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The government’s devolution white paper – published on 16 December – sets out the detail of Labour’s promised ‘devolution revolution’. Ministers plan to further empower England’s existing 12 metro mayors, to extend devolution to the whole of England, and to reorganise local government.
But what exactly will the white paper commit the government to do? Which powers will be devolved, to where? How will mayors be involved in delivering the government’s growth, energy and public service missions? How will the proposed reforms to local government work? And what challenges lie ahead for the government in implementing this ambitious
agenda?
The Institute for Government’s online expert briefing on 18 December discussed the answers to these questions and more.
The panel:
Matthew Fright, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government
Rebecca McKee, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government
Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government
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The government has set out its intention to support the civil service with the necessary tools to deliver for the public. As the IfG has argued, reforms to improve the capability of the civil service are needed – particularly in a tight fiscal situation where efficient and effective government is essential. We believe there are a variety of areas for attention. These include reducing staff churn, improving external recruitment, and seizing the opportunities of new technology.
How is the civil service planning to address these questions while supporting the government’s agenda and delivering the prime minister’s promise to build a ‘government of service’? How can issues, like pay and lower morale, be addressed? And what will the civil service look like in 2030?
We were delighted to host Cat Little, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, to discuss these questions and more. She was in conversation with IfG Director and CEO Dr Hannah White.
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Thirty years ago, following a series of high-profile political scandals, John Major set up the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) to advise him – and future prime ministers – on ethics and behaviour. So has the CSPL been a success – and what might come next for standards in public life?
Over the last three decades the committee has been an influential voice on the standards expected of people in public office, including setting out the seven principles of public life that apply to politicians, public officials and frontline staff and the establishment of standards regulators including the parliamentary commissioner and the Electoral Commission.
However, recent scandals like ‘partygate’ and controversies over the acceptance of gifts, alongside reports from the infected blood and Grenfell inquiries, demonstrate that work on embedding transparency and ethical behaviour remains unfinished.
How can the committee respond to challenges posed by increased use of AI in the public sector? What more could be done to build greater trust in politicians and public services? And what difference could the Labour government’s planned Ethics and Integrity Commission make?
To answer these questions, and more, we were joined by:
• Doug Chalmers CB DSO OBE, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life
• Pippa Crerar, Political Editor at The Guardian
• Daniel Greenberg CB, Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
• Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection
The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
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The Institute for Government was pleased to welcome Kate Forbes MSP, Deputy First Minister (DFM) of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, for an 'in conversation' event on 18 November 2024.
The DFM reflected on the 10th anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum and the 25th anniversary of Scottish devolution. She also discussed the state of Scotland's economy and public services in light of the UK budget, and the Scottish government's policy and legislative agenda.
The DFM was in conversation with Akash Paun, Programme Director for Devolution, which was followed by Q&A with the live and online audience.
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The new government has put prevention at the heart of public service reform plans. So what difference could this approach make? By intervening sooner, problems may not escalate, become embedded, or arise in the first place – meaning preventative services could be a major contributor to public sector productivity.
With spending likely to be tight over the coming years, the theory behind an "invest to save" scheme is clear – but in practice it has been hard to implement, and cashable savings have often proved elusive.
This event brought together a panel of experts to discuss:
Is it realistic to expect preventative programmes to deliver cashable savings?
How quickly could a shift towards a more preventative approach improve public service productivity?
What are the respective roles of the centre of government, departments, and frontline services in delivering this shift and realising productivity improvements?
How can additional investments be made in prevention when acute demand is high and spending tight?
To discuss these questions and more, our panel included:
Dr Thomas Waite, Deputy Chief Medical Officer
Cllr Gillian Ford, Deputy Leader of Havering Council, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health
Daniel Sperrin, Partner at Newton
Moira Wallace, former Permanent Secretary
The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
We would like to thank Newton for kindly supporting this event.
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The Labour government has inherited an NHS in crisis. Pre-existing challenges of growing demand, an ageing population, and high levels of staff vacancies have been exacerbated by the pandemic, resulting in record backlogs and waiting times.
With substantial increases in hospital funding and staffing failing to turn performance round, the new government must help the NHS through the immediate crisis, set it on a sustainable long-term footing and consider the need for more fundamental reform.
