IfG Events

Institute for Government
IfG Events

The Labour government has a huge majority in parliament – but Keir Starmer’s administration is also facing an incredibly complex set of policy challenges. So how can the prime minister and his team turn around public service performance? What can chancellor Rachel Reeves do to get the economy growing again? What will mission-driven government actually mean in practice? Who should be making the key decisions in Westminster – and beyond? And what will the appointment of a new cabinet secretary mean for the future direction of the civil service? From reforming how the centre of government works to the battle for the future of the civil service, from making a success of levelling up to achieve net zero goals, IfG EVENTS stimulate fresh thinking and share ideas about how government works – and how it could work better.

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    What next for standards in public life?

    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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 2m
  2. 6 DAYS AGO

    What role can prevention play in boosting public service productivity?

    The new government has put prevention at the heart of public service reform plans. So what difference could this approach make? By intervening sooner, problems may not escalate, become embedded, or arise in the first place – meaning preventative services could be a major contributor to public sector productivity.   With spending likely to be tight over the coming years, the theory behind an "invest to save" scheme is clear – but in practice it has been hard to implement, and cashable savings have often proved elusive.   This event brought together a panel of experts to discuss:   Is it realistic to expect preventative programmes to deliver cashable savings? How quickly could a shift towards a more preventative approach improve public service productivity? What are the respective roles of the centre of government, departments, and frontline services in delivering this shift and realising productivity improvements? How can additional investments be made in prevention when acute demand is high and spending tight?   To discuss these questions and more, our panel included:   Dr Thomas Waite, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Cllr Gillian Ford, Deputy Leader of Havering Council, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health Daniel Sperrin, Partner at Newton Moira Wallace, former Permanent Secretary   The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.   We would like to thank Newton for kindly supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 3m
4.5
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

The Labour government has a huge majority in parliament – but Keir Starmer’s administration is also facing an incredibly complex set of policy challenges. So how can the prime minister and his team turn around public service performance? What can chancellor Rachel Reeves do to get the economy growing again? What will mission-driven government actually mean in practice? Who should be making the key decisions in Westminster – and beyond? And what will the appointment of a new cabinet secretary mean for the future direction of the civil service? From reforming how the centre of government works to the battle for the future of the civil service, from making a success of levelling up to achieve net zero goals, IfG EVENTS stimulate fresh thinking and share ideas about how government works – and how it could work better.

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