IfG Events

Institute for Government
  • 4.5 (2)
  • GOVERNMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. 17H AGO

    What will the 2026 devolved elections mean for Scotland, Wales and the UK?

    On Thursday 7 May, voters in Scotland and Wales will elect the members of the devolved parliaments in Edinburgh and Cardiff. A change of government is expected in Wales, where Labour trails both Plaid Cymru and Reform UK in the polls. In Scotland, by contrast, the SNP is forecast to take a fifth successive victory, potentially with an outright majority, which the party will claim provides a mandate for an independence referendum. What are the probable electoral and government formation scenarios? What will the results mean for how Scotland and Wales are governed? What challenges and opportunities will face the incoming first ministers? And what are the potential implications for Westminster and relations between the UK nations? On the eve of these crucial votes, the Institute for Government convened an expert panel to explore what is at stake and what is likely to happen. On the panel: Professor John Curtice, Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde Liz Lloyd, former Chief of Staff to the First Minister of Scotland, Specialist Partner at Flint Global Akash Paun, Programme Director for Devolution at the Institute for Government Jane Runeckles, former Chief of Staff to the First Minister of Wales, FDA National Officer This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 8m

  2. APR 30

    A keynote speech by Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister for Housing and Planning

    The Institute for Government was pleased to welcome Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister for Housing and Planning, to give a speech on leasehold reform and the move to commonhold. The speech, in which the Housing Minister spoke about the government's ambitions on ending the feudal leasehold system, follows publication of the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny. Following the speech, Matthew Pennycook was in conversation with Nehal Davison, Programme Director (policy making) at the IfG, and took part in an audience Q&A. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    53 min

  3. APR 29

    Book launch: What is immigration policy for?

    Successive UK governments have made immigration policy a high political priority, but no recent government has seemed to meet public expectations in the pursuit of those policies. So, what have recent immigration policies been trying to achieve, and why have so many people ended up unhappy with the outcome? A new book by Madeleine Sumption explores these questions. Drawing on decades of research, she explores the unavoidable trade-offs governments face, and the impacts of their choices on people and communities. To answer these questions and more, this IfG event brought together an expert panel, including: Rt Hon Amber Rudd, former Home Secretary (2016–18) and former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2018–19) Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University and a member of the UK Government’s Migration Advisory Committee This event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Executive Director for Impact and Influence at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    56 min

  4. APR 20

    In conversation with Rt Hon James Murray MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury: How will the government boost public service productivity?

    Improving productivity is at the heart of the government’s plans for public services, underpins the ‘strategic and agile state’ and is a critical enabler for many of its ambitions for the future. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has been drawing on experience from the public and private sector to make sure the 2027 spending review consolidates and furthers the government’s productivity drive. This builds on the work already underway within the government through the Office for Value for Money and its departmental target of 2% productivity, efficiencies and savings. But what has the government achieved so far? How is HM Treasury supporting productivity improvements across government and monitoring departmental efficiency plans? What is the Chief Secretary doing to push this agenda on? To explore these questions and to discuss his priorities and approach, the Institute for Government was pleased to be hosting Rt Hon James Murray MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Professor Andy Westwood, Policy Director at The Productivity Institute made opening remarks. James Murray was then in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by The Productivity Institute (TPI). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    59 min

  5. APR 14

    A state rewired? Civil service digital transformation, data, and artificial intelligence

    The second webinar in our three-part series focusing on the findings of Whitehall Monitor 2026. The webinar featured: Heloise Dunlop, Researcher at the Institute for Government and co-author of Whitehall Monitor 2026 Becky Noble, Public Services AI Lead at PA Consulting  Jack Worlidge, Senior Researcher at the IfG and co-author of Whitehall Monitor 2026 The event was chaired by Hannah Keenan, Associate Director at the IfG and lead author of Whitehall Monitor 2026. Whitehall Monitor 2026, the IfG’s annual data-led assessment of the size, shape and performance of the civil service, examines how the workforce changed in 2025. We would like to thank PA Consulting for kindly supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    47 min

  6. APR 7

    A state rewired? Civil service size, shape, and turnover

    Our first webinar in a three-part series focused on the findings of Whitehall Monitor 2026. The first Whitehall Monitor webinar – kicking off a three-part series exploring the IfG’s annual flagship report on the civil service – looked at the context in which much needed strategic workforce planning should be taking place: how the size and shape of the civil service has changed in the past year, against a backdrop of multiple exit schemes and a complex recruitment landscape. The webinar featured: Heloise Dunlop, Researcher at the Institute for Government and co-author of Whitehall Monitor 2026 Daniel Howes, Research Assistant at the IfG and co-author of Whitehall Monitor 2026 Liz Tolcher, Associate Partner – Skills & Workforce Transformation Expert at PA Consulting The event was chaired by Hannah Keenan, Associate Director at the IfG and lead author of Whitehall Monitor 2026. Whitehall Monitor 2026, the IfG’s annual data-led assessment of the size, shape and performance of the civil service, examines how the workforce changed in 2025. We would like to thank PA Consulting for kindly supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    46 min

  7. MAR 16

    In conversation with Malcolm Offord, Lord Offord of Garvel, Leader of Reform UK Scotland

    With just a few weeks remaining before May’s Scottish parliament election, Malcolm Offord, Leader of Reform UK in Scotland, joined us to discuss the state of devolution, Scotland’s economy and public services, and the future of Scotland. With Reform UK predicted to win a sizeable number of seats in Scotland for the first time, this webinar saw Malcolm Offord set out his policies and plans for Scotland, and discussed how Reform UK would govern if in a position of power at Holyrood. He was in conversation with Institute for Government Programme Director Akash Paun, and answered questions submitted by the online audience. This event is part of a series the Institute for Government is holding with political leaders from Scotland and Wales. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    47 min

  8. MAR 3

    IfG DevoLab #4: How can mayors increase the supply of affordable homes?

    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. On 25 February, in Manchester, we held our fourth IfG DevoLab event, where three speakers set out how the powers and profile of mayors are being used to increase the supply of affordable homes within their regions. The three case studies presented at IfG DevoLab #4 were: ‘Increasing the supply of affordable homes in the West of England’, by Stephen Peacock, Chief Executive of the West of England Combined Authority ‘From housing growth to good growth - experiences delivering housing growth in Greater Manchester’, by Andrew McIntosh, Director of Sustainable Growth & Infrastructure at Greater Manchester Combined Authority ‘Supporting regions to increase the supply of affordable homes’, by Jackie Rigby, Assistant Director - Place, Partnerships and Capacity at Homes England The three speakers were joined by Ben Denton, Head of Strategic Growth – Affordable Housing at L&G, for a broader discussion of the benefits of devolution and mayoral leadership for this agenda, how mayors can support the government make progress toward its challenging house-building targets, and how further devolution could help accelerate the supply of affordable homes. This event was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at 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 of this event and for its wider support of the IfG DevoLab series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 32m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.5
out of 5
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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.

Information

  • Creator
    Institute for Government
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    389
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Institute for Government
  • Show Website
    IfG Events

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