IfG Events

The former deputy prime minister, in his only fringe event at this year’s Liberal Democrat conference, spoke to IfG director Hannah White about Keir Starmer’s Donald Trump strategy, Elon Musk’s interventions in British politics, the AI challenge, and how centre left parties can fight back against the rise of populism.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With European nations now spending more on defence than America for the first time since the Second World War, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin explored how the end of the peace dividend is creating new dilemmas for the political class and what this means for the Whitehall machine.   In his first speech since stepping down as head of the armed forces, Admiral Sir Tony, who served four successive prime min...

The industrial strategy has emerged after a long gestation, with June’s white paper containing an exhaustive list of policy commitments intended to deliver Labour’s promise to “lay the foundation for a decade of growth”, create hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs, ensure that every region thrives, and put Britain “at the forefront of the technological revolution”.   The strategy identifies...

At this year’s local elections, the Reform Party secured outright majorities in 10 local authorities and won two metro mayor contests.   As its local leaders make the transition from opposition to government, what skills will they need to be successful? What are the trade-offs they will have to make? How should they design and deliver policy? And how should they work with the Labour government in...

The Freedom of Information (FoI) Act – which was passed 25 years ago and came into force five years later – created a legal right for citizens to request information from public authorities. This was a radical shift in the government's approach to information and a significant step towards a more open culture of government. FoI was designed to generate more transparency and to tackle perceived sec...

The prime minister has made some big changes in No10. Darren Jones moves from the Treasury to take on the newly-created job of chief secretary to the prime minister. A new executive director of communications has been recruited. Minouche Shafik has been appointed as the PM’s economics adviser. And other eye-catching job changes are taking place.   So what does this all say about how Keir Starmer w...

The IfG DevoLab is a new Institute for Government initiative dedicated to exploring the innovations enabled by devolution, learning from the results, and sharing the lessons so that places can take better decisions about how to use devolved powers and budgets.     The first ever IfG DevoLab event saw speakers from three regions set out how the powers and profile of mayors are being used to address...

Special advisers are a vital part of the glue that helps make government work effectively, and since July 2024 more than 100 spads have been appointed by Keir Starmer and his ministers. As well as experiencing the day-to-day challenges that come with one of the most intense jobs in Westminster, the new cohort has also faced ministerial churn, parliamentary rebellion and a change of No.10 chiefs of...

What is driving Donald Trump’s America – and what lessons might the rise of the MAGA movement, and the Democrats’ defeat in the 2024 US presidential election, hold for Keir Starmer and the Labour Party?   Tim Ryan, a former Democrat nominee for President, served in the US House of Representatives for Ohio for over two decades. He ran for President in 2020 and then the US Senate from Ohio in 2022,...

Labour fought the 2024 general election on a manifesto which promised “a new way of doing government” – one built on the concept of mission-driven government. But how much has this government’s decisions, trade-offs and policy priorities really been shaped by its five missions? And how far have they been able to make progress on their priorities in the first year?   To mark the first year of Keir...

Chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.   This event was part of the IfG’s conference, The Nolan Principles at 30: What does the future hold for standards in public life? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To reflect on the topics raised during the conference, the IfG and CSPL convened small group discussions to talk through more specific questions:    What are the emerging threats and opportunities in the standards landscape?  How do politics and partisanship affect the way standards are perceived? What does ethical public service leadership look like?   Those joining online were able to take part...

Many of the public’s interactions with the state are with frontline officials in health and social care, policing and local government. How much do the Nolan principles resonate with those delivering public services? How can frontline officials be supported to make ethical decisions? And how can frontline organisations prevent failures, and rebuild public trust where they occur?   Speakers:   Neil...

Chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.   This event was part of the IfG’s conference, The Nolan Principles at 30: What does the future hold for standards in public life? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.   This event was part of the IfG’s conference, The Nolan Principles at 30: What does the future hold for standards in public life? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After 30 years of the Nolan Principles, ethical scandals – from partygate to freebiegate – are still a regular feature of UK political life and public trust in politicians remains low. What role do politicians play in leading by example? How should politicians in Westminster, devolved and local governments demonstrate their commitment to the Nolan Principles? How can they show ethical leadership w...

To mark the 30th anniversary of the Nolan Principles, and to explore how ethical standards can be upheld in the future, the IfG brought together a series of expert panels and keynote speakers – including former prime minister the Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH – for a thought-provoking and stimulating one-day conference.   Introduction from Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the IfG, and Doug Chalm...

Rumours of a cabinet reshuffle are never far away in Westminster. So how should Keir Starmer approach the delicate task of choosing his top team? The prime minister has to strike a balance between ministers’ performance, party management and the government’s policy agenda, while being a minister is a job like no other – there are no regular performance reviews, clear handovers or annual appraisals...

After a decade of tight funding settlements and the Covid-19 pandemic, Wes Streeting is the latest health secretary trying to improve NHS productivity. But what can the government do to ensure the NHS spends its budget – due to be more than £200bn in 2025/26 – more effectively?   This event, held in partnership with the Health Foundation, explored what the NHS can do to improve productivity – whic...

As part of its devolution agenda, the government is deepening and extending the mayoral model across England. Fourteen regional mayors are now in office, holding powers over transport, skills, housing and planning, economic growth and more. The government eventually wants every region of England to be led by a mayor.   But what are the characteristics of effective mayoral leadership? How should ex...

Labour’s 2024 manifesto set out a number of big changes aimed at strengthening democratic participation, such as improving voter registration, addressing inconsistencies in voter ID rules and extending the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds.   Twenty-five years after the introduction of the UK’s political finance regime, and a billion pounds of donations later, the manifesto also committed to “stren...

The former deputy prime minister set out what this and future governments can learn from the 2010–15 coalition government.   To mark the 15th anniversary of the creation of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition in 2010, the IfG was pleased to welcome the Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg to reflect on the 2010-15 government and the lessons for today’s politics.   Following his speech, Sir Nick was in co...

This event marked official launch of the second edition of Exploring Parliament, a new book which brings together academic insights with real-world perspectives to bring parliament to life for readers. The book’s 73 authors – leading academic experts and parliamentary practitioners – offer an unrivalled insider’s guide to the UK parliament, providing an accessible yet in-depth exploration of how p...

In contrast to the halting approach to reform from the current UK government, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have moved fast to slash staff and programmes. That has led some of those frustrated with the slow pace of government reform in the UK and elsewhere to see DOGE as a model for radical reformers.    But what are the actual benefits – and costs – of the Trump administration approach? Is there any...

This special event considered the recommendations of the Institute’s 2024 Commission on the Centre of Government in light of our analysis of the Labour government’s first year in office and the prime minister’s agenda to reform public services and rewire the state.   The Chair of the Institute, Lord Sainsbury of Turville, spoke on government reform and the civil service – offering his valedictory...