Working to make government more effective

Working to make government more effective

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Thomas & Mack Center.
Podcast

Donald Trump and the politics of interfere

Foreign policy expert Sophia Gaston joins the podcast team to make sense of an unexpected twist in the US presidential election.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about US politics in recent years, it’s this: don’t fall out with Donald Trump. So how have Keir Starmer and the Labour government ended up being dragged into a big row with the former – and maybe future – president? Foreign policy expert Sophia Gaston joins the podcast team to make sense of an unexpected twist in the US presidential election.

The PM is in Samoa for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders. But what can the UK hope to achieve at this gathering?

Plus: It has been a frenetic week of government activity, with reviews announced on the NHS, sentencing, water and more. But does this type of approach really make any difference?

What we talked about in this episode

People featured in this episode

Topic
Policy making Public services
Keywords
Foreign affairs
Country (international)
United States
Political party
Labour
Institution
Monarchy
Position
Prime minister
Administration
Starmer government
Public figures
Keir Starmer King Charles III
Publisher
Institute for Government

Related content

03 MAR 2026 Podcast

Trump vs Iran: Is the UK ready for war?

Sir Alex Younger, former head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), joins us to discuss what the US strikes on Iran mean for global security.

17 SEP 2025 Podcast

Trump’s state visit: The sequel

Michael Martins, a former senior official at the US embassy, joins the podcast to discuss what Starmer can actually hope to achieve from Trump's visit