Negotiating Government: Public Sector Strategy for Business Leaders

How Governments Co-ordinate Investor-State Negotiations and Disputes What makes the difference between a successful investor-state negotiation and an expensive international dispute? In this episode of Negotiating Government , Negotient founding partner Iain Steel is joined by Katerina Drisi of ProSovereign Global to explore the often-overlooked challenge at the heart of major government investmen...

The English Devolution Act 2026 has just passed — but how do combined authorities actually negotiate the deals, powers and investment that make devolution work in practice? Phil Witcherley, Director of Economic Growth and Innovation at the North East Combined Authority, joins James Dowling to reveal the strategy behind building regional coalitions, securing integrated settlements and attracting pr...

Former Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke and HM Treasury official John Hall reveal the single most important insight for anyone negotiating with government: you are never just negotiating with a department — you are always negotiating with the Treasury. They explain the three tests every proposal must pass, why the person across the table from you is rarely the real decision-maker, and h...

Miranda Worthington and Josh Flax use the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike as a case study in why rational negotiators sometimes choose mutually destructive outcomes — examining the sunk cost fallacy, stop-loss bias and optimism bias that caused a 118-day dispute that cost the industry billions. They explain why maximum leverage exists before a work stoppage begins rather than after, and how the union's...

David Gauke and John Hall dissect the November 2025 Budget from an insider's perspective — concluding it was a fiscal repair Budget rather than a growth Budget, and explaining what that distinction means for businesses engaging with government. They examine the Fingleton Review's implications for regulatory reform across infrastructure sectors, the hidden £20 billion of spending pressure...

Former Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke and HM Treasury official John Hall take listeners inside the Budget — explaining how Treasury and the OBR work through six rounds of iteration, why measures can be dropped three days before Budget day, and how the post-Budget consultation process is the window most industries miss. They also set out how to engage government effectively if your sec...

Miranda Worthington, former NHS industrial relations director, and Josh Flax, former US federal mediator, compare how strikes work on either side of the Atlantic — covering the legal definitions, the difference between indefinite and rolling strikes, lockouts, workforce replacement and the reputational consequences for employers. Drawing on experience from the NHS strikes and the London tube dispu...

Former Cabinet Minister David Gauke and former Whitehall Director Miranda Worthington explain why negotiating with government is fundamentally different from any other negotiation — and what private sector organisations consistently get wrong. They examine how scale, silos, ministerial turnover and public scrutiny shape every government decision, and what the most effective counterparts do differe...

Chris Brown and Josh Flax apply a negotiator's lens to the US-UK trade deal — breaking down Trump's playbook move by move, from the blanket tariff setup to the late-night phone call that reshaped the final terms. They assess Starmer's decision to go first as a strategic play, not just political theatre, and explain what the deal reveals about anchoring, leverage and narrative contro...

David Gauke and John Hall analyse the June 2025 Spending Review from an insider perspective — examining why defence and net zero were the clear winners, why the NHS faces a capacity crunch despite generous day-to-day funding, and why the Sizewell nuclear investment failed to qualify as an off-balance-sheet financial asset. They also assess whether the Green Book rewrite signals a shift from econom...

Former Treasury Minister David Gauke and HM Treasury official John Hall explain how the Spring Statement signals what to expect from the June Spending Review — and what it means for organisations negotiating with government. They assess the UK's shrinking fiscal headroom, the shift from revenue to capital spending, and why the Transformation Fund may disappoint. Essential listening for anyone...