public health in a generation. How does government move through the gears when a crisis of this magnitude strikes? What is it like to sit in COBRA? How crucial is clear motivational communication? Three experienced firefighters – former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, advisor to Gordon Brown Lord Stewart Wood and ex-DEFRA communications director Steve Morris – join the IfG’s Bronwen Maddox and Cath Haddon for a riveting explanation what it’s like to handle a true crisis up close. “If you announce a bail-out at 6pm it’s panic. If you announce it at 7am it’s strategy.” – Steve Morris “It’s extraordinary how few leaders, Macron excepted maybe, have made international coordination part of the Corona response. The ‘your country first’ approach is being replicated and that’s really regrettable.” – Stewart Wood “Late one Friday Gordon Brown grabbed me and said ‘There’s a serious chance the police will be on the streets on Monday to stop people taking money out of the banks. Oh and probably the army as well. Have a nice weekend.’” – Steve Morris Presented by Bronwen Maddox. 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

For International Women’s Day on 8 March, Australia’s first – and so far only – female Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD sat down with the IfG’s Director Bronwen Maddox to discuss the long march to female political power. How can female leaders navigate male networks of power? Has #MeToo really made a difference to women in politics and beyond? And why are Australians at the cutting edge of modern political strategy? “A lot of young women look at the experience of women politicians and ask ‘Is it all worth it?’ I always answer yes, it’s definitely worth it. But I don’t insult anyone’s intelligence by saying there won’t be gendered moments.” – Julia Gillard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, big spender: was this the Corona budget or the End of Austerity budget? Is Rishi Sunak doing the right thing for businesses that can’t handle the unprecedented pressures of the Coronavirus? Has he bottled Net Zero on carbon? The perils of badly-drawn business interventions. Why this government is now running on Labour’s fiscal rules from 2010 — the ones they said would bankrupt the country. And can you regenerate a whole country from a highly controlling centre? “This kind of support can be addictive to businesses. When the next crisis arrives, will the chancellor be able to tell them ‘no’?” – Giles Wilkes Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Gemma Tetlow, Alex Thomas and Giles Wilkes. 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

In the latest of our occasional interviews, former Conservative MP and Treasury Secretary DAVID GAUKE talks to the IfG’s Cath Haddon about what the last Parliament can teach us about the future of this one. How is Boris Johnson faring so far? Are the trade talks with the EU likely to collapse? Will Dominic Cummings see the end of this Parliament? And what is it really like to write a budget? “Number Ten will be very effective in blaming EU intransigence for any collapse in the talk, regardless of how reasonable those talks might have been.” – David Gauke See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Beyond Brexit, the government begins the colossal task of sorting out UK-EU commerce, a US-UK trade deal… and maybe trade within the UK itself. Former DExEU permanent secretary Philip Rycroft sets out the scale of the job. Universal Credit: is it too late to stop now? Senior IfG Fellow and author of The Five Giants: A Biography Of The Welfare State Nicholas Timmins spells out what’s needed to save Iain Duncan Smith’s unloved legacy policy, including the brutal business of recovering £10bn social security debt from people who don’t know they owe it. And the Lib Dems’ Norman Lamb gives us some lessons learned during the party’s bruising experience into coalition. “Talking about a free trade deal is a bit of a misnomer. It’s about having less free trade than we have and mitigating the effects” – Philip Rycroft Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Joe Owen and Alex Thomas. 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 seismic, very public resignation of Home Secretary Priti Patel’s permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam has blown the state of relations between the Government and its Civil Service wide open. What does it mean? Will Rutnam’s constructive dismissal case make it to court? Do we need a formal process for civil servants to blow the whistle on ministers? And will this extraordinary stand-off permanently reset the relationship between senior civil servants and the politicians they work for? This special edition of INSIDE BRIEFING is hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Alex Thomas. 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 week on the podcast that dispels the mysteries of government: Backroom squabbles, bullying and powergrabs — is the Johnson administration already tearing itself apart from within? We discover why Government should learn to love its Perm Secs and Spads. Plus Tony Blair’s former political secretary turned strategy guru JOHN McTERNAN reveals untold tales of how to grease the wheels of government … and explains why Bernie Saunders will be the next US President. Ex-Business Secretary GREG CLARK on the future of British science and the government’s Coronavirus plans. And what’s in the newly-discovered Commons catacombs? “You can’t make hundreds of thousands of people march in one direction by shouting at one of them.” JOHN Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Tim Durrant 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

This week on the podcast that ventures into the engine room of government, the Treasury vs Number Ten. War without end or grudging partnership of equals? Special guest TIM PITT was a SPAD at the Cabinet Office and senior Treasury advisor. As the Javid fallout settles, Tim tells us where the power really lies. Plus the Bank of England’s Chief Economist ANDY HALDANE on why our economy needs new metrics of success. And this year’s COP26 conference: Why remedying climate change is the ultimate 4-dimensional chess challenge for government. Will fixing the summit’s wobbles win Britain its first global leadership moment? And how to ace a job interview with Liz Truss. “Net Zero by 2050 is an easy commitment to make. The politicians making it are highly unlikely to be around by then. The challenge is to do those things now that will make net zero achievable then.” – Tim Pitt Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Emma Norris, Gemma Tetlow 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

When Sajid Javid quit as Chancellor it served up an unexpected vintage Reshuffle Day. But do big ministerial resignations really come as a surprise to the people moving the chesspieces? Special guest GAVIN BARWELL, former Chief of Staff to Theresa May, tells us how tense it gets in Westminster when Cabinet job are reassigned, and offers some insider advice for new ministers. Plus we talk to SARAH WOLLASTON about her time as a select committee chair – and her concerns about this government’s attempt to dodge scrutiny. And there’s one last chance to hear the expertise and mellifluous tones of outgoing Attorney General GEOFFREY COX before he rides into the sunset. “If you want fresh blood you’ve got to be prepared to wield the axe sometimes.” – Gavin Barwell Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Raphael Hogarth. 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

