Institute for Government

Keir Starmer commissioned a number of high-profile reviews into difficult policy areas on taking office, but the prime minister seems to have become more sceptical about their value in recent weeks. At this event, to mark the launch of a new IfG report on lessons from past policy reviews, a panel of former reviewers and commissioners of reviews explored when reviews can lead to real change – and what needs to be done to ensure they succeed. When is it the right time to launch a review? How should ministers best set up, work with and respond to reviews? And has the prime minister changed his view of reviews – and, if so, why? Discussing these questions, and more, were: Rt Hon Ed Balls, former Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and Special Adviser at HM Treasury (and commissioner of several reviews) Dame Carol Black, leader of multiple past reviews, including: the Review of Drugs (2021), Drug and Alcohol Addiction, and Obesity: effects on employment outcomes review (2016), Health at Work Review (2011) and Working for a Healthier Tomorrow Review (2008) Dame Tracey Crouch, former Minister for Sport and Civil Society and Chair of the Fan-led Review of Football Governance (2021) Sir Howard Davies, Chair of the Airports Commission (2012–15) The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.

The IfG was pleased to welcome Rt Hon Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, to deliver a keynote speech on how the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) plans to use its expanding powers and spending freedoms. From April 2025, Greater Manchester will be funded by a new ‘integrated settlement’ that gives the mayor and other local leaders far greater control of spending in areas such as transport, skills, employment and housing. In his speech, Andy Burnham set out his vision for how these powers should be used to drive growth and improve outcomes for people across the region, and what further powers should be devolved. Andy Burnham was then in conversation with IfG Devolution Programme Director Akash Paun.

The IfG was delighted to welcome Rt Hon Darren Jones MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, to set out how smarter decision-making methods in government can reduce waste and deliver for the taxpayer. In a speech at the IfG, Darren Jones set out his plans to reform government financial systems to achieve better strategic financial decision making going forward. This comes after the prime minister last week announced plans to reshape the way the British state delivers and serves working people by becoming more tech-driven, productive, agile and mission focused. Darren Jones was then in conversation with IfG Chief Economist Gemma Tetlow and took part in an audience Q&A.

Whitehall Monitor 2025 – the Institute for Government’s flagship annual report on the civil service – found that high staff turnover, confused workforce planning, slipping morale and uncompetitive pay will hinder its ability to deliver Labour’s missions, even with an increased headcount and a relentless pressure for greater efficiency and productivity Keir Starmer and Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden have shown a welcome enthusiasm for Whitehall reform – including a commitment to a “test and learn” mindset and “mission boards” – but little will change until long-running civil service challenges, like excessive staff turnover and falling morale, are resolved. This webinar – the third in a three-part series focusing on the report’s findings – examined the relationship between civil service pay and the shift in grade structure since 2010, as well as trends in officials’ morale. The webinar featured: Teodor Grama, Research Assistant at the Institute for Government Hannah Keenan, Associate Director at the Institute for Government Jack Worlidge, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government and lead author of Whitehall Monitor 2025 The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.

This special event to mark International Women’s Day, saw Lucy Powell, Leader of the House of Commons, discuss the modernisation of parliament and how the Modernisation Committee can help make the House more accessible, effective and inclusive. Powell was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. Lucy Powell has served as the MP for Manchester Central since 2012 and became Leader of the House after the 2024 election. In this role, she represents the government in Parliament and Parliament in government. She is also a member of the House of Commons Commission, which oversees the administration of the House, and chairs the Modernisation Committee.

The new public sector Probation Service was created in 2021 to unify the outsourced management of low- and medium-risk offenders with the public sector management of high-risk offenders. While the initial transition went well, four years on probation still faces deep structural challenges – as do other public services. The government is committed to public service reform and a ‘mission-driven’ approach, but it is not yet clear what this will look like. So what can the government learn about improving public service reform from probation insourcing? What are the implications for Labour’s strategic review of probation governance? And what comes next for the probation service? To discuss these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel including: Professor Harry Annison, Co-Investigator of Rehabilitating Probation Research Project, and Professor of Criminal Justice at Southampton Law School Helen Berresford, Director of External Engagement at Nacro Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government Martin Jones CBE, HM Chief Inspector of Probation The event was chaired by Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Rehabilitating Probation.

