IfG Events

The future of EU citizens living in the UK was one of the big sticking points of the Brexit talks. In the 2019 Withdrawal Agreement, the UK agreed to establish an Independent Monitoring Authority to oversee the protections of the rights of EU citizens living in the UK before the end of the transition period. What are the IMA’s priorities? What are its concerns? What progress has been made and what...

Crucial elections took place across the UK on 6 May. The result in Scotland could have huge consequences for the UK's future. The election in Wales is the most unpredictable since devolution. And across England, voters have elected the mayors of London and other English cities, 39 police and crime commissioners and several thousand councillors. The impact on the national political debate could be...

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome the three newly appointed leaders of data, digital and technology in government. Paul Willmott, Chair of the Central Digital and Data Office, Joanna Davinson, Executive Director of the Central Digital and Data Office, and Tom Read, Chief Executive Officer of the Government Digital Service, was in conversation with Alex Thomas, Programme Directo...

The coronavirus crisis has seen many organisations from many sectors work together in their responses. These include government departments, local authorities, NHS trusts, police forces, charities and community groups. But while there are many examples of successful collaboration and coordination, it has varied substantially in different parts of the country, and across and between national and lo...

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Ambassador João Vale de Almeida, the EU Ambassador to the UK. The start of the post-Brexit relationship between the UK and the EU has been marked by tensions over vaccine distribution and the Northern Ireland protocol. But these are also issues where close co-operation is needed. How should the UK and the EU work together to implement the Trade...

From court hearings to GP appointments, education to social care, the coronavirus crisis has had a huge impact on the way public services are delivered. Years of innovation have taken place in a matter of months, with many of the most successful changes developed locally and by frontline staff. So what can central government do to embed, support and successfully scale up these new approaches in pu...

The arrival of Covid-19 forced parliament to innovate rapidly and experiment with new ways of working. These had a dramatic impact on the way MPs and peers did their jobs – with implications for the effectiveness and inclusivity of our legislature. What innovations should be kept, what should be dropped and who should decide? This event brought together an expert panel to discuss these important q...

Following the publication of What Does Jeremy Think?: Jeremy Heywood and the Making of Modern Britain, Lady Suzanne Heywood joins IfG director Bronwen Maddox for a fascinating discussion about the life and career of the former Cabinet Secretary. Suzanne Heywood discusses her late husband’s experiences at the heart of government alongside four prime ministers, his views on the civil service, and ho...

Three centuries have passed since Robert Walpole became the first prime minister of Great Britain. The context of government has changed enormously, but aspects of the role remain the same. Of the 55 people who held the post some achieved greatness, some struggled with circumstances, others failed dismally.    So what is the key to being a successful prime minister? How does Boris Johnson compare...

Boris Johnson’s priority was clear when he appointed his first cabinet in 2019: delivering Brexit. Now, months after the UK has left the Brexit transition period, and a year into a global pandemic, the prime minister is reportedly planning to reshuffle his ministerial team. What should the prime minister be looking for as he plans to reshuffle his cabinet? What lessons can be learnt from previous ...

This is a crucial year for British foreign policy. The government has recently published its plans for ‘Global Britain’ in the Integrated Review for Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. The UK holds the G7 presidency and, in June, the prime minister will host the leaders of the other G7 countries for a summit in Cornwall.   The government has promised that the UK’s departure from the...

As part of a series of events we are holding in the run-up to the 2021 devolved and local elections, the Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Andrew RT Davies MS, Leader of the Welsh Conservative Group in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament). Andrew Davies was in conversation with Akash Paun, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government, to discuss Welsh devolution, the 2021 election, relat...

On the eve of his departure from the British Chambers of Commerce, Adam Marshall joins the IfG’s associate director Maddy Thimont Jack for a frank discussion about the challenges that Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic have posed for British business.   The outgoing BCC director general discusses his organisation’s attempts to navigate the EU referendum result, the impact of the Brexit deal and t...

Innovation is at the heart of the prime minister’s vision for net zero. Developing and deploying new and existing technologies effectively will be critical to progress in areas including in energy, transport, housing, industry and agriculture. The government can point to successes, like offshore wind, but progress elsewhere has been frustrated by inconsistent R&D investment, policy and regulation....

As part of our series of events in the run up to the 2021 devolved and local elections, the Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Rebecca Evans, Welsh Minister for Finance and Trefnydd (Leader of the House). Rebecca Evans was in conversation with Akash Paun, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government, about Welsh devolution, the 2021 election, relations between Cardiff and Westminst...

The Industrial Strategy Council provided an update on progress in implementing the 2017 Industrial Strategy, and the lessons that the annual report contains for the government’s new Plan for Growth. It also considered the lessons learned for industrial policy from the development of Covid vaccines over the past year. The panel included: Andy Haldane, Chair of the Industrial Strategy Council Dame V...

The Covid-19 pandemic has fuelled a parallel “infodemic” of harmful misinformation about the virus and vaccines. This has highlighted the wider challenge for governments of combating the spread of misleading content on the internet and social media platforms. This Institute for Government event, held in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council, explored the scale of the misinforma...

The Institute for Government regularly runs a paid internship programme. Our interns work with our staff to contribute to our mission of improving the effectiveness of government in the UK, and often go on to interesting roles in central and local government, Parliament, the private and voluntary sectors, other think tanks and postgraduate research. Applications are now open for our 2021/22 progra...

Lord Agnew, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, made a keynote speech on the government’s proposals for post-Brexit rules on public sector procurement of goods, works and services. These include major changes to how contracts are awarded, transparency, review mechanisms and more. The speech was followed by a panel discussion on the opportunities and trade-offs of different approaches, what we...

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome the Rt Hon Jesse Norman MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury. Following the publication of the National Infrastructure Strategy, this event explored the government’s plans to “transform” the UK’s infrastructure networks to drive the country’s post-pandemic recovery, make progress to reaching the net zero emissions target in 2050 and contribu...

Scientists around the world have played a central role in the last year, informing policy makers and the public throughout the pandemic. Under pressure they have adapted new ways of working, while the creation and deployment of vaccines could have far-reaching consequences for global scientific collaboration. At this event, we will discuss the early lessons the science community should draw from t...

Tax touches on almost every area of our lives. It is vital for raising revenues to pay for public services and benefits. Incentives in the tax system also influence behaviour – sometimes deliberately, sometimes as a result of poor policy design, other times as an unavoidable side effect. As the threat of Covid wanes and as the UK establishes its economic direction outside the EU, the government wi...

The UK's vaccine rollout has made a good start. This panel discussed the reasons behind the early success and explore the questions the government faces – around prioritisation, the threat of variants and vaccine diplomacy – as it extends the rollout. It also explored the long-term lessons of the vaccine programme, and how the UK should capitalise on its life sciences expertise. On the panel to di...

As part of our series of events covering the 2021 elections for the devolved regions, the Institute for Government was delighted to welcome The Rt Hon Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. Seeking re-election on 6 May, Andy Burnham reflected on his first term as mayor, on the outlook for the Greater Manchester region and on how he would like to see the powers and responsibilities o...

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Adam Price MS as part of our series of events with leading politicians from across the UK in the run up to the devolved and local elections of May 2021. The leader of Plaid Cymru – the party of Wales – discussed the state of the Union, the upcoming election, and how devolution might evolve over the coming years. He was in conversation with Bron...