Institute for Government

The government has set out its intention to support the civil service with the necessary tools to deliver for the public. As the IfG has argued, reforms to improve the capability of the civil service are needed – particularly in a tight fiscal situation where efficient and effective government is essential. We believe there are a variety of areas for attention. These include reducing staff churn, improving external recruitment, and seizing the opportunities of new technology. How is the civil service planning to address these questions while supporting the government’s agenda and delivering the prime minister’s promise to build a ‘government of service’? How can issues, like pay and lower morale, be addressed? And what will the civil service look like in 2030? We were delighted to host Cat Little, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, to discuss these questions and more. She was in conversation with IfG Director and CEO Dr Hannah White.

Following weeks of interviews and much speculation, Sir Chris Wormald has been confirmed as the new cabinet secretary. After a long civil service career, including stints as permanent secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education and Skills, Wormald will succeed Simon Case and begin work as the country's most senior civil servant. Keir Starmer has said that it “will require nothing less than the complete rewiring of the British state to deliver bold and ambitious long-term reforms” – so how can Wormald meet that challenge? What is the best way for the new cabinet secretary to work with Keir Starmer and other senior ministers? How does a strong cabinet secretary add to the effectiveness of a government? How can Wormald change the way the civil service works so that it can best deliver the government's priorities? What steps can he take to restore civil service morale? And how might his experiences leading government departments help him approach the job of cabinet secretary? This special IfG webinar answered these questions – and yours – with a brilliant panel featuring: Dr Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Sir David Lidington, Cabinet Office minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 2018–19 Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.

Thirty years ago, following a series of high-profile political scandals, John Major set up the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) to advise him – and future prime ministers – on ethics and behaviour. So has the CSPL been a success – and what might come next for standards in public life? Over the last three decades the committee has been an influential voice on the standards expected of people in public office, including setting out the seven principles of public life that apply to politicians, public officials and frontline staff and the establishment of standards regulators including the parliamentary commissioner and the Electoral Commission. However, recent scandals like ‘partygate’ and controversies over the acceptance of gifts, alongside reports from the infected blood and Grenfell inquiries, demonstrate that work on embedding transparency and ethical behaviour remains unfinished. How can the committee respond to challenges posed by increased use of AI in the public sector? What more could be done to build greater trust in politicians and public services? And what difference could the Labour government’s planned Ethics and Integrity Commission make? To answer these questions, and more, we were joined by: Doug Chalmers CB DSO OBE, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life Pippa Crerar, Political Editor at The Guardian Daniel Greenberg CB, Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

The Institute for Government was pleased to welcome Kate Forbes MSP, Deputy First Minister (DFM) of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, for an 'in conversation' event on 18 November 2024. The DFM reflected on the 10th anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum and the 25th anniversary of Scottish devolution. She also discussed the state of Scotland's economy and public services in light of the UK budget, and the Scottish government's policy and legislative agenda. The DFM was in conversation with Akash Paun, Programme Director for Devolution, which was followed by Q&A with the live and online audience.

The Labour government has inherited an NHS in crisis. Pre-existing challenges of growing demand, an ageing population, and high levels of staff vacancies have been exacerbated by the pandemic, resulting in record backlogs and waiting times. With substantial increases in hospital funding and staffing failing to turn performance round, the new government must help the NHS through the immediate crisis, set it on a sustainable long-term footing and consider the need for more fundamental reform. Should the NHS focus more on preventing, rather than treating, illness? Could the NHS become more local? Are the new Integrated Care Systems working or should they be reformed? How successful have past NHS reforms been? To answer these questions and more we were joined by an expert panel, including: Paul Corrigan, Expert adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care Penny Dash, Chair of NHS North West London Integrated Care Board Rachel Wolf, Founding Partner at Public First Thomas Cawston, Corporate Affairs Lead at Novartis UK The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK.

The IfG team presented new analysis on the likely impact of the budget on public services performance. They also discussed the key questions facing the government ahead of the spending review, including widespread poor performance and record backlogs, tight funding settlements, industrial disputes, crumbling buildings, recruitment and retention problems, and resilience for future crises. Stuart Hoddinott, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government Philip Nye, Senior Data Scientist at the Institute for Government Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government This session was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.

Dissatisfaction with public services was a key reason for the Conservative defeat in the general election. How can the new party leader and frontbench regain public trust for running public services? What are the key elements of a distinctive Conservative vision for public services? How should the Conservative Party balance demands for higher public service spending and lower taxation? Steve Brine, former Chair of Health and Social Care Committee Rt Hon David Gauke, former Secretary of State for Justice Rt Hon Baroness Nicky Morgan, former Secretary of State for Education This session was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.

The new government faces an extremely challenging inheritance in the criminal justice system. How can trust in the police and charging rates be improved? How can criminal court backlogs be tackled? How can government improve conditions and capacity in prisons? How can individual criminal justice services work together more effectively? And does the new government have a plan to address these challenges? Dr Karen Schucan Bird, Associate Professor at the UCL Social Research Institute Penelope Gibbs, Director of Transform Justice Lord Timpson OBE, Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending This session was chaired by Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government. This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.

On 30 October, the new government announced spending plans for 2025/26, with a spending review covering 2025/26 to 2027/28 due to be published in the spring. What are the implications of these spending plans for public service performance in 2025/26? What options should the spending review consider for raising revenue and boosting productivity? How can the government improve public services when funding is tight? Rupert Harrison, former Chief of Staff to George Osborne and Chair of the UK’s Council of Economic Advisors (2010–15) Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies Professor Henrietta Moore, Founder and Director of the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity Rachel Sylvester, political columnist at The Times and Chair of the Times Health Commission This session will be chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.

An in conversation with Rt Hon Michael Gove, Editor of the The Spectator and former Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.