Working to make government more effective

Working to make government more effective

A Post Office sign
Podcast

The Post Office scandal: trouble on the Horizon

Adam Boulton joins the podcast to discuss how the faulty Horizon software led to hundreds of postmasters wrongly prosecuted for theft.

The Post Office scandal has been described by Rishi Sunak as one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in UK history – so who is responsible and is the government’s response the right one? Adam Boulton, the former political editor of Sky News, joins the podcast to discuss how the faulty Horizon software led to hundreds of postmasters wrongly prosecuted for theft.

The prime minister is urging voters to “stick with the plan” – but is the plan actually working? The pod team weigh up a tricky start to the year for Rishi Sunak, with a big resignation over his net zero plans and the controversial Rwanda bill returning to the Commons.

Access talks have been authorised – but is Labour prepared for the possibility of government? A new IfG report sets out what Keir Starmer needs to do.

What we talked about in this episode

People featured in this episode

Topic
Parliament and the constitution Procurement Net zero
Keywords
General election Cabinet Outsourcing Climate change Environment Immigration Official opposition Shadow cabinet Civil servants
Political party
Conservative Labour
Position
Prime minister Leader of the opposition
Administration
Sunak government
Department
Number 10
Public figures
Rishi Sunak Keir Starmer
Publisher
Institute for Government

Related content

11 APR 2025 Podcast

Trump's tariff turnaround

Economist and author Duncan Weldon joins us in the studio to make sense of the president’s wild economic rollercoaster ride.