Hello and welcome to Inside Briefing, the podcast from the Institute for Government. I'm Emma Norris.

Is this the week, things first began to get a little

bit difficult for the new government? We've seen prisoners released early, something that's never

going to guarantee good headlines, and a big row about the decision to cut winter fuel payments

to pensioners. To govern is to choose, of course, but sometimes it's also about taking a kicking

from all sides.

So are the attacks that we've seen this week deserved? Will the government manage to fend them

off or at least take the blows and move on? And what does this all mean for Kyr Starma?

Somewhere out there, there's an opposition. Well, an opposition leadership contest anyway.

We'll clock in on the race to succeed Rishi Sunak, as well as the

race to lead what some people think are Parliament's most effective form of scrutiny, and that

select committees. So there's plenty to talk about. Joining me throughout is IFG's Kath Haddon. Hi,

Kath. Hello. And I'm delighted that Aligretti, the Chief Political Correspondent at the Times,

is dialing in to join us.

Hi, Albury.

Hello, thanks for having me.

Are the summer holidays a distant memory for you already?

What summer holidays?

Yeah, exactly. Same.

Okay, let's start with the early release of prisoners, a big early call by Kirstama,

but one which the Prime Minister says he had no

choice but to make. Cassia Rowland, the criminal justice expert on our public services team, joins us

...