As part of a special series of events on devolution and levelling up, featuring local leaders from across England, the Institute for Government was delighted to be joined by Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire and leader of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.After just under a year in office, Tracy Brabin discussed her role as mayor, working with the UK government to make levelling up a reality in West Yorkshire, and how she would like to see the powers of mayors evolve.Tracy Brabin was in conversation with Akash Paun, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.This event was broadcast live from Leeds in front of an invited audience. There was an opportunity to put questions to the mayor from both the online and in-person audience.Tracy Brabin was elected as MP for Batley and Spen in October 2016. She was appointed Shadow Minister for Early Years in 2017; Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in January 2020 and Shadow Minister for Cultural Industries in April 2020. She was elected as the first Mayor of West Yorkshire in May 2021, at which point she was required to step down as MP.#IfGdevoWe would like to thank Manchester Airports Group for kindly supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The future of the protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland remains uncertain, a year after it came fully into force. The arrangements continue to be a major source of tension in the post-Brexit UK-EU relationship and within Northern Ireland, with the first minister citing the DUP’s objections to the protocol for his recent resignation. The ongoing uncertainty around the protocol is having a real impact on business and society. And with the May 2022 elections to the Northern Ireland assembly approaching and a question mark over Stormont’s future, the UK and the EU are under pressure to reach agreement on the future of the protocol.What lessons are there from the protocol’s first year? Why does the protocol continue to be a source of tension in the UK-EU relationship and such a divisive issue in Northern Ireland? Are attitudes changing? Where are the sticking points, and where is the protocol working well? What challenges are coming down the track and where can compromise be found?Set against the results of new polling from Queen’s University Belfast, this event explored what people in Northern Ireland think of the protocol, the challenges that the UK and the EU face in managing the protocol and its consequences in the long term, and how people from Northern Ireland can be involved in the effective governance of the protocol’s implementation.Panel: Professor Katy Hayward, Professor of Political Sociology, Queen’s University Belfast and Senior Fellow at UK in a Changing Europe Professor David Phinnemore, Professor of European Politics at Queen’s University Belfast Raoul Ruparel, former Special Adviser to Theresa May on Europe Jess Sargeant, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.#IfGBrexitWe would like to thank Queen's University Belfast and the Economic and Social Research Council for kindly supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Institute for Government recently published the ninth edition of our annual Whitehall Monitor report on the government’s size, shape and performance.This report launch explored what Whitehall Monitor 2022 reveals about the way the pandemic has changed how the government works and how the Covid-19 response will sit alongside ministers’ wider agenda for the second half of the parliament.How has the Omicron variant complicated the government's attempts to move away from crisis management mode? What will increases to departmental spending mean for pandemic backlogs? And what do civil service staff cuts mean for government capability - including its ambitions for civil service reform?On our panel to discuss these issues were: Matthew Holehouse, British political correspondent at The Economist Charlotte Pickles, Director of Reform Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection William Wragg MP, Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.There was a short presentation of the key findings from the report at the start of the event.#IfGWM22 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Department for Education’s Covid response has been widely criticised, with schools closing and reopening with little warning and many pupils adapting to remote learning. And now DfE faces a fresh set of challenges – from ‘levelling up’ educational opportunities to ensuring everyone has a better start in life by improving early education and childcare.But does DfE have the capacity to meet education’s challenges in the post-pandemic world? How has academisation changed the role of the department? Does it have the capacity to improve the system? And does the department devote enough time to long-term challenges?On our panel to discuss these questions: Justine Greening, former Secretary of State for Education Anne Longfield, former Children’s Commissioner for England Jonathan Slater, former Permanent Secretary for the Department for Education Rachel Sylvester, Political columnist at The Times The event is chaired by Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.#IfGeducationWe would like to thank edpol.net and the Foundation for Education Development (FED) for supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Boris Johnson’s latest reset of 10 Downing Street kicked off in dramatic fashion last week with the announcement that four of his senior advisers were quitting – followed by the news that some familiar faces were coming in to save the day.But with a new Chief of Staff, Director of Comms, Head of Policy, and Permanent Secretary, exactly how new is the new-look No.10? Can a change of staff save a Prime Minister? Can a ministerial Chief of Staff avoid competing with the Prime Minister? And how do the trials and tribulations of Johnson’s No10 compare with the experiences of those who worked there before?This special edition dives into the organisation idiosyncrasies of No.10 and the confusing mix of roles that support the PM, and asks whether Johnson’s reset will make a difference.  Catherine Haddon presents, with the IfG’s Alex Thomas and guests Gavin Barwell, formerly Chief of Staff to Theresa May, and Kate Fall, who worked in No.10 as David Cameron’s deputy chief of staff.Audio production by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Institute for Government/Bennett Institute Review of the UK Constitution launch event. From Supreme Court interventions to accusations of ‘dead parliaments’, from the Brexit impact to the pandemic response, a tumultuous period in British politics has put the UK constitution under huge strain and undermined public faith in how the UK is governed.Calls for change have come from all sides. Should the UK’s constitution be codified? Does parliament have enough power to hold the Government to account? Are the courts going too far in diluting government power? Does the role of the House of Lords and the monarchy need rethinking? Is devolution working – and do we need more of it? How do governments deal with the public and can trust be restored?While the last five years have brought the Constitution’s sustainability into question, they have also created a real opportunity to reinvigorate UK democracy, restore trust in the political system and improve the way that government works. But without a clear vision for the future, the UK risks yet more constitutional confusion and conflict.Over the next 18 months, the Institute for Government and the Bennett Institute of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, backed by a distinguished advisory panel, will undertake an impartial, non-partisan review of the constitution before setting out recommendations for change for this and future governments to follow. This event launched this major joint project, exploring how well the UK constitution is working and the problems that now need to be addressed.On the panel to discuss the UK constitution and the problems faced, were: Dr Halima Begum, Chief Executive of the Runnymede Trust The Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC, former Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice; current Member of Parliament for South Swindon Professor Ciaran Martin, former Chief Executive of the National Cyber Security Centre; now Professor of Practice in the Management of Public Organisations at Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University Baroness Smith of Basildon, Shadow Leader of the House of Lords This event is chaired by Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government. Professor Michael Kenny, Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, provided some opening remarks on the review.#IfGBennettInst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The long-awaited government white paper on levelling up is due to be published in early 2022, but the government alone cannot pay for the policies needed to help the UK’s left-behind areas.So what can ministers do to involve the private sector in shaping and delivering the levelling up agenda? What more can be done to unlock greater private sector investment? How can private investment deliver social as well as economic impact? What lessons can be drawn from previous public-private partnerships to deliver major infrastructure improvements?To discuss these questions, the IfG was delighted to host an expert panel including: Kevin Hollinrake MP, Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking and member of the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee Stephen Muers, Chief Executive Officer at Big Society Capital Sara Williams, CEO of the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce John Wrathmell, Director, Strategy, Research and Economy at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.#IfGlevellingupWe would like to thank Big Society Capital for supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The government's Subsidy Control Bill sets out how the UK will replace EU state aid rules, but will this deliver a post-Brexit dividend, and how will the UK's system change how subsidies are offered?With the bill having passed through the House of Commons and set to be scrutinised in the House of Lords, this Institute for Government panel explored the opportunities – and risks – of setting up a bespoke post-Brexit state aid regime.While leaving the EU allows the UK's system to focus domestic concerns and government priorities like reaching net zero, a poorly designed system could mean poor regulation of subsidies and creating legal uncertainty.Will the new system provide the additional flexibility, freedom and certainty that the government has promised – or is it a recipe for confusion? And as the legislation is scrutinised in parliament, how can it be improved to ensure it delivers for UK governments, public bodies and businesses?On our panel to discuss these issues were: Peter Foster, Public Policy Editor at the Financial Times George Peretz QC, Barrister at Monckton Chambers Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government Rahat Siddique, Economist at the Confederation of British Industry The event began with a short presentation by Thomas Pope, summarising the new system and presenting initial conclusions on its effectiveness.The event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.#IfGstateaid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nearly a year on from the end of the Brexit transition period, Jill Rutter, James Kane, Jess Sargeant and Joe Marshall from the IfG’s Brexit team plus UK in a Changing Europe’s Professor Anand Menon look back at how the UK is adjusting to life outside the EU and what to look out for in the UK-EU relationship in the year ahead. The Northern Ireland Protocol, Anglo-French fishing disputes, the Brexit opportunities agenda and the UK’s post-Brexit trade deals are just some of the items on the festive menu in this special joint podcast between the Institute for Government and the UK in a Changing Europe.Audio Production by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two years ago, Boris Johnson was elected on a promise to ‘get Brexit done’ and ‘level up’ the UK. Then Covid-19 struck and dominated government time, energy and resources. But with the worst of the crisis now passed, and with the UK having left the EU, where will ministers turn their attention in the second half of the parliament – and is the Government well set up to deliver its priorities?Is Brexit really ‘done’? Do the Government’s ‘net zero’ plans add up? Does more need to be done to support the post-pandemic economic recovery? And how will the Government turn its flagship ‘levelling up’ slogan into reality?The Institute for Government welcomes the following expert panel to reveal the inner workings of government – and discuss whether Boris Johnson’s administration is well-placed to deliver its manifesto promises: Kelly Beaver, Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI Stephen Bush, Political Editor at the New Statesman Dan Corry, Chief Executive of New Philanthropy Capital and former Head of the No.10 Policy Unit Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. The event is chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.We would like to thank PA Consulting for supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices