SPERI Presents...

Starmer's Labour has secured an overwhelming majority in what will surely be one of the most significant Parliamentary terms in the history of British climate politics. The clock is ticking on decarbonisation, but the new Labour government appears reluctant to take full advantage of the chance to be forever remembered as climate heroes. Will it make the most of this opportunity?Michael Jacobs, now Professor of Political Economy at the University of Sheffield, was a member of the Council of Economic Advisers at the Treasury from 2004 to 2007 and special adviser to Gordon Brown at No 10 on energy, climate and environmental policy from 2007 to 2010. He joins Mems and guest co-host Chris Saltmarsh (doctoral student and co-founder of the campaign group Labour for a Green New Deal) to discuss the remarkable consensus around the Climate Change Act 2008; failure and success at UNFCCC summits from COP15 in Copenhagen to COP21 in Paris; and the challenges facing Ed Miliband in his new role as Secretary of State for Energy. They also consider the new Labour government's plans on climate, including Great British Energy, and how the climate movement needs to kick itself into gear to pile on the pressure for stronger action.Lessons in Power is a SPERI Presents... podcast. Professor Michael Jacobs and Mems Ayinla interview ministers and advisors from the New Labour administration (1997-2010) to tease out lessons on a range of issues for Keir Starmer’s newly formed Labour government.This episode is produced by the SPERI Presents… working group, including Remi Edwards, Chris Saltmarsh, Frank Maracchione, Emma Mahoney, Dillon Wamsley, Andrew Hindmoor, Mems Ayinla and Michael Jacobs. This episode was edited by Chris Saltmarsh and Remi Edwards. Music and audio by Andy_Gambino. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash. Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information. 

Keir Starmer's new government must now walk the line between the short-termist incentives of Parliamentary politics and the imperative to tackle the medium and long-term social issues that Labour has been elected to solve. What mode of governance can effectively strike this balance?Sir Geoff Mulgan, now Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London, was Director of the Performance and Innovation Unit, Head of the Strategy Unit and Head of Policy in No 10 (1997-2007). He joins Michael and Mems to discuss strategies for addressing multidimensional and complex social issues; how Starmer should pursue his missions; the allure and limitations of incrementalism; and the challenges of a hollowed out Whitehall.Lessons in Power is a SPERI Presents... podcast. Professor Michael Jacobs and Mems Ayinla interview ministers and advisors from the New Labour administration (1997-2010) to tease out lessons on a range of issues for Keir Starmer’s newly formed Labour government.This episode is produced by the SPERI Presents… working group, including Remi Edwards, Chris Saltmarsh, Frank Maracchione, Emma Mahoney, Dillon Wamsley, Andrew Hindmoor, Mems Ayinla and Michael Jacobs. This episode was edited by Michael Jacobs and Remi Edwards. Music and audio by Andy_Gambino. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash. Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information. 

It would appear that every Opposition party promises sweeping House of Lords reform while every government roundly fails to make any meaningful progress in that domain. What challenges will Keir Starmer's new Labour government face when it comes to constitutional and Parliamentary reform?Meg Russell, now Professor of Politics at University College London and Director of the UCL Constitution Unit, was Special Adviser to Robin Cook as Leader of the House in 2001-3. She joins Michael and Mems to discuss the dynamic between the Prime Minister and Parliament; the need for reform in the House of Commons; the politics of House of Lords appointments; and the endlessly frustrating challenge of achieving meaningful reform to the upper house.Lessons in Power is a SPERI Presents... podcast. Professor Michael Jacobs and Mems Ayinla interview ministers and advisors from the New Labour administration (1997-2010) to tease out lessons on a range of issues for Keir Starmer’s newly formed Labour government.This episode is produced by the SPERI Presents… working group, including Remi Edwards, Chris Saltmarsh, Frank Maracchione, Emma Mahoney, Dillon Wamsley, Andrew Hindmoor, Mems Ayinla and Michael Jacobs. This episode was edited by Michael Jacobs and Remi Edwards. Music and audio by Andy_Gambino. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash. Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer inherits a series of broken public services after fourteen years of austerity and economic stagnation. Can the new Labour government turn them around while remaining so reluctant to invest public money? Nick Pearce, now Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Institute of Policy Research, University of Bath, was Head of the No 10 Policy Unit 2007-10 and Special Adviser at the Dept of Education and Employment and Home Office (2001-7). He joins Michael and Mems to discuss New Labour's record on education, (including the controversial policy of academisation), investment in the NHS and social care, and housing (including the continuation of Right to Buy). How should Keir Starmer approach public service reform? They also consider the importance of taxation to fund public spending, the role of local government and combined authorities, and how the civil service will respond to the new government.Lessons in Power is a SPERI Presents... podcast. Professor Michael Jacobs and Mems Ayinla interview ministers and advisors from the New Labour administration (1997-2010) to tease out lessons on a range of issues for Keir Starmer’s newly formed Labour government.This episode is produced by the SPERI Presents… working group, including Remi Edwards, Chris Saltmarsh, Frank Maracchione, Emma Mahoney, Dillon Wamsley, Andrew Hindmoor, Mems Ayinla and Michael Jacobs. This episode was edited by Michael Jacobs and Chris Saltmarsh. Music and audio by Andy_Gambino. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash. Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information. 

A key issue in Labour's 2024 general election campaign was the conflict between the moral imperative to end child poverty and the party's stringent fiscal rules. The debate over whether Starmer's new government will end the two-child limit in Universal Credit is already a live issue during his first period as Prime Minister.Carey Oppenheim, now an independent consultant on early years policy and adviser to the Nuffield Foundation, was Special Advisor to Tony Blair in the Number 10 Policy Unit from 2000 to 2005, working on employment policy, social security, childcare and poverty. She joins Michael and Mems to discuss New Labour's pledge to eradicate poverty, the Sure Start initiative, the challenges of building institutions that last beyond particular governments, reimagining social security, and the legacy of the minimum wage.Lessons in Power is a SPERI Presents... podcast. Professor Michael Jacobs and Mems Ayinla interview ministers and advisors from the New Labour administration (1997-2010) to tease out lessons on a range of issues for Keir Starmer’s newly formed Labour government.This episode is produced by the SPERI Presents… working group, including Remi Edwards, Chris Saltmarsh, Frank Maracchione, Emma Mahoney, Dillon Wamsley, Andrew Hindmoor, Mems Ayinla and Michael Jacobs. This episode was edited by Remi Edwards, Michael Jacobs and Chris Saltmarsh. Music and audio by Andy_Gambino. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash. Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information. 

Foreign aid spending has long been a political football kicked around by the major parties. Now that Keir Starmer has formed a new Labour government, what will its approach to international development tell us about the UK's place in the world?Clare Short was Secretary of State for International Development from 1997-2003 under Tony Blair. She joins Michael and Mems to discuss overseas development and foreign policy, including the founding of the Department for International Development, its relation to the Foreign Office, and American influence over British foreign policy making. They also consider the challenges faced by the new Labour government, including the war in Gaza and Britain's declining stature in world politics.Lessons in Power is a SPERI Presents... podcast. Professor Michael Jacobs and Mems Ayinla interview ministers and advisors from the New Labour administration (1997-2010) to tease out lessons on a range of issues for Keir Starmer’s newly formed Labour government.This episode is produced by the SPERI Presents… working group, including Remi Edwards, Chris Saltmarsh, Frank Maracchione, Emma Mahoney, Dillon Wamsley, Andrew Hindmoor, Mems Ayinla and Michael Jacobs. This episode was edited by Michael Jacobs, Chris Saltmarsh and Remi Edwards. Music and audio by Andy_Gambino. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash. Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information. 

Debates about migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats dominated the 2024 general election. The Labour government will now face pressure from all sides to resolve the issue decisively but humanely.Lord David Blunkett was Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1997-2001), Home Secretary (2001-4) and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2005). He joins Michael and Mems to discuss his time at the Home Office and immigration policy during Tony Blair's administration. They discuss whether the Home Office is fit for purpose, running the ministry in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, negotiating with France's Nicolas Sarkozy over asylum policy, and the debate around whether (and when) asylum seekers should receive the right to work.Lessons in Power is a SPERI Presents... podcast. Professor Michael Jacobs and Mems Ayinla interview ministers and advisors from the New Labour administration (1997-2010) to tease out lessons on a range of issues for Keir Starmer’s newly formed Labour government.This episode is produced by the SPERI Presents… working group, including Remi Edwards, Chris Saltmarsh, Frank Maracchione, Emma Mahoney, Dillon Wamsley, Andrew Hindmoor, Mems Ayinla and Michael Jacobs. This episode was edited by Michael Jacobs and Chris Saltmarsh. Music and audio by Andy_Gambino. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash. Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information. 

Keir Starmer and David Lammy face the immediate foreign policy challenges of wars in Ukraine and Gaza, volatility in Europe, and geopolitical conflict between the US and China.Lord Stewart Wood, now a Fellow of the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, was a member of the Council of Economic Advisers at the Treasury from 2001 to 2007 and Gordon Brown’s foreign policy adviser at No 10 from 2007 to 2010. He joins Michael and Mems to discuss his experience of working across a range of issues under the last Labour government and offer advice to Keir Starmer's new Labour government. They discuss Gordon Brown's diplomacy in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, the challenges of managing relations with the EU and its member states in a post-Brexit world, and how to position the UK amid the US-China trade war.Lessons in Power is a SPERI Presents... podcast. Professor Michael Jacobs and Mems Ayinla interview ministers and advisors from the New Labour administration (1997-2010) to tease out lessons on a range of issues for Keir Starmer’s newly formed Labour government.This episode is produced by the SPERI Presents… working group, including Remi Edwards, Chris Saltmarsh, Frank Maracchione, Emma Mahoney, Dillon Wamsley, Andrew Hindmoor, Mems Ayinla and Michael Jacobs. This episode was edited by Michael Jacobs and Chris Saltmarsh. Music and audio by Andy_Gambino. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash. Hosted on Acast. See https://acast.com/privacy for more information.