Institute for Government

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 AI Matthew Gill, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Jess McEvoy, Principal Consultant at Scott Logic Jeni Tennison, Founder and Executive Director of Connected by DataThe event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government.

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 explored 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. On Tuesday 10 September, 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 Society Sir Ian Cheshire, Chair of Channel 4 and former government lead non-executive director Neil Heslop, Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation Dame Helen Stephenson, former Chief Executive of the Charity Commission for England and Wales The panel was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.

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 Office Andy Milner, Chief Executive Officer of Amey Peter Schofield, Head of Integrated Commissioning and Procurement at Manchester City Council Laura Wisdom, Partner at Burges Salmon The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. The event is a follow-up to a previous briefing on the Procurement Bill in 2022.

Keir Starmer has appointed more than 100 ministers to his government since Labour won the general election on 4 July. Some were ministers in the last Labour government; for many this was their first time in ministerial office. So, who makes up this latest generation of government ministers? And who held office before them? The Institute for Government’s brand new Ministers Database holds information about all government ministers since 1979 – who served as a minister, in what role, and for how long. On Thursday 5 September the IfG launched the database for public use, so that everyone can benefit from this unrivalled source of information and use it in their work. So what can we learn from the IfG’s Ministers Database? Which ministerial roles have seen the most churn? How has turnover among ministers changed over time, and what does it mean for government? And how can academics, journalists and others use the IfG Ministers Database in their work? To explore these questions and more, we were joined on this webinar by an expert panel, including: Dr Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Philip Nye, Senior Data Scientist at the Institute for Government Dr Jessica Smith, Lecturer in Politics with Quantitative Methods at the University of Edinburgh The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Release date: 5 September 2024

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 Money Lord Gus O’Donnell, former Cabinet Secretary Amanda Rowlatt, former Chief Economist at the Department for Transport, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Department for Work and Pensions Conrad 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.

The chancellor has set out her audit of public spending to MPs. Revealing what she calls a multi-billion pound “black hole” in the government finances, Rachel Reeves has vowed “to fix the mess we inherited” from the Conservative government. So do these sums add up and what do they mean for public services? Should this inheritance come as a surprise to Labour and what does it mean for the party’s manifesto pledges? And what is Rachel Reeves’ plan – which could involve tax rises or spending cuts – for dealing with the problem? To discuss these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel, including: Olly Bartrum, Senior Economist at the Institute for Government Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government The webinar was chaired by Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.

A daunting public services to-do list awaits Keir Starmer and his newly-elected Labour government. Most services are performing worse than on the eve of the pandemic and substantially worse than in 2010, but future funding is set to be tight. Ministers will need to make best use of existing budgets and carefully choose targets for any additional investment. So what are the most pressing public services issues facing the new government? What will happen to service performance if Labour sticks to existing spending plans? How can services be improved without substantial spending increases? And where should any extra funding be prioritised? To discuss these questions, and a new Institute for Government and Nuffield Foundation report on the topic, this event brought together an expert panel featuring: Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Sam Freedman, Author of Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How We Fix It Patricia Hewitt, Chair of Norfolk & Waveney NHS and former Secretary of State for Health The event was chaired by Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

The King’s Speech on 17 July set out Sir Keir Starmer’s legislative agenda for government and revealed his priorities for the parliamentary session. While Labour’s attention and resources have been focused on the general election campaign, Starmer and his team will also have been preparing for this major constitutional moment. Legislation to nationalise the railways, reform planning, and establish Great British Energy are all expected, but could the government spring some surprises? Will there be any Conservative policies – such as the smoking ban – that Labour might resurrect? Following the State Opening of Parliament, this IfG webinar – with guest Chris White, who for half a decade was responsible for managing and planning the last government’s legislative programme – explored what the King’s Speech reveals about Keir Starmer’s plans for government. What are the most controversial bills? Where might Labour face opposition in parliament? And what lessons should Starmer take from the legislative programmes of previous administrations? To discuss these questions and more, we will be joined by an expert panel, including: Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Chris White, former special adviser in both the Leader of the Commons and Government Chief Whips’ offices between 2009 and 2015 The webinar was chaired by Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.

Since 2010 the UK’s capital spending on prisons, hospitals and schools has been consistently lower than many other countries – leading to crumbling buildings, creaking IT and a lack of equipment. But the size of the budgets is only part of the problem – these budgets have also been badly spent. This will continue to hamper public service performance unless the new government takes a new approach to capital spending. So what could it do differently to achieve better outcomes? How can ministers, select committees, the Treasury, and other central government departments rethink their approach? And what steps could be taken in the next multi-year spending review? The event began with a short presentation from Thomas Pope, outlining the main findings of a recent IfG and Grant Thornton report on this topic, Capital spending in public services: Fixing how the government invests in the NHS, schools and prisons. To discuss these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel, including: Wayne Butcher, Director at Grant Thornton UK Anita Charlesworth, Director of Research at the Health Foundation Sir Jon Coles, Group Chief Executive of United Learning and former Director General for Schools at the Department for Education Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. The panel was chaired by Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. We would like to thank Grant Thornton UK for kindly supporting this event.

A general election brings the appointment of a whole host of new ministers, and on day one in government they begin a job like no other. Former shadow ministers may be familiar with their new policy portfolio, but ministerial life is very different to opposition. The switch from leading a small team to heading up departments with hundreds or thousands of civil servants, and from issuing press releases to making life-changing policy decisions, happens overnight. But ministers too often overlook how they can move beyond ‘on the job’ learning and get the most out of their ministerial careers. So how can ministers get the support they need to succeed in government? What benefits are there in investing in professional development? What skills do ministers and other executives need to be effective leaders? And what support is available to ministers seeking to develop their skills in government? To explore these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel, including: Rt Hon Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top, former Chief Whip Dr Paul Chapman, Senior Fellow at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford Rt Hon Chloe Smith, former Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Ruth Turner, Senior Director at the Forward Institute and former Director of Government Relations in the Prime Minister’s Office The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.