Inside No. 10: The creaky house that runs Britain

After a wild week in No.10 Downing Street, host Patrick Baker takes listeners on a podcast tour of the famous building to find out how the hell a cobbled-together Georgian townhouse is meant to run a modern state. Patrick asks how the rabbit warren layout influences those who govern the country, for better or worse. In one of his first interviews since stepping down, former Cabinet Secretary Simon Case opens up on how the building is less-than-ideal for the demands of modern government — with problems like losing the PM all-too-common. Case argues its layout contributed to the Partygate scandal that toppled Boris Johnson. The set designer of the film “Love Actually,” Jim Clay, recounts a tour given to him by Gordon Brown so he could memorise the layout — and commentates on Hugh Grant as he boogies down the Grand Staircase. Jack Brown, author of “The Power of Geography at No 10,” gives a step-by-step tour, taking us inside the pokey “Den,” the prime minister’s office at the heart of Downing Street. POLITICO Political Editor Dan Bloom explains why Keir Starmer prefers working in open-plan offices — and shares some secrets from rooms you’ve never heard of. Beatrice Timpson, former deputy press secretary to Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, shares her sympathy for those in the policy unit, seen as banished to the rafters of Number 10. And she reveals the constant battle for phone signal that rages at the heart of British power. John McTernan, who served as political secretary to Tony Blair, reveals stories from the Number 10 flat — and sets out what the current government must do to overcome the limitations of the building. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can listen to Inside No. 10: The creaky house that runs Britain online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Inside No. 10: The creaky house that runs Britain is an episode from POLITICO's Westminster Insider by POLITICO Europe.

This episode is 45:00 long.

This episode was published on Nov 14, 2025.

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