IfG Events

Institute for Government

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. 5d ago

    IfG DevoLab #6: How can mayors support a just climate transition?

    We were at the Institute for Government for the sixth event in the IfG DevoLab series, held in partnership with the JUST Centre, at which speakers from three regions with devolved powers set out how mayors and strategic authorities can use their powers, funding and influence to support a just climate transition. The three case studies presented at IfG DevoLab #6 were: ‘The Local Net Zero Accelerator programme in the West Midlands’ by Barbara Leach, Programme Manager at West Midlands Combined Authority ‘Devolution and local power for communities in the North West of England’, by James Johnson, Head of Regional Programme at the North West Net Zero Hub ‘Place-based climate action in Yorkshire and the Humber - the Climate Commission model’, by Rosa Foster, Director at Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission These speakers were joined by Professor Matthew Paterson, Deputy Director at the JUST Centre, for a broader discussion of the benefits of devolution and mayoral leadership for this agenda, how places are developing new ways of governing and new forms of participation to ensure that the climate transition is just, joined-up and reflects local needs, and what might be achieved by further devolution. This event was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. The IfG DevoLab is dedicated to exploring the innovations enabled by devolution, learning from the results, and sharing the lessons so that places can take better decisions about how to use devolved powers and budgets. Insights from this discussion will inform a published policy briefing containing the three case studies and a synthesis of key lessons. We would like to thank the Centre for Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) for kindly supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  2. Jul 3

    IfG DevoLab #5: How can mayors and local leaders create a shared vision for regional growth?

    The IfG DevoLab is dedicated to exploring the innovations enabled by devolution, learning from the results, and sharing the lessons so that places can take better decisions about how to use devolved powers and budgets. We were in Sheffield for the fifth DevoLab event, where three speakers set out how mayors and local leaders can build and sustain a shared vision for growth across their regions. The three case studies presented at IfG DevoLab #5 were: ‘Developing a shared vision for growth in South Yorkshire’, by Kate Josephs CB, Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council ‘Corridors of Growth in a Polycentric City Region’, by Tony Reeves, Chief Executive of Wakefield Council ‘Delivering an inclusive growth strategy in the East Midlands’, by Damien Dacey, Executive Director of Strategy and Inclusive Growth at the East Midlands County Combined Authority The three speakers were joined by Pete Gladwell, Group Managing Director, Public Investment at L&G, for a broader discussion on how mayors can work effectively with partners across their region, build consensus around shared priorities, and sustain ambition as political contexts shift. This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. Insights from this discussion will inform a published policy briefing containing the three case studies and a synthesis of key lessons. The Institute for Government would like to thank L&G for its support for this event and for its wider support of the IfG DevoLab series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  3. Jul 2

    Integrating diplomacy and development: How does the Foreign Office set itself up for success? 

    Five years on from the merger of the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development, this is a pivotal moment for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The government is managing the reduction in the international aid budget, the department is undergoing a major restructuring, and its permanent secretary was sacked by the prime minister. With fewer resources, evolving security threats and diplomatic challenges, the government should be seizing this moment to integrate diplomacy and development. Recent research from the HALO Trust and the Eleanor Crook Foundation has shown how modern conflict is increasingly interconnected with challenges such as food security and malnutrition – and that unless these and other pressures are addressed in a genuinely joined‑up way, the UK risks operating in siloes. But how joined up is diplomacy and development, and can the department both retain its leadership role in international development and protect the UK’s national interest? How should the Foreign Office approach these challenges when staff numbers are falling and its budget is shrinking? What principles should guide the merged department through this time of change? And what is the government’s overall approach to UK foreign policy and development and how is it seeking to achieve it aims? Drawing on the IfG’s existing and ongoing research and commentary on the FCDO and its predecessors, and a series of previous successful events on similar themes, this event explored these questions and more with an expert panel featuring: Major General James Cowan CBE DSO, Chief Executive Officer of the HALO Trust Stefan Dercon, Professor of Economic Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government Ben Judah, Writer, and Visiting Fellow at Chatham House Dame Emily Thornberry MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee This event was chaired by Hannah Keenan, Associate Director at the Institute for Government and there were opening remarks from Gemma Tumelty, Director of UK Advocacy at the Eleanor Crook Foundation. We would like to thank the HALO Trust and the Eleanor Crook Foundation for kindly supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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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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