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Politics

How special advisers can work with departmental communications teams

How special advisers can work with departmental communications teams jack.sanders Tue, 30/06/2026 - 15:19 6 'How to' guide Institute for Government Yes Ministers Civil servants Working with departmental communications teams No “[The minister] made it very clear to me from the get-go; media coverage was very important to him. So that was very much the focus for me, was to try and drive positive media coverage for him and for the department.” Former media special adviser Ministers rely on commu...

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Politics

Working with private office as a special adviser

Working with private office as a special adviser jack.sanders Tue, 30/06/2026 - 15:11 5 'How to' guide Institute for Government Yes Ministers Civil servants Working with private office as a special adviser No “[The private office is] a team that doesn’t get talked about enough, I think, in terms of their power and influence and really critical role in government.” Former special adviser Different departments have different private office setups, but special advisers will usually have dedicate...

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Politics

How political violence and conspiracy became mainstream in Britain

10 years on from the murder of MP Jo Cox, there is a grim warning from her sister Kim Leadbeater: the atmosphere in politics now is "probably worse". Leadbeater warns of people trying to "sow division" in our country - and that's a division that Russia is seeking to exploit. One of the arsonists convicted of trying to firebomb Keir Starmer's house had also been tasked by Kremlin-linked actors with putting up far-right posters, seeking to stoke community tensions. How can it be that, after the...

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Culture

Visas, Tickets... Trump: Why this World Cup feels hard to love? - The Sports Agents

Nedum touches down in USA and joins Gabby & Mark to discuss the opening game of the World Cup 2026; How excited are the locals, dark horses for the tournament & more. But with such a constant stream of controversy in the days leading up to the first match - fans fleeced for tickets, a Somali referee banned from entering US, national teams greeted by ICE on arrival and FIFA President Gianni Infantino's call for everyone to just "chill out" - has a World Cup ever been harder to love? The Athlet...

Global
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Politics

Special Report: Belfast riots - how Elon Musk is stoking a new wave of British violence

Belfast was ablaze last night, 24 hours after the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie. Houses, cars and buses were set on fire during riots across the city. It has since been announced that Ogilvie has lost an eye in the attack and 30-year-old Hadi Alodid has been charged with his attempted murder. The British government are laying at least some of the blame at the door of X owner Elon Musk, accusing him of whipping up tensions online ahead of the disorder. Lewis is on the ground in Belfast w...

United Kingdom
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Business

Jack Altman on Product-Market Fit

Jack Altman joins Speedrun to discuss product-market fit, customer feedback, hiring, fundraising, and the realities of building an enduring company. Drawing on his experience building Lattice from startup to multi-billion-dollar company, Altman explains how founders should think about customer requests, when to pivot, and why some of the hardest decisions come from balancing conviction with market feedback. He shares lessons from the early days of Lattice, including finding product-market fit...

United States
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Healthcare

AI, Growth, and the Future of Healthcare | Anish Acharya & Sachin Jain

SCAN Health Plan CEO Sachin Jain speaks with a16z General Partner Anish Acharya about AI, healthcare, and what it takes for established organizations to adapt during periods of technological change. The conversation explores how AI is reshaping work, customer experience, software development, and organizational structure. Acharya argues that artificial intelligence is not simply another productivity tool, but a fundamentally new technology capable of performing work on behalf of people and or...

United States
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Economy

Tyler Cowen & Alex Tabarrok on AI, Jobs, and Economic Growth

Wyatt Thomson of OpenAI speaks with economists Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok about AI, labor markets, and the future of economic growth. The conversation explores one of the most common fears surrounding AI: that increasingly capable systems will eliminate jobs. Cowen and Tabarrok argue instead that economic growth remains the key variable. Throughout history, productivity-enhancing technologies have transformed work, created new industries, and expanded living standards, even as they disrupt...

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