The Home Office is not fit for purpose. At least that’s the verdict of the home secretary. So what’s the problem and how can it be fixed? Former home office special adviser Hannah Guerin joins the podcast team for a deep dive into the woes of one of Whitehall’s most challenging departments.

Reform UK’s Danny Kruger has been setting out his plans for government reform. Outlandish or workable? We’ve been weighing it up.

Plus: Labour’s historic poll low. What do the numbers say about the state of British politics?

Hannah White presents.

With Alex Thomas.

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Prisons nearly bursting. Court cases backlogged. Prisoners released early. It couldn’t happen again, could it? Former BBC journalist and Labour adviser Danny Shaw joins the podcast team to discuss a brand new IfG report into the state of the criminal justice system.

In another difficult week for the government, the inquiry into grooming gangs has run into problems after at least four members of the victims and survivors panel quit in protest at how the government has handled the process so far. Can Louise Casey fix it?

Plus: Prince Andrew, the Royal family, and the government. What happens next?

Catherine Haddon presents.

With Alex Thomas and Cassia Rowland. 

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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With the prime ministers facing awkward questions over the collapse of the Chinese spy case, the Guardian’s Gaby Hinsliff joins the podcast team to explore the row and what it says about the UK’s relations with Beijing.

Local authorities provide services that everybody relies on, but the findings of a new IfG report into the state of local government finances and services makes for some eye-watering reading. We dig into the detail.

Plus: A big week for the government’s standards and ethics regime! Goodbye ACOBA, and hello Ethics and Integrity Commission. So how will this all work?

Hannah White presents, with Stuart Hoddinott, Amber Dellar and Tim Durrant. Produced by Milo Hynes.

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Lagging well behind Reform in the polls and bruised by a series of defections, the Conservative Party was in low spirits as it gathered for its party conference. 

So did party leader Kemi Badenoch answer her critics with that big stamp duty announcement? Will new Conservative policies win back voters? Do Mel Stride's spending pledges add up? And does any of this really make any difference at all? 

YouGov's Patrick English joined the Inside Briefing team in Manchester to assess the state of the official opposition. 

Presented by Hannah White.

With Alex Thomas and Tom Pope.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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The gloves are off. And it's a fight for the soul of our country. So says Keir Starmer. So how is he planning to win it? Sophie Stowers of More in Common joins the IfG podcast team for instant reaction to the Prime Minister's speech in Liverpool - which features praise for the swagger of Oasis - and expert analysis of the Labour Party conference.

So what does Starmer's speech say about his Nigel Farage strategy? Did the PM give any clues about the upcoming budget? And has Andy Burnham overplayed his hand?

Plus: What is going to be the big story at the Conservative Party conference?

Hannah White presents.

With Alex Thomas and Catherine Haddon.

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Labour is heading back to Liverpool for its annual conference, so what does Keir Starmer need to do to lift the party’s spirits and get some momentum behind his government? Former Number 10 adviser Tom Webb joins the podcast team to preview a massive couple of days for the prime minister and his team.

The November budget will loom large over Liverpool – so how might the chancellor approach the tricky question of raising taxes? A new IfG report has the answers.

Plus: The Liberal Democrat conference saw Ed Davey say a lot about Nigel Farage – but what did we actually learn about where the UK’s third party is trying to position itself?

Presented by Hannah White.

With Tom Pope and Jill Rutter.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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The US president is in town. And the timing could probably hardly be worse for a prime minister still reeling from his sacking of Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US. Michael Martins, a former senior official at the US embassy, joins the podcast team to preview the visit – and what Keir Starmer can actually hope to achieve from Donald Trump’s visit.

Plus: Arriving on a Jet Ski? Ed Davey, Nick Clegg and our Liberal Democrat conference preview.

Presented by Hannah White.

With Catherine Haddon and Alex Thomas.

Produced by Milo Hynes.

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Peter Mandelson has been sacked as the UK’s ambassador the US. But what does his downfall say about Keir Starmer’s judgment in making appointments? The Observer’s Cat Neilan joins the podcast team to weigh up the dramatic end of Mandelson’s time in Washington.

Keir Starmer has a new team in place, with ministers hastily moved around following Angela Rayner’s dramatic departure from the cabinet – so what do all the recent personnel changes mean for where his government goes next?

Plus: Has Starmer done enough to strengthen rules around ethics? And what future headaches are looming?

Presented by Hannah White. 

With Jill Rutter and Philip Nye.

Produced by Podmasters.

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Phase one is complete. Phase two begins. And it’s all about delivery. But just how hard is it for governments to do the delivery bit of governing? The IfG podcast team give their expert view.

Civil servants are key to making a success of the government’s policies and priorities - perhaps none more so than the high flying fast stream. But who are they - and is this cohort doing a good job? A new IfG report reveals all.

Plus: Reform Party conference preview – we speak to former Reform head of press Gawain Towler.

Catherine Haddon presents.

With Hannah Keenan, Rebecca McKee and Teodor Grama

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The party conference countdown has begun, and the Westminster Village is set to decamp to Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bournemouth and beyond.

But what this the point of the party conference jamboree?  What is it really like to spend four days locked inside a windowless conference centre and take yp residence at t a hotel bar? How do civil servants manage this temporary Westminster exodus? And does it really make any difference at all?

Join the IfG on another trip to the Inside Briefing vault, as we dig out a fascinating episode that we recorded in 2022 with political journalist and party conference veteran Michael Crick, journalist and author Marie Le Conte, former special adviser Peter Cardwell, and the IfG’s very own Jill Rutter. 

Presented by Alex Thomas and Hannah White.

Produced by Candice McKenzie

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