Institute for Government

Levelling up means boosting economic growth in the UK’s under-performing areas. So how can the government achieve this aim? Ministers emphasise the need to create new manufacturing jobs. But from law and accountancy to retail and hospitality, the UK economy is predominantly services-based – with many high value services jobs concentrated in the South East. So how can the services sector contribute to economic growth across the UK? What can the government do to help service sector clusters thrive outside London and the South East? And is the government getting the balance right between focusing on manufacturing and services? To discuss these questions and more: Bim Afolami MP for Hitchin and Harpenden Bhavina Bharkhada, Head of Policy at Make UK John Cooper, Partner, Public Law & Regulation at Gowling WLG Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government The event was chaired by Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. #IfGlevellingup We would like to thank Gowling WLG for their support for this event.

The Institute for Government was delighted to host an event with the Office for Budget Responsibility to discuss their new Fiscal Risks and Sustainability Report. While the economic shocks of the Covid pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have been huge, there are many other factors likely to change the shape of the UK state and the demands placed on it in future. Some – such as the ageing of the population and the shift towards net zero carbon emissions – can be anticipated; others – such as the impacts of unabated climate change and possible future geopolitical instability – are harder to predict with certainty. This event opened with a short presentation by Richard Hughes, Chair of the OBR, on the main findings in the report followed by a panel discussion on the major challenges facing the UK and how the government can best prepare for these. Our panel included: Professor Malcolm Chalmers, Deputy Director-General of RUSI Rosa Hodgkin, Researcher at the Institute for Government Richard Hughes, Chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility Professor Andrew Scott, Professor of Economics, London Business School. The event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. #IfGeconomy

As she prepares to step down as Director of the Institute for Government, Bronwen Maddox gave a valedictory lecture. Her six years at the IfG have seen two general elections, three prime ministers and, in Brexit and the Covid pandemic, two of the biggest peacetime challenges ever faced by governments in this country. In her speech, Bronwen reflected on what is wrong with British government – and what is right – and what needs to change to make it better. The event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, IfG Deputy Director. #IfGMaddox

Restoring Faith in Politics James Brokenshire served in Theresa May’s cabinet between 2016 and 2019, first as Northern Ireland Secretary and then as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. In memory of James, who died in 2021, the former prime minister delivered a lecture at the Institute for Government reflecting on the theme of public service which was central to his life and career. Following the lecture, Mrs May was in conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government. #IfGBrokenshire

Introductory remarks by Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government Setting out the recommendations of a recent IfG report, Tom Sasse, IfG Associate Director, made the case for reforms such as appointing a dedicated head of policy making in each department, encouraging officials to specialise more in policy areas, and greater co-ordination of cross-departmental policy making. Discussion with speakers: Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of the Centre for Cities Anna Isaac, Economics Editor at The Independent Paul Kissack, Group Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust Rachel Wolf, Founding Partner at Public First. Chaired by: Dr Hannah White, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government Closing remarks from Lord Sainsbury of Turville. #IfGgovtreform

Better use of data is key to more effective government. Across government, teams are doing fascinating work with data. But those projects don’t get the attention they deserve. At this month's event, the 31st in our series, the speakers will present their work in an exciting, quickfire format. Each speaker has eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience. This month's speakers, with a focus on climate change: Simon McLellan, Head of Data at the Met Office, on the big data challenges of weather and climate data Dr Thomas Sadler, Head of Environmental Statistics Development, ONS, on developing the UK’s Climate Change Statistics Portal Jolene Tan, Trase Communications Lead at Global Canopy, on mapping the deforestation impact of commodity supply chains Dr Ali Mashayek, Lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College London, on climate dynamics and the effect on the warming of the oceans The event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government. #IfGDataBites We would like to thank The Forum, Imperial College London’s policy engagement initiative for kindly supporting this event.

Welcome by Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government. Opening remarks from Lord Sainsbury of Turville, Chair of the Institute for Government Alex Thomas, IfG Programme Director, set out a new model which puts the accountability of the civil service in statute to enshrine the civil service’s objective, governance, authority and relationship with ministers and gives the head of the civil service the statutory responsibility to meet that objective and the power to lead the civil service accordingly. Discussion with speakers: Sir Ian Cheshire, former Government Lead Non-Executive Dame Margaret Hodge MP, former chair of the Public Accounts Committee Sir Jonathan Jones QC, former head of the Government Legal Department Chaired by: Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government.

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee. With the NHS facing record waiting lists and workforce problems in the wake of the pandemic, and as the government’s plans to fund social care come under intense scrutiny, the former – and Britain’s longest-serving – health secretary was in conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government. He discussed his new book Zero: Eliminating unnecessary deaths in a post-pandemic NHS, which he says sets out “how the NHS can reduce the number of avoidable deaths to zero and in the process save money, reduce backlogs and improve working conditions.” The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP has been the member of parliament for South West Surrey since May 2005. He has served as Culture Secretary, Health Secretary and Foreign Secretary, and has chaired the Commons Select Committee Health and Social Care since January 2020. #IfGHunt

The government spends around £300bn a year – a third of all public expenditure – on procurement. Following the UK’s exit from the EU, the government has proposed major reforms to the rules governing public sector buying. The government says the new Procurement Bill will create a simpler and more transparent system which makes it easier for SMEs to win contracts and for the government to disqualify poorly performing suppliers. This event discussed the bill’s aims, challenges to achieving the government’s objectives and featured a presentation on the key measures contained in the bill from: Ed Green, Deputy Director, Commercial Policy - International and Reform at the Cabinet Office Lindsay Maguire, Head of Engagement for Procurement Reform at the Cabinet Office And responses from: Mark Leigh, Deputy Chief Commercial Officer at DWP Laura Wisdom, Partner at Burges Salmon The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. #IfGoutsourcing This event was kindly supported by Burges Salmon.

Equipping the UK workforce with the right skills will be critical to the success of the net zero transition, and the government has committed to reforming the skills system. What should those skills, and reforms, look like? How can the government make sure that the right skills are available in the right place at the right time? And what can it do to ensure that the opportunities of net zero are shared fairly across the country? Discussing these questions: Sam Alvis, Head of Economy at Green Alliance Alyssa Gilbert, Director of Policy and Translation at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment Ian O'Donnell, Net Zero and Special Projects Lead at the Federation of Small Businesses Tom Sasse, Associate Director of the Institute for Government The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. #IfGnetzero We would like to thank The Forum, Imperial College London’s policy engagement initiative for kindly supporting this even