The PM: Why ‘unfitness for office’ doesn't matter

What divides the great Prime Ministers from the mediocre and the just plain bad? And how does Boris Johnson measure up in those stakes? Author of The Impossible Office: The History of the British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Seldon and former Government advisor Salma Shah take us on a deep dive into the harsh realities of the country’s most powerful office. Is Boris Johnson really as bad a PM as Dominic Cummings says he is? And is unfitness for office just a myth? • “Unfitness for office has never disqualified people as Prime Ministers. The question with Johnson is, was he unfit enough?” – Anthony Seldon  • “One of Prime Ministers’ strengths is a complete lack of self-awareness… Otherwise every day would be a duvet day.” – Salma Shah • “Every PM who’s been less successful has lacked that clear, ruthless vision. You must either have it – or history must throw it on your plate.” – Anthony Seldon • “Sajid Javid had a knack of making your believe any decision was yours and not his.” – Salma Shah • “So much of being a Prime Minister is a confidence trick. If confidence collapses, as it did for Theresa May, it’s all over.” – Anthony Seldon Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG.  https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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How can we make government work more effectively? What are Brexit and the current political tumult doing to our institutions? Is Britain's Constitution able to withstand the strains of 21st Century social, political and technical change? What needs to change in our system of government – and how can we change it? Find out in the weekly podcast from Britain’s leading governmental think tank, where we analyse the latest events in politics and explain what they mean. Every week on INSIDE BRIEFING, IfG Director Bronwen Maddox welcomes experts, analysts and special guests for a free-ranging conversation on what makes government work – and how to fix it when it doesn’t. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.