Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

Cabinet Secretary Antonia Romeo did not hold back this week when she demanded sweeping changes to the civil service - but what action will follow the punchy rhetoric?

The Guardian’s Rowena Mason joins the podcast team for expert analysis of the Romeo agenda.

The prime minister has confirmed that his 10 year plan will be published this side of Christmas. So what can we expect to see fromthe Burnham blueprint for government?

Plus: Are the government’s health reforms and targets working?

The latest chapter of our Performance Tracker of Public Services, published in partnership with the Nuffield Foundation, has the answers.

Presented by Alex ThomasWith Hannah Keenan and Stuart Hoddinott.

Produced by Podmasters.
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Following a brutal set of Mid-Term election results for Donald Trump and the Republicans, Ben Judah – who worked as a special adviser to former foreign secretary David Lammy – joins the podcast team to discuss what a night of big wins for the Democrats mean for Trump’s presidency, foreign policy, and the UK.

It has already been a big week on the international front for Andy Burnham, with the prime minister attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and also hinting at a new deal with the EU. We’ll take a look at the PM’s diplomatic efforts.

Plus: Is Westminster ready for the reality of a hung parliament – and if not, what could it learn from the power-sharing deals in councils across England?



Catherine Haddon presents.

With Giles Wilkes and Megan Isaac.
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John Healey’s “breathing space” budget was short on big decisions but big on smaller, immediate measures – so did it all add up? Nick Garland, a former speechwriter to ex-chancellor Rachel Reeves, joins the podcast team to explore the significance of Healey’s big day.

There are always winners and losers in budgets – so who did well? What choices have Healey and Andy Burnham left for another day? And are there really more civil service efficiency savings to be made?

Plus: Ringfencing preventative budgets. One of the IfG’s longstanding recommendations has been taken on by John Healey. We’re going to take a closer look.

Hannah White presents.

With Tom Pope, Giles Wilkes and Hannah Keenan.
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John Healey’s first budget as chancellor on 28 October was a huge moment for Andy Burnham’s government.

A difficult fiscal inheritance, made more challenging still by the war in Iran, means Healey and Burnham faced a series of tough choices.

So what will the chancellor’s spending decisions reveal about the government’s priorities? Will he send a clear signal about the future tax changes that are – or are not – on the table? Can Healey and Burnham show that they are capable of taking the difficult decisions facing government? And will they avoid mistakes made by Keir Starmer and former chancellor Rachel Reeves?

Just a few hours after Healey set out his plans, the IfG shared their instant expert analysis in this must-watch budget day webinar.

We were joined by an expert panel including:

Dan Haile, Senior Economist at the Institute for Government

Stuart Hoddinott, Associate Director at the Institute for Government

Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government

This webinar was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Executive Director for Research and Innovation at the Institute for Government.
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The budget is nearly here. So what is chancellor John Healey going to say at the Despatch Box on Wednesday? The Observer’s Ben Zaranko joins the podcast team to preview the biggest day yet in Andy Burnham’s premiership.

The PM has said he will pull every lever he can to help with the cost of living. The chancellor has said he won’t budge from Labour’s fiscal rules - or its 2024 manifesto pledge not to raise the three main personal taxes. So are Healey’s options and what does he need to do?

Plus: How can he turn around public service performance? A new IfG report says things aren’t likely to much get better by the time of the next election. Can Healey and Burnham do anything about that gloomy prediction? We’ll reveal all.

Hannah White presents.

With Jill Rutter and Nick Davies.

Produced by Milo Hynes
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