IfG Events

After a series of awkward stories over gifts and donations, how can Labour reassert its credentials around upholding public standards - and avoid standards issues distracting from its wider agenda for government?  This event will explore how key reforms such as the creation of the long-promised Ethics and Integrity Commission and establishment of the Modernisation Committee will work and what else needs to be done to restore trust in politics. Speakers:Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP, Leader of the House of CommonsStephen Bush, Associate Editor and Columnist at the Financial TimesTim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for GovernmentDuncan Hames, Director of Policy and Programmes at Transparency International UKDr Susan Hawley, Executive Director of Spotlight on CorruptionThis event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.This event was in partnership with Spotlight on Corruption, Transparency International UK, and the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Decarbonising the power system by 2030 and accelerating to net zero is one of Labour's five missions. But achieving this goal means moving faster than the previous government and overcoming barriers like the availability of skilled workers while engaging with distributional questions to ensure a just transition. Building on recent IfG research, this event looked at what the new government has done so far - and what other actions it could take to accelerate delivery while avoiding any unintended consequences for the wider transition to net zero.  Mete Coban MBE, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy at Greater London AuthorityClem Cowton, Director of External Affairs at Octopus EnergyEd Cox, Executive Director for Strategy, Economy & Net Zero at West Midlands Combined AuthorityRosa Hodgkin, Researcher at the Institute for GovernmentProfessor Karl Whittle, Professor of Zero Carbon and Nuclear Energy at the University of LiverpoolThis 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What needs to be done to embed Labour's missions-led approach into the way that government works? How should No.10, the Cabinet Office and the Treasury be reformed to help deliver long term policy objectives? What is the role of ministers in mission-led government? And how can mission-led government mean more than a few new committees in Whitehall – and instead, help the centre to address long term chronic problems, make government more open and encourage collaboration? Speakers:Josh Simons MP, Member of Parliament for Makerfield and former Director of Labour TogetherClare Moriarty, former Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of Citizens AdviceKartina Tahir Thomson, President of the Institute and Faculty of ActuariesAlex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for GovernmentThis event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.This event was in partnership with the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Labour winning the 2024 election on a pledge to widen and deepen devolution across England, this event discussed how and why the government should make a reality of this commitment. The panel considered the role that metro mayors and local government can play in helping Labour to achieve its economic missions, which specific powers should be devolved, and how institutions such as universities can themselves contribute to the government’s industrial strategy. Speakers:Jim McMahon MP, Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)Kim McGuinness, Mayor of the North EastProfessor Richard Jones, Vice-President for Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement at The University of ManchesterJen Williams, Northern England Correspondent at the Financial TimesThis event was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.This event was in partnership with Policy@Manchester. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Labour has inherited an economy that has struggled with low growth and weak productivity for most of the past 15 years. The government has proposed a new industrial strategy, sometimes called ‘securonomics’, which it says will help to deliver high-tech industries, boost lagging regions and support UK companies to be global champions in growth sectors. And it plans to establish a new Industrial Strategy Council to ensure the kind of long-term commitment to the agenda that has too often been missing. This event discussed what this council should do to help deliver Labour’s aspirations for economic renewal.   Speakers:Lord Patrick Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Research and InnovationPeter Foster, Public Policy Editor at the Financial TimesProfessor Mary Ryan, Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) at Imperial College LondonGiles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for GovernmentThis event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.This event was in partnership with Imperial College London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Britain’s housing market is unfair. House prices are over eight times average earnings. Social housebuilding rates have sharply declined, and homelessness is high. How can the Liberal Democrats ensure the government delivers the sustainable and affordable housing Britain needs?Speakers:Lee Dillon MP, Member of Parliament for NewburyMax Wilkinson MP, Member of Parliament for CheltenhamAnna Clarke, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at The Housing ForumSophie Metcalfe, Researcher at the Institute for GovernmentTristan Robinson, Director of External Affairs and Social Value at ThakehamThis event was chaired by Nehal Davison, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.This event was in partnership with Thakeham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Civil servants are already using AI for a variety of purposes, from summarising and analysing data to drafting correspondence. The new Labour government sees AI as a route to greater productivity and growth, both within government and beyond. Bringing together the themes of two private roundtables hosted by the Institute for Government in partnership with Scott Logic, this public event explored the use of AI in policy and communications, and for civil service effectiveness.  