Should the NHS focus more on preventing, rather than treating, illness? Could the NHS become more local? Are the new Integrated Care Systems working or should they be reformed? How successful have past NHS reforms been?
To answer these questions and more we were joined by an expert panel, including:
Paul Corrigan, Expert adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care
Penny Dash, Chair of NHS North West London Integrated Care Board
Rachel Wolf, Founding Partner at Public First
Thomas Cawston, Corporate Affairs Lead at Novartis UK
The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
This event was kindly supported by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK.
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David Blunkett was one of the most reforming ministers of the New Labour government. The former home secretary, education secretary and work and pensions secretary has led major government departments, attempted to drive through public service reform, and seen what prime ministers need to do to drive through change. So what does he make of Keir Starmer’s plans for reform? How does he rate this Labour government’s efforts so far? And what are his lessons – and warnings – for the prime ministers and his team?
Lord Blunkett explored all these questions and more in a fascinating ‘in conversation’ event with Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.
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Dissatisfaction with public services was a key reason for the Conservative defeat in the general election. How can the new party leader and frontbench regain public trust for running public services? What are the key elements of a distinctive Conservative vision for public services? How should the Conservative Party balance demands for higher public service spending and lower taxation?
Steve Brine, former Chair of Health and Social Care Committee
Rt Hon David Gauke, former Secretary of State for Justice
Rt Hon Baroness Nicky Morgan, former Secretary of State for Education
This session was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
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The new government faces an extremely challenging inheritance in the criminal justice system. How can trust in the police and charging rates be improved? How can criminal court backlogs be tackled? How can government improve conditions and capacity in prisons? How can individual criminal justice services work together more effectively? And does the new government have a plan to address these challenges?
Dr Karen Schucan Bird, Associate Professor at the UCL Social Research Institute
Penelope Gibbs, Director of Transform Justice
Lord Timpson OBE, Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending
This session was chaired by Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.
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How can NHS backlogs be tackled and waiting times improved? What are the prospects for adult social care reform in this parliament? How can government ensure health and care services have sufficient workforces? Do health and care services have sufficient funding and is existing funding used effectively? To what extent can and should health services focus more on prevention? And to what extent do the government’s proposals address these challenges?
Dr Becks Fisher, Director of Research and Policy at Nuffield Trust
Professor Naomi Fulop, Professor of Health Care Organisation and Management at the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care
Preet Gill MP, former Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
Dame Una O'Brien, former Permanent Secretary in the Department of Health
This session was chaired by Stuart Hoddinott, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.
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From its creation in 1997 to its merger with the Foreign Office in 2020, the Department for International Development (DfID) managed nearly £200 billion in total and played a global leadership role in reducing poverty. While DfID also had to deal with high-profile failures and public criticism, sustained political support from Labour, coalition and Conservative governments helped the department to achieve a record of delivery during its 23-year existence.
A new book, The Rise and Fall of the Department for International Development, will be published in October. Sir Mark Lowcock, the book's co-author with Ranil Dissanayake, joined an expert panel at the Institute for Government to discuss what we can learn from DfID's history, with a particular focus on building the institution, how to maintain civil service capability, targeting resources and developing ways to measure value for money – with essential lessons for the new Labour government and what other departments can learn from DfID's focus on delivery.
Joining Sir Mark Lowcock on the panel were:
Sarah Champion MP, Chair of the International Development Select Committee
Andrew Mitchell MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary and former Secretary of State for International Development
The panel was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
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The government has promised to restore the target to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate also requires that 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain will have to be zero emission by 2030. However, car makers have expressed concerns about their ability to hit these targets without further support, and the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) is lagging behind the government target. So what are the barriers to EV uptake?
Charging infrastructure is one reason consumers hesitate to make the switch, with a lack of on-street charging, bottlenecks with motorway charging, as well as concerns about price differential and different rates of VAT for on- and off-street parking. More also needs to be done to ensure the electricity network can cope with demand, and that charge points can be easily and cheaply connected to the grid.
So what could be done to accelerate the rollout of EV charging infrastructure? How does the new government plan to address these challenges? And where in the country are these problems most acute?
To discuss these questions and more, our panel included:
Lilian Greenwood MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Future of Roads)
Rosa Hodgkin, Researcher at the Institute for Government
Ian Howells, Executive Vice President of Honda Motor Europe
Bharat Pathania, Head of New Technologies at Midlands Connect
This event was chaired by Nehal Davison, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
We would like to thank Honda for kindly supporting this event.
