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Civil servants are already using AI for a variety of purposes, from summarising and analysing data to drafting correspondence. The new Labour government sees AI as a route to greater productivity and growth, both within government and beyond.
Bringing together the themes of two private roundtables hosted by the Institute for Government in partnership with Scott Logic, this public event explored the use of AI in policy and communications, and for civil service effectiveness.
How are public servants making use of AI in their work?
How should government’s own use of AI inform its broader approach to AI’s development and regulation?
And how can government distinguish between panic, hype and useful applications of AI and other emerging technologies?
To discuss these questions and more, this event brought together an expert panel featuring:
Duncan Brown, Head of Software Engineering at the Incubator for AI
Matthew Gill, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Jess McEvoy, Principal Consultant at Scott Logic
Jeni Tennison, Founder and Executive Director of Connected by DataThe event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government. -
The biggest challenges UK government faces, from tackling low economic growth to addressing regional inequalities, adapting to climate change and transforming public service performance, will need to be addressed by harnessing the insight and expertise of people from outside government itself. So what can be done to bring more external expertise into the heart of government?
This event explored a core conclusion of the IfG Commission on the Centre of Government – that external voices need to be more embedded in decision making in No.10, the Cabinet Office and the Treasury.
The Commission's final report concluded that successive governments had failed to do enough to systemically recruit talented people from outside government and use their skills and insight.
On Tuesday 10 September, we reflected on the Commission’s recommendations and discuss how to improve decision making by amplifying expert voices from outside government.
The panel were:
Baroness Diana Barran, former Minister for Civil Society
Sir Ian Cheshire, Chair of Channel 4 and former government lead non-executive director
Neil Heslop, Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation
Dame Helen Stephenson, former Chief Executive of the Charity Commission for England and Wales
The panel was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. -
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The government’s approach to procurement is entering a new era. Significant reforms to the UK's post-Brexit procurement legislation, set out in the Procurement Act, will redefine how public sector organisations acquire goods, services, and human resources as new rules and opportunities emerge. So with almost £400bn a year spent on public procurement, how ready are public bodies and suppliers for the Procurement Act’s profound implications?
Drawing on IfG's extensive research and analysis on government procurement and outsourcing, this event convened a panel of experts to explore the following key questions:
What are the main changes that will be implemented under the new Procurement Act?
How prepared are public bodies and suppliers for these changes?
What impact will the changes have on procurement practice?
What are the key risks and opportunities for public bodies and suppliers?
We were joined by an expert panel, including:
Lindsay Maguire, Deputy Director for Procurement Reform Implementation at the Cabinet Office
Andy Milner, Chief Executive Officer of Amey
Peter Schofield, Head of Integrated Commissioning and Procurement at Manchester City Council
Laura Wisdom, Partner at Burges Salmon
The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
The event is a follow-up to a previous briefing on the Procurement Bill in 2022. -
Keir Starmer has appointed more than 100 ministers to his government since Labour won the general election on 4 July. Some were ministers in the last Labour government; for many this was their first time in ministerial office. So, who makes up this latest generation of government ministers? And who held office before them?
The Institute for Government’s brand new Ministers Database holds information about all government ministers since 1979 – who served as a minister, in what role, and for how long. On Thursday 5 September the IfG launched the database for public use, so that everyone can benefit from this unrivalled source of information and use it in their work.
So what can we learn from the IfG’s Ministers Database? Which ministerial roles have seen the most churn? How has turnover among ministers changed over time, and what does it mean for government? And how can academics, journalists and others use the IfG Ministers Database in their work?
To explore these questions and more, we were joined on this webinar by an expert panel, including:
Dr Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Philip Nye, Senior Data Scientist at the Institute for Government
Dr Jessica Smith, Lecturer in Politics with Quantitative Methods at the University of Edinburgh
The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
Release date:
5 September 2024 -
Spending reviews, which decide how at least half a trillion pounds of annual public spending should be allocated across different public services, are one of the most consequential processes in government. The new government has announced a new review, to conclude in Spring 2025, that will determine departmental budgets for much of the current parliament. But how should ministers choose how to prioritise for spending? Should more money be spent on roads, skills, or police? What is the best way to judge the costs and benefits of each decision?
A new report from the London School of Economics, Value for Money calls for a radical change in policy making. It argues that policies should be judged using a cost-benefit analysis which includes a comprehensive valuation of their effects on wellbeing. The report argues that, judged this way, therapies for mental health and guaranteed apprenticeships give much better value for money than most new roads.
To discuss this topic, we were joined by a panel, including:
Professor Lord Richard Layard, Co-Director of the Community Wellbeing Programme at the Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and co-author of Value for Money
Lord Gus O’Donnell, former Cabinet Secretary
Amanda Rowlatt, former Chief Economist at the Department for Transport, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Department for Work and Pensions
Conrad Smewing, Director General of Public Spending in His Majesty's Treasury and Joint-Head of the Government Finance Function
The panel was chaired by Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. -
The chancellor has set out her audit of public spending to MPs. Revealing what she calls a multi-billion pound “black hole” in the government finances, Rachel Reeves has vowed “to fix the mess we inherited” from the Conservative government.
