

Institute for Government
Institute for Government
The leading think tank working to make UK government more effective.
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Stay up to date with all of our commentary, analysis and events by visiting our website and subscribing to our newsletter.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 16, 2025 • 1h 2min
Spads under Starmer: How can Labour’s special advisers do the job well?
Special advisers are a vital part of the glue that helps make government work effectively, and since July 2024 more than 100 spads have been appointed by Keir Starmer and his ministers. As well as experiencing the day-to-day challenges that come with one of the most intense jobs in Westminster, the new cohort has also faced ministerial churn, parliamentary rebellion and a change of No.10 chiefs of staff.
So how can special advisers be most effective in government? What are the challenges they face, and how can they deal with them? And how is the current cohort of spads faring in their difficult, and misunderstood, roles?
To discuss how the spads of today (and tomorrow) can do the job well we were joined by:
Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor at the Sunday Times and co-author of Get In: The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer
Salma Shah, Special Adviser to Sajid Javid (2014–19)
Sam White, Special Adviser to Alistair Darling (2004–10) and Chief of Staff to Keir Starmer (2021–22); Chair of Foundations: the national what works centre for children and families
The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

Jul 16, 2025 • 1h 6min
Inside Trump’s America: In conversation with Tim Ryan
Inside Trump’s America: In conversation with Tim Ryan by Institute for Government

Jul 15, 2025 • 1h 18min
IfG DevoLab #1: How devolution can address health inequalities
IfG DevoLab #1: How devolution can address health inequalities by Institute for Government

Jul 15, 2025 • 1h 6min
Labour’s first year in power: Is this still a mission-driven government?
Labour fought the 2024 general election on a manifesto which promised “a new way of doing government” – one built on the concept of mission-driven government. But how much has this government’s decisions, trade-offs and policy priorities really been shaped by its five missions? And how far have they been able to make progress on their priorities in the first year?
To mark the first year of Keir Starmer becoming prime minister, the Institute for Government and the Institute for Fiscal Studies hosted a joint event to explore what progress the government has made and whether Starmer’s government is really doing things differently to its predecessors.
Are the government’s missions realistic or do they lack ambition? Have Rachel Reeves’ tax and spending choices supported or hindered mission delivery? What did the spending review reveal about the government’s priorities? How could government be better structured – and decisions made – in a way that is more mission-driven? And one year on since the general election, can the government really say it is governing in a “new way”?
To explore these questions and more, the IfG and IFS brought together an expert panel featuring:
Stephen Bush, Associate Editor and columnist at the Financial Times
Helen Miller, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies
Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government
The event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.

Jul 9, 2025 • 1h 16min
Productivity Pitches #7
Productivity Pitches #7: Welfare

Jun 24, 2025 • 1h 17min
The Expert Factor Live!
Back by popular demand, Hannah White, Paul Johnson and Anand Menon reunited on stage to record a special live episode of The Expert Factor – the podcast for people who haven’t had enough of experts.
Nine years to the day since the UK voted to leave the EU, as the directors of three of the UK’s leading think tanks – the Institute for Government, the Institute for Fiscal Studies and UK in a Changing Europe – got together to discuss, explore and explain the big questions facing Keir Starmer’s Labour government and Britain’s opposition parties in an increasingly unpredictable world.
The event was held in partnership with UK in a Changing Europe.

Jun 20, 2025 • 46min
What do the Nolan Principles mean today?
To conclude our conference on the Nolan Principles, our panel discussed the impact of the Nolan Principles in public life today. How have they changed the standards landscape in the UK? What do the public think about standards in public life? How useful are standards and principles to leaders in government? And how can a strong standards system support a government’s wider objectives?
Speakers:
Doug Chalmers, chair, Committee on Standards in Public Life
Chris Morris, CEO, Full Fact
Sachin Savur, researcher, Institute for Government
Rowena Mason, Whitehall Editor at the Guardian
This session was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government

Jun 20, 2025 • 42min
Speech: Marie Goldman MP, Liberal Democrat shadow leader of the House of Commons
Chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.
This event was part of the IfG's conference on the The Nolan Principles at 30: What does the future hold for standards in public life?

Jun 20, 2025 • 59min
How can frontline officials uphold high standards of behaviour?
Many of the public’s interactions with the state are with frontline officials in health and social care, policing and local government. How much do the Nolan principles resonate with those delivering public services? How can frontline officials be supported to make ethical decisions? And how can frontline organisations prevent failures, and rebuild public trust where they occur?
Speakers:
Neil Basu, former Assistant Commissioner, Metropolitan Police
Helen Buckingham, Chair of National Voices
Amerdeep Somal, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
This session was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

Jun 20, 2025 • 28min
Shaping the standards debate: interactive discussions
To reflect on the topics raised during our conference on the Nolan Principles, the IfG and CSPL convened small group discussions to talk through more specific questions:
What are the emerging threats and opportunities in the standards landscape?
How do politics and partisanship affect the way standards are perceived?
What does ethical public service leadership look like?
Those joining online were able to take part in a webinar discussion on the same topics. A panel of IfG and CSPL staff reported back on the themes raised in the discussions.