Iran-Israel conflict: Will Trump (and Starmer) go to war?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

Institute for Government

News, Politics, Government

4.6 • 252 Ratings

🗓️ 20 June 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

With conflict in the Middle East is dominating the headlines, the New Statesman’s Rachel Cunliffe joins the podcast team to explore Keir Starmer’s attempts to influence Donald Trump and ask whether the UK has a role to play beyond that of a concerned bystander. There is plenty of domestic politics around too, with the prime minister announcing an inquiry into grooming gangs - having said, only a few months ago, that he wouldn’t – and the government trying to face down a rebellion over its welfare budget cuts. Plus: John Major at the IfG and what comes next for government standards and ethics. Presented by Hannah White. With Catherine Haddon. Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Inside Briefing, the podcast from the Institute for Government. I'm Hannah White.
0:13.9	So all eyes are on the Middle East. Israel and Iran continue to trade blows as the missiles and bombs rain down.
0:23.9	Donald Trump says the US may yet strike Iran and its nuclear facilities Kestama meanwhile has flown into the latest G7 summit only for the US
0:30.1	president to depart early. International affairs are dominating, so does the UK have a role to play
0:35.7	beyond that of a concerned bystander? In any other time,
0:39.6	domestic politics would certainly be on our front pages because there's a lot to talk about. The fallout
0:45.0	from the spending review continues. The row over Labor's welfare bill is hotting up and the Prime
0:50.0	Minister has announced an inquiry into grooming gangs, having said only a few months ago that
0:54.7	he didn't think that was what we needed. So a lot to discuss. Joining me throughout is program
0:59.0	director of the IFG Academy, Cass Haddon. Hi, Kat. Hello. And I'm delighted to be joined
1:04.1	by Rachel Cunliff, Associate Political Editor at the New Statesman. Hi, Rachel. Delighted to be here.
1:08.3	So before we get going on everything else, Rachel has been
1:11.2	here at the IFG all morning because we've been holding a big one-day conference on ethical standards in
1:17.1	public life. It's the 30th anniversary of the Nolan Principles. Kath, can you give us a quick
1:22.3	explainer? What are the Nolan Principles and why do they matter? Yeah, so 30 years ago, in the wake of the cash for access scandal, John Major set up the Committee on Standards in Public Life,
1:36.4	chaired by Lord Nolan, which set out, as one of the things that it did, seven principles for public life that all people working in,
1:45.9	you know, aspects of government or public services or local government or the police or
1:51.2	whatever should be held to. They are honesty, integrity, objectivity, accountability, selflessness,
1:58.4	openness and leadership. And yes, I did write them down to make sure I got them right.
2:02.2	But we're basically looking back on the, you know, 30 years since what has changed.
2:07.6	Obviously, John Major reflecting on that, the role of the standards in public life,
2:12.0	but also the whole swath of different bodies that now exist to uphold, particularly central government, but also other
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