Working to make government more effective

Working to make government more effective

Riot police in a row with protective gear
Podcast

Protests, politics and the killing of Henry Nowak

IfG senior fellow and former BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw joins the team to discuss a fraught week for the police and for politics.

With the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak sending shockwaves through Westminster and beyond, IfG senior fellow – and former BBC home affairs correspondent – Danny Shaw joins the podcast team to discuss a fraught week for the police and for politics.

What questions do the police need to answer? What could an inquiry explore – and what might need to change? And how could the events of this week shape British politics in the months ahead?

Plus: The footage of the riots in Southampton has knocked the Mandelson files off the front pages, but the ongoing saga has left some questions for government – not least how its key figures communicate with each other. WhatsApp is Westminster’s preferred way of talking – but is this good for scrutiny, for making decisions, and for transparency?

What we talked about in this episode

People featured in this episode

Topic
Public services Parliament and the constitution Ministers
Keywords
Police Criminal justice Public inquiries Government communications
Political party
Labour
Position
Prime minister
Administration
Starmer government
Department
Number 10 Home Office
Public figures
Keir Starmer
Publisher
Institute for Government

Related content

16 OCT 2026 Podcast

What’s on Burnham’s Brexit menu?

Anand Menon is in the studio to weigh up the PM's prospects of diplomacy with Donald Trump's White House, and a possible new relationship with the EU.