How are public servants making use of AI in their work?How should government’s own use of AI inform its broader approach to AI’s development and regulation?And how can government distinguish between panic, hype and useful applications of AI and other emerging technologies?To discuss these questions and more, this event brought together an expert panel featuring: Duncan Brown, Head of Software Engineering at the Incubator for AIMatthew Gill, Programme Director at the Institute for GovernmentJess McEvoy, Principal Consultant at Scott LogicJeni Tennison, Founder and Executive Director of Connected by Data The event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The biggest challenges UK government faces, from tackling low economic growth to addressing regional inequalities, adapting to climate change and transforming public service performance, will need to be addressed by harnessing the insight and expertise of people from outside government itself. So what can be done to bring more external expertise into the heart of government?  This event will explore a core conclusion of the IfG Commission on the Centre of Government – that external voices need to be more embedded in decision making in No.10, the Cabinet Office and the Treasury. The Commission's final report concluded that successive governments had failed to do enough to systemically recruit talented people from outside government and use their skills and insight. We reflected on the Commission’s recommendations and discuss how to improve decision making by amplifying expert voices from outside government. The panel were: Baroness Diana Barran, former Minister for Civil SocietySir Ian Cheshire, Chair of Channel 4 and former government lead non-executive directorNeil Heslop, Chief Executive of the Charities Aid FoundationDame Helen Stephenson, former Chief Executive of the Charity Commission for England and Wales The panel will be chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. This event is supported by a grant from Charities Aid Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The government’s approach to procurement is entering a new era. Significant reforms to the UK's post-Brexit procurement legislation, set out in the Procurement Act, will redefine how public sector organisations acquire goods, services, and human resources as new rules and opportunities emerge. So with almost £400bn a year spent on public procurement, how ready are public bodies and suppliers for the Procurement Act’s profound implications? Drawing on IfG's extensive research and analysis on government procurement and outsourcing, this event convened a panel of experts to explore the following key questions: What are the main changes that will be implemented under the new Procurement Act?How prepared are public bodies and suppliers for these changes?What impact will the changes have on procurement practice?What are the key risks and opportunities for public bodies and suppliers?We were joined by an expert panel, including: Lindsay Maguire, Deputy Director for Procurement Reform Implementation at the Cabinet OfficeAndy Milner, Chief Executive Officer of AmeyPeter Schofield, Head of Integrated Commissioning and Procurement at Manchester City CouncilLaura Wisdom, Partner at Burges Salmon The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event is kindly supported by Burges Salmon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spending reviews, which decide how at least half a trillion pounds of annual public spending should be allocated across different public services, are one of the most consequential processes in government. The new government has announced a new review, to conclude in Spring 2025, that will determine departmental budgets for much of the current parliament. But how should ministers choose how to prioritise for spending? Should more money be spent on roads, skills, or police? What is the best way to judge the costs and benefits of each decision? A new report from the London School of Economics, Value for Money calls for a radical change in policy making. It argues that policies should be judged using a cost-benefit analysis which includes a comprehensive valuation of their effects on wellbeing. The report argues that, judged this way, therapies for mental health and guaranteed apprenticeships give much better value for money than most new roads. To discuss this topic, we were joined by a panel, including: Professor Lord Richard Layard, Co-Director of the Community Wellbeing Programme at the Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and co-author of Value for MoneyLord Gus O’Donnell, former Cabinet SecretaryAmanda Rowlatt, former Chief Economist at the Department for Transport, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Department for Work and PensionsConrad Smewing, Director General of Public Spending in His Majesty's Treasury and Joint-Head of the Government Finance Function The panel was chaired by Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices