Keir Starmer has completed his first visit to the White House – and delivered a letter from King Charles to Donald Trump. So just how special is the special relationship looking this weekend? Defence expert Karin von Hippel, formerly of RUSI, joins the podcast team to look back on a huge week for international relations.

Does the PM’s plan to boost defence spending by cutting the international aid budget add up. We’ll look at the sums - and weigh up the consequences of this trade-off.

PLUS: The boss of the NHS is on the way out and local government finances are under massive pressure.

Presented by Hannah White.

With Alex Thomas and Stuart Hoddinott

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With Donald Trump making a series of headline-making statements on Ukraine and its leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, former national security adviser Peter Ricketts joins the podcast team to make sense of America’s place in the world – and what it means for the UK and Europe.

British politicians have been scrambling to respond, not least defence secretary John Healey - who this week was speaking at the IfG on a stage bedecked with union flags. We’ll catch up with what Healey had to say, and try and make sense of what Trump is up to.

Plus: Something a little bit lighter. We’ve got a new batch of our ‘ministers reflect’ interviews out, this time featuring Matt Hancock. We’ll give you the highlights. 

Alex Thomas presents.

With Cath Haddon and Paddy McAlary

Produced by Candice McKenzie

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The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Rt Hon John Healey MP, Secretary of State for Defence, to discuss his priorities for reforming UK defence.

With war in Europe, instability in the Middle East and a new US administration, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has taken centre stage during the Labour government’s first six months in power. But with increasing threats, how will the MOD ensure it stays ahead of the UK’s adversaries and deliver maximum value for taxpayers? How will it contribute to the government’s missions, particularly economic growth?

Healey opened the event with brief remarks on his defence reform programme, after which he was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government, before taking questions from the audience.

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Valentine’s Day is upon us... but there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of love for Keir Starmer and his government right now. So what is the PM going to do about it? Commentator Ian Dunt joins the podcast team to weigh up Labour's latest policy blitz – this time on immigration – and what seems to be ever-increasing pressure on chancellor Rachel Reeves.  

Plus: What does Donald Trump’s statement on Ukraine mean for the UK, not least our defence secretary and the armed forces? 

Hannah White presents, with Joe Owen. Produced by Candice McKenzie. 

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Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor of the Sunday Times, joins the podcast team to discuss his new book Get In, which is being billed as the definitive account of Labour’s reinvention under Keir Starmer.

The prime minister is continuing his mission to reset UK/EU relations, all while trying to work out what a relationship with Donald Trump’s America should look like. We’ll take a look at the PM’s diplomatic headaches.

Plus: Local elections. Or rather, no local elections. The government has postponed a batch of them. So what’s going on?

Hannah White presents.

With Jill Rutter and Akash Paun.

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No more talk of blackholes. No more doom. No more gloom. So what is Rachel Reeves’ plan for economic growth all about? Times columnist Sebastian Payne joins the podcast team as they make their way through the chancellor’s vision of reservoirs, runways and the UK’s own Silicon Valley – and ask whether government is really set up to make it all happen.

Plus: Ministers Reflect devolved government special! Nicola Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf and Mark Drakeford feature in a brilliant new batch of IfG interviews – and they have plenty to say about Brexit, Boris Johnson and making devolved government work.

Presented by Nick Davies.

With Gemma Tetlow and Millie Mitchell

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The details of how Axel Rudakubana, the Southport killer, plotted his attack have forced the government into action. Ciaran Martin, the former CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre, joins the podcast team to discuss Keir Starmer's response - and his decision to put tech firms in the spotlight.

The government also had some more positive tech announcements to make this week, so will its grand plans for overhauling digital services - in an attempt to boost productivity - really work?

Plus: Darren Jones’ big plans to do the spending review differently 

Hannah White presents.

With Cassia Rowland and Tom Pope.

Produced by Candice McKenzie 

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In a speech at the IfG this week, Darren Jones MP, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, insisted that “we are long overdue a reckoning with government spending and a realistic appraisal of how we're using taxpayers' money."

So what is Jones planning? Where might the spending cuts fall? How can AI – the so-called Chat HMTGPT – help deliver Whitehall savings? And what will Jones be doing to embed the government’s mission-led approach into the spending review?

After his speech, Darren Jones was in conversation with Hannah White.

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It has been a tricky couple of days for the chancellor. But how much trouble is Rachel Reeves really in and how much attention should people be paying to the markets? Politico’s Esther Webber joins the podcast team to look at the challenges facing the chancellor.

The prime minister tried to inject some optimism into the government’s week with a big announcement on AI, but do his plans compute? 

And what does the resignation of Tulip Siddiq reveal about how this government understands the way people view ministerial behaviour?

PLUS: How big is the civil service? How happy is the civil service? How well does the civil service actually do what it's meant to do? A new IfG report reveals EVERYTHING you need to know.

Presented by Hannah White.

With Tim Durrant, Giles Wilkes and Jack Worlidge 

Produced by Candice McKenzie

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Tricky poll ratings, gloomy economic news, and Elon Musk's online onslaught have made for a tricky start to 2025 for Keir Starmer, but how much should No10 be worrying? Theo Bertram, a former adviser to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown joins the pod team to give his verdict.

Musk's X attacks have placed the child grooming scandal on the front pages, but are the Conservatives right to call for a new inquiry?

The government would rather we were talking about its announcements on NHS and social care reform: our resident IfG health expert plans all?

Plus: What will Mark Zuckerberg's Meta's fact-checking shift really mean? 

Hannah White presents. With Emma Norris and Stuart Hoddinott.

Produced by Candice McKenzie.

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