Welcome to the briefing room with me, David Ronevich.

Into the room full of maps, flip charts and whiteboards,

come people who know what they're talking about to give us the best insights possible in less than half an hour into the big matters of the moment.

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the bus. And if this briefing room helps you to understand what's going on in the world, you might like other editions of the podcast, which range from trade wars to the parole board

and violent crime. This week, I'm getting briefed on the Home Office. Is it, in the words of one

politician, not fit for purpose? Take your seat in the briefing room.

Thank you. purpose, take your seat in the briefing room. There grew up a view that the Home Office was a graveyard for politicians.

It was a place you walked through to our peril,

being almost certain to lose any reputation that you had.

Thus spoke Roy Jenkins, a Home Secretary who did escape with his reputation intact.

But after the resignation of Amber Rudd,

I want to find out what it is about the Home Office

that makes it such a very

difficult government department to lead. Step into the briefing room and we'll try and find out.

Let's start with some deep context. One person who knows the history of the troubled department

is the political documentary maker Michael Cockrell.

The Home Office was formed in 1782. It was just after the Gordon riots where the military had shot dead 300 protesters and they decided.

There was revolutions about to go on across Europe and they decided they need a department of homeland security, a department of law and order.

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