James Brokenshire served in Theresa May’s cabinet between 2016 and 2019, first as Northern Ireland Secretary and then as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. In memory of James, who died in 2021, the former prime minister delivered a lecture at the Institute for Government reflecting on the theme of public service which was central to his life and career.Following the lecture, Mrs May was in conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government.#IfGBrokenshire Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The government spends around £300bn a year – a third of all public expenditure – on procurement. Following the UK’s exit from the EU, the government has proposed major reforms to the rules governing public sector buying.  The government says the new Procurement Bill will create a simpler and more transparent system which makes it easier for SMEs to win contracts and for the government to disqualify poorly performing suppliers.  This event discussed the bill’s aims, challenges to achieving the government’s objectives and featured a presentation on the key measures contained in the bill from:  Ed Green, Deputy Director, Commercial Policy - International and Reform at the Cabinet Office  Lindsay Maguire, Head of Engagement for Procurement Reform at the Cabinet Office  And responses from:  Mark Leigh, Deputy Chief Commercial Officer at DWP Laura Wisdom, Partner at Burges Salmon  The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.#IfGoutsourcing This event was kindly supported by Burges Salmon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Equipping the UK workforce with the right skills will be critical to the success of the net zero transition, and the government has committed to reforming the skills system.What should those skills, and reforms, look like? How can the government make sure that the right skills are available in the right place at the right time? And what can it do to ensure that the opportunities of net zero are shared fairly across the country?Discussing these questions were: Sam Alvis, Head of Economy at Green Alliance Alyssa Gilbert, Director of Policy and Translation at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment Ian O'Donnell, Net Zero and Special Projects Lead at the Federation of Small Businesses Tom Sasse, Associate Director of the Institute for Government.  The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.#IfGnetzeroWe would like to thank The Forum, Imperial College London’s policy engagement initiative for kindly supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The role of the Lord Chancellor is to protect and uphold the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. Yet the position is held by a cabinet minister: the secretary of state for justice.This overlap between the independent judiciary and the political world, and the balance of power between parliament, government and the judiciary, is the source of much debate – and disagreement.So what powers, if any, should a Lord Chancellor have over judicial appointments? Should the role go to someone with a legal background? What makes a good Lord Chancellor?Sir Robert Buckland, who served as Lord Chancellor and secretary of state for justice until September 2021, opened this event with a short speech on his experiences in post and his proposals for how it can be reformed.Responding to Sir Robert Buckland and joining the discussion: Baroness Butler-Sloss, former judge and first female Lord Justice of Appeal Sir Jonathan Jones, former treasury solicitor and head of the government legal departmentThe event was chaired by Emma Norris, Director of Research at the Institute for Government.#IfGLordChancellor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As part of a special series of events on devolution and levelling up, featuring local leaders from across England, the Institute for Government is delighted to be joined by Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.First elected in May 2017 and re-elected for a second term in May 2021, Andy Burnham discusses his role and priorities, the challenges of working with the UK government to level up the Greater Manchester region and what further powers he would like to see devolved in the promised ‘Trailblazer’ devolution deal being negotiated between Whitehall and local leaders in Greater Manchester.Andy Burnham is in conversation with Akash Paun, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government and head of the Institute’s devolution research programme.Andy Burnham was the MP for Leigh from 2001-17 and held a series of ministerial posts including Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Secretary of State for Health. In opposition after 2010, he served as shadow education, health and home secretary, before resigning his seat to become Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017.#IfGdevoThis event was kindly supported by Policy@Manchester, the University of Manchester's sector-leading policy engagement unit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the 2019 general election, the Conservative Party won votes in many places that had not traditionally voted Tory - with the promise to 'level up' the UK seen as a key factor.A recent white paper finally set out the government’s plan to turn the levelling up slogan into reality, including 12 missions to be achieved by 2030. But with the general election due in no more than two years, will the government be able to demonstrate sufficient levelling up progress before voters return to the polls? Has it set its expectations too high? What do voters want to see from levelling up?This event, held in the week after the local elections, asked what the public expects of levelling up and whether and how the government can deliver against public expectations before April 2024.On our panel to discuss these issues: Viki Cooke, Founding Partner at Britain Thinks Andrew Lewer MP, Member of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee and Vice-President of the Local Government Association Alex Norris MP, Shadow Minister for Levelling Up, Housing, Communities and Local Government Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. The event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.#IfGlevellingupWe would like to thank Lloyds Banking Group for supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From attending parties during the Covid-19 lockdown to taking payment for lobbying, some MPs seem to think the rules they set for others should not apply to them. Their procedures are complex, they are far from representative of the UK population, and many appear detached from the lives led by their constituents.So what can be done to reform the way the House of Commons works? How can MPs make their institution worthy of public trust? And what can parliamentarians do to restore their flagging reputation?To mark the publication of her new book: Held in Contempt: What's wrong with the House of Commons? the IfG's deputy director, Dr Hannah White was joined by an expert panel, including The Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, Member of Parliament for Staffordshire Moorlands, and Chris Cook from the Financial Times.The event was chaired by IfG senior fellow, Dr Catherine Haddon.#IfGCommons Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the long years of counter-insurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means the United Kingdom once again faces a conflict in Europe. At the same time, China is taking an increasingly assertive approach to Taiwan.The government's response to this era of renewed global competition is the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. One year on from its publication, the Institute for Government was delighted to host MoD Permanent Secretary David Williams alongside Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin to discuss their priorities for the Ministry of Defence and what reforms will ensure the civil service and armed forces are able to meet the threats the UK faces in the world.The event was chaired by Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government#IfGUKdefence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Boris Johnson has set 'levelling up' the UK as the mission for his government, but few in Whitehall or the country can explain exactly what it is, how it will be implemented and what success looks like.Tackling regional inequalities lies at the heart of the Conservative Party's re-election hopes, but relies on the implementation of a complex series of policies across national and local government – so does the UK have the will and the money to see it through?Following the release of the government's levelling up white paper, the Institute for Government welcomed Neil O'Brien, the minister for levelling up, to explore levelling up with Sebastian Payne, Whitehall Editor of the Financial Times and author of Broken Heartlands: A Journey Through Labour's Lost England.The pair were in conversation with IfG director Bronwen Maddox, discussing Sebastian Payne's road trip through parts of England that voted Conservative for the first time in living memory and Neil O'Brien's work on producing the white paper and defining the policies that are the core mission of this government.#IfGlevellingup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COP26 highlighted the critical role business and finance will play in driving the transition to a net zero economy. Businesses made new net zero commitments; regulators discussed how to tighten scrutiny of those commitments; and policy makers announced plans to mandate the publication of climate-related risks to business.So how can finance best help the transition to net zero? What can be done to prevent ‘greenwashing’ and build trust in businesses’ commitment to tackling climate change? And what does government need to do to support green business and finance?With the UK set to continue to play a leading role on green finance, our panel discussed discuss how it can accelerate progress after COP26: Sarah Breeden, Executive Director, Financial Stability Strategy at the Bank of England Anthony Browne MP, member of the Treasury Committee Maria Lombardo, Head of ESG Advisory Sustainable Finance at Standard Chartered Bank Kuangyi Wei, Director, Risk & Regulatory Strategy, UKI at Accenture The event was chaired by Tom Sasse, Associate Director at the Institute for Government.#IfGnetzeroWe would like to thank Accenture for kindly supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices