Institute for Government

The Institute for Government was delighted to launch its tenth edition of Whitehall Monitor – our annual, data-driven assessment of the UK civil service, how it has changed and performed, and its priorities for the future. How did the civil service deal with the partygate affair? What is the impact of disputes over pay and the workforce? And how have officials coped with two changes of prime minis...

The Institute for Government has launched IfG Academy to give ministers, civil servants and people working in and around government the knowledge and skills they need to improve government effectiveness. There is currently little in the way of formal training for people who take on government roles. From first-time ministers to those promoted to cabinet, and from non-executive directors to special...

Better use of data is key to more effective government. Across government, teams are doing fascinating work with data. But those projects don’t get the attention they deserve. Data Bites aims to change that. Our latest event, the 37th in our series, was a social mobility special. The Social Mobility Commission presented its new report on data gaps across government and the impact that has on its w...

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Jonathan Brearley, Ofgem’s Chief Executive Officer, for a briefing on the energy market, energy bills and a look ahead to what the coming year will mean for consumers across the UK. The event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government, with an opening address from Jonathan Brearley followed by a Q&A. Ofgem is the O...

The Institute for Government hosted its inaugural annual conference, to look at the key questions facing government in 2023. After a tumultuous 2022, which saw three prime ministers, war in Europe and an unprecedented cost of living crisis, the Institute brought together influential speakers and IfG experts to share ideas, stimulate new thinking and discuss what we should expect from government in...

The Institute for Government hosted its inaugural annual conference, to look at the key questions facing government in 2023. After a tumultuous 2022, which saw three prime ministers, war in Europe and an unprecedented cost of living crisis, the Institute brought together influential speakers and IfG experts to share ideas, stimulate new thinking and discuss what we should expect from government in...

The Institute for Government hosted its inaugural annual conference, to look at the key questions facing government in 2023. After a tumultuous 2022, which saw three prime ministers, war in Europe and an unprecedented cost of living crisis, the Institute brought together influential speakers and IfG experts to share ideas, stimulate new thinking and discuss what we should expect from government in...

The Institute for Government hosted its inaugural annual conference, to look at the key questions facing government in 2023. After a tumultuous 2022, which saw three prime ministers, war in Europe and an unprecedented cost of living crisis, the Institute brought together influential speakers and IfG experts to share ideas, stimulate new thinking and discuss what we should expect from government in...

The Institute for Government hosted its inaugural annual conference, to look at the key questions facing government in 2023. After a tumultuous 2022, which saw three prime ministers, war in Europe and an unprecedented cost of living crisis, the Institute brought together influential speakers and IfG experts to share ideas, stimulate new thinking and discuss what we should expect from government in...

The Institute for Government hosted its inaugural annual conference, to look at the key questions facing government in 2023. After a tumultuous 2022, which saw three prime ministers, war in Europe and an unprecedented cost of living crisis, the Institute brought together influential speakers and IfG experts to share ideas, stimulate new thinking and discuss what we should expect from government in...

The Institute for Government hosted its inaugural annual conference, to look at the key questions facing government in 2023. After a tumultuous 2022, which saw three prime ministers, war in Europe and an unprecedented cost of living crisis, the Institute brought together influential speakers and IfG experts to share ideas, stimulate new thinking and discuss what we should expect from government in...

Identifying, attracting, developing and deploying the right skills across the public sector workforce is critical to the success of all governments. But the civil service still has trouble planning the skills it requires, understanding the skills its officials already have, and developing the right skills and knowledge in the right places. In 2021, the Johnson administration’s Declaration on Gover...

Both the Covid pandemic and recent extreme weather events, such as Storm Arwen-Franklin and the summer heatwaves, exposed flaws with the way the UK government prepares for long-term risks as well as vulnerabilities in communities and public services hit by crisis. The Covid Inquiry has begun to examine how the UK could be better prepared for future pandemics, while the government is in final stage...

The House of Lords is back in the spotlight. Boris Johnson’s resignation honours have reignited debates about the appointment process and the ability of politicians to hand life peerages to their friends, supporters and donors. Key figures across Westminster have called for stronger independent oversight of the appointment process. Labour Leader Keir Starmer has gone further, committing to replaci...

Better use of data is key to more effective government. Across government, teams are doing fascinating work with data. But those projects don’t get the attention they deserve.   At our latest event, the 36th in our series, where the speakers will present their work in an exciting, quickfire format. Each speaker has eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience.   December...

The UK is one of the most centralised advanced economies, and there is widespread agreement that further devolution is necessary if the economic performance of regions outside of London and the south east is to be improved. The Levelling Up the United Kingdom white paper contained ambitious devolution proposals, including the commitment that by 2030 “every part of England that wants one will have...

What can be done to create a nation that is better adapted and resilient to the changing climate? How does climate adaptation and resilience support a growing economy? And what can be done to ensure this generation is the first to leave the environment in a better state than we found it? From responding to flood risk to managing industry and waste, the Environment Agency is at the heart of all the...

The government’s ability to quickly and effectively procure goods and services was a critical part of the UK’s response to coronavirus. Whether goods like PPE or services such as testing facilities, the government handed out large contracts, often to new suppliers, at greater speed and with less competition than normal. The government was faced with difficult choices, and no easy options, raising...

There are well over 300 public bodies in the UK, ranging from NHS England to small advisory bodies. Government has announced plans to create several new public bodies in the coming years, including the Future Systems Operator, the Office for Local Government and Great British Railways. However, while there are strict guidelines on the circumstances in which a body can be created, there is less gui...

Following a turbulent two months in politics, policy and financial markets, on 17 November Jeremy Hunt presented the government’s autumn statement, alongside a new set of fiscal and economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The following day the IfG hosted an event to react to the chancellor’s statement. We were delighted that to be joined by Ben Chu, Economics Editor at...

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome John Edwards, the UK Information Commissioner. He was in conversation with the Institute’s Director of Research Emma Norris. Proper use of public data is key for maintaining trust in public bodies, as well as ensuring that government services run well. As the UK's independent data protection watchdog, the ICO is at the heart of discussions over...

The protection of people’s rights and liberties is a key part of the UK’s constitution, dating all the way back to the twelfth century. In recent years, and with the Covid pandemic seeing unprecedented restrictions on people’s everyday lives, the debate about what rights should be protected – and how – has been reignited. The government has confirmed that it will bring back the British Bill of Rig...

To try to help fill a black hole in the public finances, Jeremy Hunt has asked government departments to outline ways that they could cut spending. This is just the latest in a long line of governments that have attempted to get greater value for money from public spending. There have been repeated attempts to focus on the outputs and outcomes achieved, rather than just the money going in. But the...

The public appointments system struggles to appoint candidates in a timely and efficient way. It has been dogged by controversy in recent years, from media speculation over the appointment of new chairs of Ofcom and the BBC to delays at the Charity Commission and the Competition and Markets Authority. Politicians, officials, candidates and the public have expressed frustration with the process. Th...

Better use of data is key to more effective government. Across government, teams are doing fascinating work with data. But those projects don’t get the attention they deserve.   At this month's event, the 35th in our series, the speakers presented their work in an exciting, quickfire format. Each speaker had eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience.   This month's sp...