It's incredibly busy, so you are just running from the start of the day to the end of the day.

It's like a dentist diary, half hour slots from one end of the day to the next.

And it's quite relentless.

Hello and welcome to the latest episode of our special Inside Briefing series

Becoming a Minister.

In this series, former ministers and the civil servants who worked with them

reveal what it is really like to hold ministerial office and how to do the job well.

You will hear all about the challenges, the confusion, the decisions and drama of a what it is really like to hold ministerial office and how to do the job well.

You will hear all about the challenges, the confusion, the decisions and drama of a job

which really is like no other.

For this episode, we've spoken to former ministers about what their day-to-day lives actually

looked like in office. So, you're a new minister. You've had your phone call from the PM,

you've made your speech to the department and you've met your private secretaries. Where next?

Ministers have an enormous number of demands on their time, from visits around the country

and abroad to simply spending time with their colleagues. All of these are an important part of the

role. But you can't do it all. Sign every letter, visit every hospital or meet every official.

As we'll hear, a key part of the job is getting your priorities straight and learning

when, sometimes you just have to say no.

Every day as a minister looks different.

Sometimes there's a crisis that means you have to hop on a train or a plane.

Sometimes there's a bill to take through Parliament or an important cabinet meeting.

But one thing stays the same.

...