This Institute for Government webinar brought instant expert analysis of the prime minister’s plans to radically overhaul the British state. Ahead of his speech, Keir Starmer told officials he wants to unshackle them from bureaucracy to stop their talent being "constrained”, and to create an “agile, mission-focused and more productive” civil service. But planned job cuts across the civil service and a clampdown on quangos and regulators have seen the government’s reform blueprint dubbed “Operation Chainsaw” – echoing Elon Musk’s DOGE plans for reforming the US government. So what is in the PM’s plan? What will it mean for delivering Labour’s missions and its milestones? What should civil servants expect in the coming weeks and months? And how can Whitehall leaders best put the government’s reform agenda into action? To discuss these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel including: Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Dr Matthew Gill, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Hannah Keenan, Associate Director at the Institute for Government The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.

Whitehall Monitor 2025 – the Institute for Government’s flagship annual report on the civil service – found that high staff turnover, confused workforce planning, slipping morale and uncompetitive pay will hinder its ability to deliver Labour’s missions, even with an increasing headcount and a relentless pressure for greater efficiency and productivity Keir Starmer and Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden have shown a welcome enthusiasm for Whitehall reform – including a commitment to a “test and learn” mindset and “mission boards” – but little will change until long-running civil service challenges, like excessive staff turnover and falling morale, are resolved. This webinar – the second in a three-part series focusing on the report’s findings – examined civil service recruitment practices and discuss what is driving the staff turnover levels across Whitehall. The webinar featured: Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Liz Tolcher, Workforce Transformation Expert at PA Consulting Jack Worlidge, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government and lead author of Whitehall Monitor 2025 The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. We would like to thank PA Consulting for supporting both this event and Whitehall Monitor 2025.

The Labour government wants mayoral combined authorities (MCAs) to play a leading role in delivering faster economic growth – so what can ministers do to help MCAs achieve success in this mission? With an expanding set of devolved transport, skills, housing and planning powers, MCAs are well-placed to drive regional growth – but success is not a given. To capitalise on their potential, MCAs need effective decision-making structures, sufficient institutional capacity, and strong accountability mechanisms. The government’s devolution white paper sets out proposals to reform the capacity, accountability, and decision-making processes of MCAs, but do these reforms go far enough? What are the potential risks? And what more can the government do to support MCAs to succeed? To answer these questions, we were joined by: Amy Harhoff, Chief Executive of the East Midlands Combined County Authority Rebecca McKee, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government Jim McMahon MP, Minister for Local Government and English Devolution Laura Shoaf, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority This event was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Introductory remarks were also be delivered by Robert Breedon, Partner and Co-leader of Government Sector at Gowling WLG. We would like to thank Gowling WLG for kindly supporting this event.

Whitehall Monitor 2025 – the Institute for Government’s flagship annual report on the civil service – found that high staff turnover, confused workforce planning, slipping morale and uncompetitive pay will hinder its ability to deliver Labour’s missions, even with an increased headcount and a relentless pressure for greater efficiency and productivity Keir Starmer and Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden have shown a welcome enthusiasm for Whitehall reform – including a commitment to a “test and learn” mindset and “mission boards” – but little will change until long-running civil service challenges, like excessive staff turnover and falling morale, are resolved. This webinar – the first in a three-part series focusing on Whitehall Monitor’s findings – examined the size and shape of the civil service, including the growth of Whitehall departments since 2016 and the changing structure and composition of the workforce. The webinar featured: Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Liz Tolcher, Workforce Transformation Expert at PA Consulting Jack Worlidge, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government and lead author of Whitehall Monitor 2025 The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. We would like to thank PA Consulting for supporting both this event and Whitehall Monitor 2025.