Test Botch Special

09/18/20 • 39 min

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

What has gone so wrong with the Government’s “world-beating” COVID response? After a summer of confusion, can the “moonshot” get the Government’s pandemic policy back on course, or is it just more spin? And can its audacious Internal Market Bill make it through the Commons and Lords without being amended out of all recognition? Special guest Anoosh Chakelian of the New Statesman joins us to discuss Boris Johnson’s two biggest headaches.

“From the start this Government has been putting spin and rhetoric before levelling with the public.” – Anoosh Chakelian
“If Boris Johnson is having deep conversations with MPs in the tea room, you know they’re spooked.” – Anoosh Chakelian

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Jess Sargeant, Tom Pope and Alex Thomas. Audio production by Alex Rees

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“From the start this Government has been putting spin and rhetoric before levelling with the public.” – Anoosh Chakelian
“If Boris Johnson is having deep conversations with MPs in the tea room, you know they’re spooked.” – Anoosh Chakelian

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Jess Sargeant, Tom Pope and Alex Thomas. Audio production by Alex Rees

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Previous Episode

Specific and Limited Chaos

As Boris Johnson attempts to feed the Withdrawal Bill into a shredder marked “Internal Market Bill”, what does it mean for the rule of law, civil servants and the devolved nations when a government tries to abrogate international law? And as a new IfG report shows the Government’s plans to reach zero carbon by 2050 are way off track, what does it need to do to meet this ambitious target – and what will it cost?

“I can’t see any way this gets through the Lords in its current form.” – Alex Thomas

“The nature of the law is, you don’t get to choose when to follow it – because it’s the law.” – Raphael Hogarth

“Some of the rationale for this is reasonable and some of it is Mad Max chaos and destruction.” – Alex Thomas

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Maddy Thimont-Jack, Alex Thomas and Raphael Hogarth. Audio production by Alex Rees

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Next Episode

Freeze A Jolly Good Furlough

As the COVID outlook worsens dramatically, can Boris Johnson make another six months of restrictions stick? Is Rishi Sunak’s new Job Support Scheme just the old furlough in disguise, and will it hold back a tide of autumn job losses? And how prepared are public services for an extended crisis? Special guest Sir David Lidington, former de facto Deputy Prime Minister, explains the consequences of a new near-lockdown for consumer confidence, public health and the Government’s stability.

“If you don’t get the tax receipts coming in from the economy then you’ll have some very difficult decisions about public spending.” – David Lidington

“The Government needs to be seen to reach out... Metro mayors and local authorities need to be partners not adversaries.” – David Lidington

“MPs who brief the papers about how unhappy they are generally do not speak for the majority of the Parliamentary party” – David Lidington

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Nick Davies and Gemma Tetlow. Audio production by Alex Rees

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