Is China really launching cyberattacks on British politicians and institutions? If so, then how serious is the threat – and what can the government do about it? Ciaran Martin, the first chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, joins the podcast team to discuss. Two more ministers have quit the government – and announced that they will step down from Parliament. So how dangerous is this exodus for Rishi Sunak, and how has the PM reshuffled his pack? PLUS: Keir Starmer and Angela...

The Spectator’s Isabel Hardman joins the IfG podcast team to discuss Conservative party plots – and weigh up just how much trouble Rishi Sunak is in. Rachel Reeves has been making headlines with a major speech on the economy. So what did the shadow chancellor say, and does Labour have a plausible plan? Plus: Who wants to be a member of a men-only private members’ club? Hannah White presents, with Jill Rutter and Giles Wilkes. Produced by Candice McKenzie. Learn more about your ad choices....

A general election is getting closer – and whoever forms the next government needs to be prepared. The campaign will dominate time and resources, but the job of being in government begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted. Preparing for Power, a special six-part series from the Institute for Government, takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get ready for what comes...

A weak No.10 Downing Street compulsively micro-manages. The Cabinet Office is bloated and unwieldy. The Treasury dominates decision-making. And prime ministers often find that the levers of power aren’t working. So what is going wrong with the centre of government? What can be done to fix it? And, as a general election approaches, what difference would a re-designed centre mean for either Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer? A new Institute for Government report – the result of a year-long commission...

Jeremy Hunt’s budget was a massive day in Westminster – and a big moment for the country. But what difference did it really make to the government’s fortunes – and to people’s pockets? Straight after crunching the numbers, studying the forecasts and making sense – or trying to – of the chancellor’s statement, the IfG public finances team gathered in the studio to record a special livestreamed episode of Inside Briefing.  What have we learned from the chancellor’s big announcements and what...

A general election is getting closer – and whoever forms the next government needs to be prepared. The campaign will dominate time and resources, but the job of being in government begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted. Preparing for Power, a special six-part series from the Institute for Government, takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get ready for what follows once the...

Tom Baldwin joins the Inside Briefing team on the day his long-awaited biography of Keir Starmer is published. So what does the book reveal about the man who wants to be the next prime minister? How did Starmer’s upbringing – and his complicated relationship with his father – shape the politician he became? Do the book’s revelations give us a sense of what will define the general election showdown between Starmer and Rishi Sunak? And can political biographies affect how people think about...

A general election is getting closer – and whoever forms the next government needs to be prepared. The campaign will dominate time and resources, but the job of being in government begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted. Preparing for Power, a special six-part series from the Institute for Government, takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get ready for what comes...

Wednesday night’s debate on Gaza saw chaotic – and unedifying – scenes in Commons which brought parliament into disrepute. ConservativeHome’s Henry Hill joins the podcast team to make sense of what happened and to weigh up how much trouble Speaker Lindsay Hoyle is in. From trouble in parliament to problems with government, the IfG’s Commission on the Centre of Government will publish its final report on March 11. The podcast team set the scene – and explain why the winner of the next general...

A general election is getting closer – and whoever forms the next government will need to prepare for the possibility of power. Thecampaign will dominate time and resources, but the job of being in government begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted. Preparing for Power, a special six-part series from the Institute for Government, takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get...

A double by-election battering for the government has made this a very bad week for Rishi Sunak. The loss of Kingswood and Wellingborough to Labour followed the news that the UK has fallen into recession. Conservative backbenchers are restless. And the polls are showing no signs shifting. Chris Cook of the Financial Times joins the podcast team to explore just how much trouble the prime minister is in – and what he can do to turn things around as a general election approaches. While the week...

Whoever forms the next government will need to be prepared. The job begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted. Preparing for Power, a special six-part series from the Institute for Government, takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get ready for being in government. Episode 2 explores how the civil service prepare for a potential transition of government, with five former...

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

Whoever forms the next government will need to be prepared. The job begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted.  So what is it like to go from opposition to government overnight? How do civil servants get ready for the possibility of a transition of power or a hung parliament? And what is it like for a governing party to continue in power after a bruising campaign? In this six-part series, the Institute for Government takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians,...

A deal to restore government in Northern Ireland has finally been struck and Stormont is set to return. So what was the decisive factor? Who are the big winners? And what are the chances of this deal actually holding? Peter Foster of the Financial Times joins the IfG team to reflect on a historic week. It is four years since the UK left the EU – so how has life outside the Single Market and the Customs Union been working out? With new border checks set to be introduced in 2024, the pod team...

Simon Clarke has called for Rishi Sunak to go. A former No10 special adviser has said the Conservatives won’t win the election with Sunak at the helm. And an endless supply of new polling keeps painting an awkward picture for the PM’s prospects. So just how much trouble is Sunak in? The Times’ Geri Scott joins the podcast team to make sense of the latest chapter in the Conservative party psychodrama. Plus: Everything you need to know about the civil service. The IfG’s annual stocktake into...

Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda legislation has made its way through the House of Commons, but at what cost to his authority? Peter Ricketts, the UK’s first national security adviser, joins the podcast team to discuss Sunak’s battles with his MPs, his looming battles with the House of Lords, and his ongoing battles to get any flights off the ground. Plus, Sunak has authorised his first military action as PM, with the UK joining airstrikes against Houthi rebels. So what happens next? And is...

The Post Office scandal has been described by Rishi Sunak as one of greatest miscarriages of justice in UK history – so who is responsible, and is the government’s response the right one? Adam Boulton, former political editor of Sky News, joins the podcast to discuss how the faulty Horizon software led to hundreds of postmasters wrongly prosecuted for theft.   Plus, the prime minister is urging voters to “stick with the plan” – but is the plan actually working? The pod team weigh up a tricky...

2024 is going to be quite some year for politics. A general election is no more than a year away. The Conservatives are still a long way behind in the polls, but has Keir Starmer done enough to convince people to vote for Labour? What are they key dates to look out for over the next 12 months? What happens next at the Covid Inquiry? Where are local elections happening? And what are the events overseas that could yet impact on British politics? Sky’s Sam Coates joins the IfG podcast team to...

Have you opened all your presents and need something to lift your flagging festive spirits? Perhaps those in-laws are staying a little longer than you’d like and you’re looking for a little audio escape? Or maybe you need a political fix to get you through the holidays... but you’re not quite ready to reengage with the latest Westminster machinations? Then this is the podcast for you. For one Christmas only, the IfG team have been submitting their candidates for a fantasy cabinet – and the...

So that was the year that was. Just the one prime minister this time, but plenty of political drama and intrigue, twists and turns, and high and lows. David Runciman, the former host of the Talking Politics podcast, joins the IfG team to look back on the last 12 months. How did Rishi Sunak’s five pledges work out? Does anyone remember what Keir Starmer’s five missions are? What did all those by-elections tell us about what the public are really thinking? Do Boris Johnson or Liz Truss have a...

While five groups of right wing Conservative MPs – the so-called “Five Families” – have not been making life easy for the prime minister, Rishi Sunak’s controversial immigration bill made its way through the Commons without one Tory rebelling. But is the real fight still to come? Politico’s Esther Webber joins the podcast team to take stock of a dramatic few days in parliament. Luckily for the prime minister he got to spend Monday away from Westminster. Unluckily for the prime minister he had...