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Wes Streeting, the health secretary, joined IfG director Hannah White for fascinating and wide-ranging discussion on his role and priorities, the challenges facing the health service, and how the government plans to turn around performance levels in the NHS.
This joint IfG/New Statesman event was recorded at the Labour party conference in Liverpool.
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Labour’s first 100 days in power have been marked by reports of conflict, dysfunction and delay at the centre of government. Sue Gray’s short tenure as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff has come to an end, with the prime minister choosing to reset his No.10 team just months after Labour won the general election.
What reforms are needed to radically improve the centre of UK government? What does Morgan McSweeney – Starmer’s new chief of staff – need to do to make No.10 work for the prime minister and deliver for the country? What lessons should Starmer take from the way former PMs ran their centres of government – and from those who tried to reset their No.10?
To answer these questions and more were:
Tom Baldwin, author of Keir Starmer: The Biography and Labour’s Director of Communications (2010–15)
Theo Bertram, Director of the Social Market Foundation and a former Special Adviser in No.10
Henry Newman, former Special Adviser at the Cabinet Office and in No.10
Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government and Chair of the Commission on the Centre of Government
The panel was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.
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Theresa May’s government set the UK’s net zero target and thhe UK has made significant progress in decarbonising its power supply under successive Conservative governments. However, the last parliament saw concerns raised by Conservative MPs about the potential costs of net zero. and the issue becoming increasingly politicised. In the context of Labour’s ambitious plans for clean power by 2030, how could the new Conservative opposition approach energy policy and net zero and constructively challenge the new Labour government on its plans?
Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Sam Hall, Director of the Conservative Environment Network
Rosa Hodgkin, Researcher at the Institute for Government
Professor Karl Whittle, Professor of Zero Carbon and Nuclear Energy at the University of Liverpool
This event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.
This event was in partnership with The Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place, University of Liverpool.
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From David Cameron to Rishi Sunak, prime ministers have been frustrated by policy resource and political energy being spent on reactive decisions rather than dedicated to resolving the chronic problems facing government. So, what can be done differently? This event explored how prime ministers can lead better from the centre and deliver manifesto promises that address issues over the course of the next parliament and beyond.
Rt Hon John Glen MP, Shadow Paymaster General
The Lord Norton of Louth, Conservative Peer and Professor of Government at the University of Hull
Kartina Tahir Thomson, President of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries
Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government.
This event was in partnership with the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
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After 14 years in power, the Conservative party suffered a historic defeat at the 2024 general election. With the party now in opposition and set to choose its next leader, what lessons should the Conservatives take from their time in government? Did the party fail to deliver on key pledges – and, if so, why? Which parts of government worked well under the last Conservative government – and which did not? Where did the electorate feel let down by the Conservative party and why? Which departments delivered – and how could future Conservative ministers best learn from these experiences?
Speakers:
Rt Hon Damian Green, former First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Joe Twyman, Co-Founder and Director of Deltapoll
Henry Newman, former Special Adviser at No10 and the Cabinet Office
This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government.
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A combination of poor public service performance and tight funding for the foreseeable future means boosting productivity – which fell both during and after the pandemic – will remain high on the agenda. The last Conservative government launched a Public Sector Productivity Programme in June 2023 , but what would a future Conservative government do to fix these issues? And how realistic is the hope of delivering better services for less?
Baroness Neville-Rolfe, former Cabinet Office and Treasury minister
Dan Butler, Head of Government Affairs at Google Cloud UK
Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Professor Mark Thompson, Professor of Digital Economy at the University of Exeter
This event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.
This event was in partnership with Google Cloud UK and the University of Exeter.
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Years of low but volatile capital spending have left public services across the country struggling with crumbling buildings and poor-quality IT and equipment. But public finances are tight, meaning that government will need to get better value from its spending – not just rely on spending more. There is a role for both national and local government in making sure that capital budgets are spent well – so what would a Conservative government do?
Speakers:
Steve Brine, former Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee
Polly Curtis, Chief Executive of Demos
Stuart Hoddinott, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government
Sam Rowlands MS, Welsh Shadow Minister for Health
This event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.
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