An extended version of our interview with high-profile Remainer turned constitution campaigner GINA MILLER. She explains how she’s staying in the constitutional fight, why she thinks “Remain and Rejoin” are done for now, why she’s encouraged by how backbenchers have handled HS2 and Huawei, and why the hardest part of Brexit is yet to come. “Some of the government’s language would not be out of place in Orbán’s government,” she says. “Both of the cases we brought were about the fundamentals of democracy. The parliamentary slogans you heard during the referendum were exactly what we were defending.” Interview by Sam Macrory. 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

Where has all the scrutiny gone, long time passing…? As the Government wields its apparently unassailable majority, who will be the thorn on the Government’s otherwise impenetrable hide this year? Plus special guest PAUL HARRISON – Theresa May’s former press spokesman – explains what this week’s spat between lobby journalists and government advisors really means. And can the Government pull off its proposed more stringent sentencing guidelines in the wake of the Streatham attacks? GINA MILLER explains why she’s staying in the fight to reform the British constitution. (Watch your feed for the full-length unedited interview). And Paul tells us what it’s like to lose your government job at an hour’s notice. “Most of us went straight to the pub,” he reveals. “Big restrictions on the lobby are a terrible look for the government... most journalists are as public spirited as the politicians they cover.” – PAUL HARRISON “Politicians often agree with the way Tom Stoppard put it: ‘I’m with you on the free press. It’s the newspapers I can’t stand’.” – PAUL HARRISON Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Hannah White. 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 an extended version of her interview on this week’s podcast, leading light of Leave GISELA STUART tells Cath Haddon what it was really like inside the campaign to exit the EU. Listen for fascinating detail on the atmosphere inside the Brexit victory, why she “really likes” Dominic Cummings, why the “old, playful Boris Johnson” has disappeared… and why she worries that we could be in for a crisis in the Union between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that nobody wants. “We as politicians had become quite lazy. We hadn’t talked about fisheries, agriculture, workers’ rights… those I felt had to come back to the UK parliament.” Interview by 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

As Britain finally leaves the EU, the vastness of the Brexit task ahead becomes clearer. Special guest PETER FOSTER, Europe Editor of the Telegraph (and soon Policy Editor at the FT), joins us to talk about our future relationship with the EU and who will hold the Government to account at home. Meanwhile, was Boris Johnson’s first big independent decision – on allowing Huawei into the UK’s 5G plans – a wise one? Old China hand Peter thinks not. Plus we talk to leading light of Leave GISELA STUART on the inside story of the campaign, her thoughts on Remain, and what Dominic Cummings is really like. Watch your feed for the full-length unedited version too. “The Chinese have driven a wedge between the United Kingdom and the United States. From their point of view, job done.” – PETER FOSTER “Membership of the EU has depoliticised a lot of trade issues in the past… It’s going to be striking on how politics intrude on these big decisions. And ministers are going to be exposed.” – ALEX THOMAS “Remaking our relationship with the EU is very much not going to be on the same exasperated but friendly terms of the past.” PETER FOSTER Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Maddy Thimont-Jack and Alex Thomas. 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

Blood runs cold in Westminster as the IfG hands down its annual judgment on government efficiency, the Whitehall Monitor. Who gets an A-Star, who has room to improve and who’s on the naughty step? And why does Britain’s idiosyncratic approach to talent management mean that the Civil Service is getting older and younger at the same time? Also, Northern Uproar: Moving the grand old Lords to York – would it it take ten thousand men (and women)? With Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’s assemblies all symbolically rejecting the Government’s Brexit plans, have we now passed Peak Devolution? And which domestic policies might get trampled in Boris Johnson’s rush for a US trade deal? “Reform of local and regional government has been on the Too Difficult box for far too long” – Alex Thomas “By an elegant solution, you mean a fudge, right?” – Bronwen Maddox Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Gavin Freeguard, Emma Norris and Alex Thomas. 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’s really got the whip hand during Britain’s post-Brexit negotiations with the EU? Special guest RACHEL SYLVESTER of The Times joins us to look at whether Boris Johnson can play the brinkmanship game again when it comes to new trade arrangements with our European friends. Plus, we talk to LIAM FOX about starting a government department from scratch, that putative Trump trade deal, and whether he got the Brexit he wanted. Why do ex-ministers heap praise on individual civil servants but rail against the Civil Service in general? The surprise return of self-government in Northern Ireland. And our data guru Gavin Freeguard turns Freedom of Information requests into free jazz. He’s got all the right requests, just not in the right order. “Brexit WILL be done in the narrow sense... but what exactly are we doing with the control we take back?” – Joe Owen “There’s been a Roundheads vs Cavaliers divide in politics and Labour have been the joyless Roundheads. The next Labour leader will need to be someone who can spark some joy in the country.” – Rachel Sylvester Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Joe Owen, Jess Sargeant 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

“You need to persuade the Civil Service. Attacking them is not the way to do it.” As Tony Blair’s Chief of Staff during the New Labour years, Jonathan Powell trod the path of radical reform that Dominic Cummings now walks. In this extended version of his interview in this week’s INSIDE BRIEFING, he tells Sam Macrory of the hidden pitfalls of rapid government reform, the perils of absentee opposition, and the real possibility of the UK breaking up over Brexit. “I think Boris Johnson will survive this year, politically,” he says. “But I don’t think Dominic Cummings will.” Interview by Sam Macrory. 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