So do these sums add up and what do they mean for public services? Should this inheritance come as a surprise to Labour and what does it mean for the party’s manifesto pledges? And what is Rachel Reeves’ plan – which could involve tax rises or spending cuts – for dealing with the problem?
To discuss these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel, including:
Olly Bartrum, Senior Economist at the Institute for Government
Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government
The webinar was chaired by Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. -
A daunting public services to-do list awaits Keir Starmer and his newly-elected Labour government. Most services are performing worse than on the eve of the pandemic and substantially worse than in 2010, but future funding is set to be tight. Ministers will need to make best use of existing budgets and carefully choose targets for any additional investment.
So what are the most pressing public services issues facing the new government? What will happen to service performance if Labour sticks to existing spending plans? How can services be improved without substantial spending increases? And where should any extra funding be prioritised?
To discuss these questions, and a new Institute for Government and Nuffield Foundation report on the topic, this event brought together an expert panel featuring:
Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Sam Freedman, Author of Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How We Fix It
Patricia Hewitt, Chair of Norfolk & Waveney NHS and former Secretary of State for Health
The event was chaired by Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. -
The King’s Speech on 17 July set out Sir Keir Starmer’s legislative agenda for government and revealed his priorities for the parliamentary session.
While Labour’s attention and resources have been focused on the general election campaign, Starmer and his team will also have been preparing for this major constitutional moment. Legislation to nationalise the railways, reform planning, and establish Great British Energy are all expected, but could the government spring some surprises? Will there be any Conservative policies – such as the smoking ban – that Labour might resurrect?
Following the State Opening of Parliament, this IfG webinar – with guest Chris White, who for half a decade was responsible for managing and planning the last government’s legislative programme – explored what the King’s Speech reveals about Keir Starmer’s plans for government.
What are the most controversial bills? Where might Labour face opposition in parliament? And what lessons should Starmer take from the legislative programmes of previous administrations?
To discuss these questions and more, we will be joined by an expert panel, including:
Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Chris White, former special adviser in both the Leader of the Commons and Government Chief Whips’ offices between 2009 and 2015
The webinar was chaired by Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. -
Since 2010 the UK’s capital spending on prisons, hospitals and schools has been consistently lower than many other countries – leading to crumbling buildings, creaking IT and a lack of equipment. But the size of the budgets is only part of the problem – these budgets have also been badly spent.
This will continue to hamper public service performance unless the new government takes a new approach to capital spending. So what could it do differently to achieve better outcomes? How can ministers, select committees, the Treasury, and other central government departments rethink their approach? And what steps could be taken in the next multi-year spending review?
The event began with a short presentation from Thomas Pope, outlining the main findings of a recent IfG and Grant Thornton report on this topic, Capital spending in public services: Fixing how the government invests in the NHS, schools and prisons.
To discuss these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel, including:
Wayne Butcher, Director at Grant Thornton UK
Anita Charlesworth, Director of Research at the Health Foundation
Sir Jon Coles, Group Chief Executive of United Learning and former Director General for Schools at the Department for Education
Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.
The panel was chaired by Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.
We would like to thank Grant Thornton UK for kindly supporting this event. -
A general election brings the appointment of a whole host of new ministers, and on day one in government they begin a job like no other.
Former shadow ministers may be familiar with their new policy portfolio, but ministerial life is very different to opposition. The switch from leading a small team to heading up departments with hundreds or thousands of civil servants, and from issuing press releases to making life-changing policy decisions, happens overnight.
But ministers too often overlook how they can move beyond ‘on the job’ learning and get the most out of their ministerial careers. So how can ministers get the support they need to succeed in government? What benefits are there in investing in professional development? What skills do ministers and other executives need to be effective leaders? And what support is available to ministers seeking to develop their skills in government?
To explore these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel, including:
Rt Hon Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top, former Chief Whip
Dr Paul Chapman, Senior Fellow at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Rt Hon Chloe Smith, former Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Ruth Turner, Senior Director at the Forward Institute and former Director of Government Relations in the Prime Minister’s Office
The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. -
Keir Starmer used his first speech as prime minister to declare that the “work of change begins immediately”. But how will the Labour government approach the complex policy challenges that it has inherited? And how will it start making progress on new promises?
From freeing up space in crowded prisons to turning around struggling public services, delivering clean energy and kickstarting economic growth, the government’s to-do list is daunting. Labour has promised to “change how Britain is governed” in order to deliver its aims in government – but how will this work in practice? What does Labour’s ‘mission-led’ approach mean for the way government operates? How will central government work with locally elected mayors? And what do Keir Starmer’s cabinet appointments – and the way he has structured his centre of government – tell us about how his plan for government will work?
This Institute for Government webinar will look at what Keir Starmer’s first week as prime minister tells us about how he intends to govern Britain.
