IfG Events

Latest Episodes:

How can Keir Starmer ensure the centre of government works for the country? Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

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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What next for the Conservative Party's approach to energy and net zero? Oct 11, 2024

Show notes

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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Leading from the centre: How can prime ministers better deliver long-term policy objectives? Oct 11, 2024

Show notes

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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How can the Conservative Party learn from its failures to deliver in government? Oct 10, 2024

Show notes

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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Improving public service productivity: Can we have better services for less money? Oct 10, 2024

Show notes

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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How would a Conservative government reduce demand for public services? Oct 09, 2024

Show notes

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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What is the Conservative vision for devolution across England? Oct 09, 2024

Show notes

The Conservative government made substantial progress between 2019 and 2024 in devolving power to metro mayors in places including Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. Devolution was a core part of the Johnson and Sunak governments’ levelling up strategy, but was this approach a success? This panel discussed the successes and failures of devolution and consider the Conservative case for further empowerment of local leaders across England.

Speakers:

Councillor Anne Handley, Leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Professor Richard Jones, Vice-President for Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement at The University of Manchester

Councillor Tim Oliver OBE, Leader of Surrey County Council and Chairman of the County Councils Network

Laura Shoaf, Chief Executive of the

West Midlands Combined Authority

This event was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

This event was in partnership with Policy@Manchester.

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How can the Conservatives build on the last government's unsung industrial strategy? Oct 08, 2024

Show notes

While the last Conservative government did not use the term ‘industrial strategy’, it nonetheless effectively operated one. Former chancellor Jeremy Hunt set out five “growth sectors” he wanted to support to drive through the government’s priorities, and funded an Advanced Manufacturing Plan, published a Battery Strategy, and set out plans and resources for aerospace, automotives, offshore wind and more. The government’s post-Brexit reforms to state aid gave UK ministers the ability to set the rules and deploy state subsidy in a more nimble and targeted way, while the Vaccines Taskforce set a precedent for decisive government support of a vital industry, advertising to the world the UK’s excellence in Life Sciences.

But at the same time, Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government was reticent of talking about any kind of industrial strategy, unlike some previous Conservative leaders. This event discussed what the Conservatives should learn from recent experience of industrial policy. Key questions will include:

Speakers:

Andrew Griffith MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

Professor Nigel Brandon OBE, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Professor of Sustainable Development in Energy at Imperial College London

Rain Newton-Smith, Chief Executive of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)

Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government

This event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

This event was in partnership with Imperial College London.

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After the pandemic: How can confidence in public procurement be restored? Oct 08, 2024

Show notes

Procurement accounts for around a third of all government expenditure – but in recent years it has been hit by a number of negative headlines. Issues with purchasing PPE in the pandemic, and more recently the Post Office scandal, have led to questions about how to hold government and suppliers to account when things go wrong. The soon to be implemented Procurement Act includes measures to improve accountability, but it is unclear how effective these will be. This event explored what the government can do to strengthen accountability.

Katy Balls, Deputy Political Editor at The Spectator

Daniel Bruce, Chief Executive of Transparency International UK

Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government

Joe Powell MP, Chair of APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax and Member of Parliament for Kensington and Bayswater

This event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.

This event was in partnership with Transparency International UK.

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AI in the public sector: How can government achieve the greatest impact? Oct 07, 2024

Show notes

The government sees AI as an engine of innovation and productivity, including within government itself. But when faced with constrained public finances and a profusion of ways to use AI, where should government focus to achieve results? Could faster progress be made?

This event brought together politicians and civil society representatives to discuss how government can and should make the best use of AI. It also considered how the potential risks might be anticipated and addressed, as well as how the government can maintain public trust as technological change occurs.

Speakers:

Kate Bell, Assistant General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress

Alwin Magimay, Global Head of AI at PA Consulting

Gaia Marcus, Director of the Ada Lovelace Institute

Gordon McKee MP, Member of Parliament for Glasgow South

This event was chaired by Dr Matthew Gill, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

This event was in partnership with PA Consulting.

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