Working to make government more effective

Working to make government more effective

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) as he arrives to attend a summit held at Lancaster House in central London. In the background are European leaders and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.
Podcast

Will Ukraine be "Keir Starmer’s Falklands – or his Iraq"?

UKICE’s Anand Menon joins the podcast team to reflect on another extraordinary week of UK/US/EU relations.

So much has happened since that explosive – and unsettling – White House press conference bust-up between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, but does Keir Starmer have a workable plan for peace? UKICE’s Anand Menon joins the podcast team to reflect on another extraordinary week of UK/US/EU relations.

Despite the focus on international affairs, the government also needs to deal with tough spending choices with not a lot of money to spend. After the aid budget, what could be next to face some cuts?

PLUS: What is going wrong with prisons in England and Wales? A new IfG report reveals some stark data – and sets out how to turn performance around.

What we talked about in this episode

People featured in this episode

Topic
International relations Brexit Public finances Public services
Keywords
Ukraine crisis Foreign affairs Trade Defence and security Spring statement Public spending Economy Spending review Prisons Criminal justice
Country (international)
United States European Union
Political party
Labour
Position
Prime minister Foreign secretary Chancellor of the exchequer
Administration
Starmer government
Department
Number 10 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office HM Treasury Ministry of Justice
Public figures
Keir Starmer Donald Trump Rachel Reeves
Publisher
Institute for Government

Related content

03 DEC 2025 Podcast

Should the UK do budgets differently?

As Rachel Reeves is accused of misleading the public, the IfG's experts discuss how well the UK does budgets, and Lammy's plans for judge-only trials.