To explore these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel, including:
Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government
Joe Owen, Director of Impact at the Institute for Government
Jen Williams, Northern England correspondent at the Financial Times
The event was chaired by Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. -
Follow our live-blog for all our general election coverage: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/general-election-2024
We hosted a special livestreamed recording of the Institute for Government podcast, as a team of IfG experts – bleary eyed but full of coffee – gathered in the podcast studio to make sense of a momentous night in British politics.
What does the general election result mean for how the UK will be governed? What decisions and duties await the prime minister over the next days and weeks? How are governments formed and what does it mean civil servants? And what are the big challenges facing the government – and how can it meet them?
Hannah White, Giles Wilkes, Tim Durrant and Catherine Haddon share their instant reaction, expert analysis, and essential insights. -
This Friday will be day one in government for the winner of the general election. But there will be no chance for anyone to catch their breath after a gruelling campaign. The job begins at once.
So what should civil servants be braced to expect as ministers are appointed to their new roles? How can special advisers best prepare for that frenetic first 24 hours? And what actually awaits a prime minister as they step through that famous No10 door?
This IfG webinar will take you behind the scenes of the first day in government after a general election – and reveals what civil servants, officials and ministers can expect to happen next.
Read our explainer on the first 72 hours of a new prime minister here: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/new-prime-minister-first-72-hours-general-election -
Episode 6 explores the first days, weeks and months of a new government. We speak to those who've entered No.10 alongside the prime minister on day one, found themselves suddenly running a government department, or have welcomed a brand new political team into office as a senior civil servant, including: Ed Balls, Jonathan Powell, Gus O'Donnell, Harriet Harman, Polly Mackenzie and Nick Macpherson.
What actually happens on a prime minister’s first day? How can a new government make the most of the first months in office? And what’s it like for civil servants, adjusting to having a whole new team of politicians in charge? -
Episode 5 explores the role that manifestos play in – and after – an election campaign. How do political parties write their manifestos? What does a good manifesto look like? What are the questions that Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer will be considering when signing off on their manifestos for the 2024 general election? And how hard is it to deliver manifesto promises once a government is formed?
Packed with insight and revelations from key figures behind past manifestos – including Oliver Letwin, Jonathan Powell and Polly Mackenzie – and former civil servants who were asked to turn manifesto pledges into workable policy, this episode of Preparing for Power reveals the inside story of this key part of a general election campaign. -
Episode 4 explores how the governing party prepares for an election while continuing to govern, with ministers, civil servants and special advisers – including Oliver Letwin, Harriet Harman, Gus O'Donnell, Polly Mackenzie and Nick Macpherson – revealing how they approached the work of government during an election campaign.
How does a governing party balance a gruelling campaign alongside running the country? What are the advantages of being the party in power as the election approaches? And how can a governing party make the most of those final months before polling day? Veterans of the 2010 and 2015 elections share their stories. -
Episode 3 explores how opposition parties prepare for a potential transition of government, with ministers, civil servants and advisers, including Jonathan Powell, Harriet Harman, Gus O’Donnell and Oliver Letwin, revealing how they got ready for the possibility of a change of government.
How does an opposition develop policies that would actually work once they are in office? How can shadow teams ready themselves for taking over departments? What is the role of the chief of staff in these preparations? And what lessons could the approaches of Tony Blair and David Cameron provide for opposition parties preparing for the possibility of being in government?
Veterans of the 1997 and 2010 transitions share their recollections – and their advice for Keir Starmer’s Labour party as a general election approaches. -
Episode 2 explores how the civil service prepares for a potential transition of government, with five former permanent secretaries revealing how they readied themselves and their departments for a potential change in their political bosses.
How does Whitehall prepare for a change in the party in power? What can civil servants do to get ready for a hung parliament? And how do they continue to serve the current government while these preparations are going on?
In this episode of Preparing for Power, we speak to former senior civil servants to discover how they prepared for that all important election result and its aftermath, hear their secrets, and work out the lessons for 2024. -
Whoever forms the next government will need to be prepared. The job begins almost as soon as the votes have been counted.
So what is it like to go from opposition to government overnight? How do civil servants get ready for the possibility of a transition of power or a hung parliament? And what is it like for a governing party to continue in power after a bruising campaign?
In this six-part series, the Institute for Government takes you behind the scenes to find out how our politicians, their advisers and officials block out the noise of a general election campaign to get ready for being in government. We’ll be speaking to former ministers, special advisers and senior civil servants to discover how they prepared for that all important election result and its aftermath, to hear their secrets, and to work out the lessons for 2024. -
The Conservatives have been warning voters of the 'dangers' of Labour winning a huge – or 'super' – majority at the general election on Thursday. But what exactly is a supermajority, and do these warnings add up?
With just under a week to go until polling day, this Institute for Government webinar explores the Conservatives' claims – and set out what a government with a large majority would mean for parliament and British politics. Does it really make a difference if the government has a majority of 100 or more? How hard is it to be a small opposition party? And what is most important in enabling parliament to scrutinise government properly and hold it to account? - Visa fler
