{"podcast":{"title":"Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government","slug":"inside-briefing-with-the-institute-for-government-97126","podcast_index_feed_id":97126,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/PMO8430796457","website_url":"https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/917778dc-3272-11ec-a3dd-77b8c01a89fd/image/9158f83637851cf5995569ca736e1c9e.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Institute for Government","episode_count":422,"summary":"The first Labour government in 14 years is facing a daunting to-do list and complex challenges at every turn. Public services are under strain. The civil service is under pressure. And ministers must deliver the government’s missions and milestones. But could Keir Starmer’s plan to “rewire the British state” – through using AI and creating a “start-up” culture – turn these challenges into opportunities? So where is government working well and what is it doing badly? What can be done to make No10, the Treasury and the rest of government function more effectively? What can Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves do to achieve faster economic growth? What will Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives and the other opposition parties do to hold the government to account? How might Donald Trump shape British politics – and how could the UK’s relations with the EU change in the years ahead? Get behind the scenes in Westminster, Whitehall and beyond on the weekly podcast from Britain’s leading governmental think tank, where we analyse the latest events in politics and explain what they mean. Every week on Inside Briefing, IfG director Hannah White and the team welcomes special guests for a thought-provoking…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-10T10:19:02.340108+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-briefing-with-the-institute-for-government-97126"},"episode":{"title":"Trump vs Iran: Is the UK ready for war?","slug":"trump-vs-iran-is-the-uk-ready-for-war","published_at":"2026-03-04T16:10:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-briefing-with-the-institute-for-government-97126/trump-vs-iran-is-the-uk-ready-for-war","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-briefing-with-the-institute-for-government-97126","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR7890051290.mp3","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR7890051290.mp3","summary":"The Middle East is at war - but how does the conflict end and what role will the UK play? Sir Alex Younger, the former head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) joins the podcast team to discuss what the US strikes on Iran mean for the region, for the UK and for global security. Keir Starmer has said the UK will “not join regime change from the skies”, but huge questions remain over the extent of British involvement in the crisis - and the conflict is certain to have lasting consequences for this country. But just how ready is the UK to respond to a shock of this scale? Plus: Spring Forecast fall-out? The economy is sure to be affected but global events, but Rachel Reeves struck a bullish tone in her spring forecast on Tuesday. We review the numbers - and assess the chancellor’s plan. Hannah White and Alex Thomas present. With Dan Haile and Jill Rutter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices","meta_description":"The Middle East is at war - but how does the conflict end and what role will the UK play? Sir Alex Younger, the former head of the Secret Intelligence Ser…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2447,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/inside-briefing-with-the-institute-for-government-97126/episodes/trump-vs-iran-is-the-uk-ready-for-war/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-briefing-with-the-institute-for-government-97126/trump-vs-iran-is-the-uk-ready-for-war.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}