Institute for Government

One of the most common themes in Ministers Reflect interviews is the relationship between ministers and civil servants. From the importance of a good private office team, to civil servants’ poor understanding of parliament, to ongoing gripes around spelling and grammar, there are many things that ministers wish the civil service did differently. To discuss how the civil service can use Ministers Reflect to understand what ministers want, and how they can improve the support they offer, we were joined by: Chloe Smith MP, MP for Norwich North, and former minister at Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; Department for Work and Pensions; and Cabinet Office. Dame Una O’Brien DCB, former Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care (then Department of Health) Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Dr Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event was part of the IfG's Ministers Reflect one-day conference.

Ministers Reflect interviews show us what governing looks like from the inside. They offer a range of perspectives on what being a minister actually involves on a day-to-day basis, the different aspects of the job, and how ministers develop their approach to the role over time. To explore ministerial life and what the archive reveals about it, we were joined by Leighton Andrews, Professor of Practice in Public Service Leadership at Cardiff University, and a former Minister for Education and Minister for Public Services in the Welsh government. Leighton not only uses Ministers Reflect interviews in his teaching about government and policy making, but is also drawing on the archive in a forthcoming book about ministerial leadership. Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government This event was part of the IfG's Ministers Reflect one-day conference.

Public services were hit hard by the pandemic, which exacerbated existing performance problems and pressures on staff. High inflation and widespread strikes have since caused further disruption. Ahead of the autumn statement, this event brought together an expert panel to discuss: How does public service performance compare to pre-pandemic levels? How can the government recruit and retain sufficient staff to improve public service performance? What are the key public service challenges that will be faced by the winner of the next election? As the Institute for Government and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) publish the latest edition of Performance Tracker which features new analysis on the performance of public services, Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government, presented the key findings. He was joined by Stephen Bush, Associate Editor and Columnist at the Financial Times, and Baroness Morris, Chair of the Lords Public Services Committee. The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government, with opening remarks by Jeffrey Matsu, Chief Economist at CIPFA.

To mark the publication of her new book, The Women Who Made Modern Economics, Rachel Reeves MP sat down with IfG's Chief Economist, Dr Gemma Tetlow.

Twenty-five years after the Scotland Act established the devolved Scottish government and parliament, the future of devolution and Scotland’s place in the union remain contentious issues. The SNP continues to advocate for Scottish independence. Meanwhile, the UK government has pursued a strategy of ‘muscular unionism’. Scottish Labour has called for a new approach, based on greater cooperation between UK and Scottish governments, and for stronger local government within Scotland. So what does Scotland’s constitutional future hold? The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Anas Sarwar MSP, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party. How can Scottish devolution be strengthened? What might a future Labour government at Westminster mean for relations with Holyrood? And what is Sarwar’s vision for Scotland’s place in a reformed union? To discuss these questions and more, Anas Sarwar was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government, followed by Q&A with the live and online audience. Follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) @ifgevents and join the conversation using #IfGSarwar.

If Scotland became independent, the nation would face some fundamental questions about the operation of its political system. It would need a new constitution; which the Scottish government proposes should be a written one, enshrining key rights and principles. And it would need to decide whether to re-join the EU, in line with the SNP’s position, with implications for the operation of the government, the role of the courts and parliamentary scrutiny. The event sought to answer some of the following key questions: What would the process for agreeing a codified constitution look like? How would popular sovereignty work in practice? How could a new constitution command cross-party and public consensus? How should the constitution be changed? Should Scotland re-join the EU? Should Scotland hold a referendum? What would re-joining the EU mean for Scotland and its political system? What can we learn from other countries? Speakers: Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister for Independence Professor Anand Menon, Director of UK in a Changing Europe Lesley Riddoch, Broadcaster, journalist and author Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government and UK in a Changing Europe Jess Sargeant, Associate Director at the Institute for Government This event was held in partnership with UK in a Changing Europe.

Better use of data is key to more effective government. Across government, teams are doing fascinating work with data. But those projects don’t get the attention they deserve. Data Bites aims to change that. This event was the 46th in our series, where the speakers presented their work in an exciting, quickfire format. Each speaker had eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience. This month's speakers were: Prateek Buch, Head of Collective Intelligence at Policy Lab, on their approach to crowdsourcing knowledge Craig Campbell, High Streets Data Service Manager at the Greater London Authority, on adaptive re-use of data for adaptive re-use of high streets Caroline Kempner, Head of Data Transformation at the Department for Education, on automated daily school attendance data Becky Tinsley, Deputy Director of ONS Local and Coherence, and Emma Hickman, Deputy Director of Subnational Statistics and Analysis at the Office for National Statistics, on ONS's work on subnational statistics and the ONS Local service The event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government.

Questions about standards in public life have dominated politics in recent years. As Chair of the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life since 2018, Lord Evans KCB DL has been at the heart of these debates, leading the committee’s work to define and uphold ethical standards across the public sector. As Lord Evans reaches the end of his five-year term, he joined the Institute for Government to reflect on the work of the committee and the UK’s approach to standards in public life more broadly. He discussed how the standards landscape has changed, the challenges he anticipates, and how he would like to see public standards strengthened in future. After his speech, Lord Evans was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government. There was an opportunity for questions from the audience.

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State (Cabinet Office) Brendan Clarke-Smith MP, former Minister at the Cabinet Office Anthony Kirby, Chief Executive Officer of Serco UK & Europe Sarah Vibert, Chief Executive Officer of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations This event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Serco.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Dame Nia Griffith MP, Shadow Minister (Cabinet Office) Debbie Abrahams MP, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth Aubrey Allegretti, Senior Political Correspondent for The Guardian Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Duncan Hames, Director of Policy and Programmes at Transparency International UK Dr Susan Hawley, Executive Director of Spotlight on Corruption This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Transparency International UK, UK Anti-Corruption Coalition and Spotlight on Corruption.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Matt Rodda MP, Shadow Minister for AI and Intellectual Property Dr Andrew Rogoyski, Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence at the University of Surrey Hetan Shah, Chief Executive of the British Academy Anna Thomas, Co-Founder and Founding Director of the Institute for the Future of Work This event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by the Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence at the University of Surrey.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect Ian Mulheirn, Economist and public policy expert Sonia Sodha, Chief Lead Writer at the Observer Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Prospect.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Dame Nia Griffith MP, Shadow Minister (Cabinet Office) Anthony Kirby, Chief Executive Officer of Serco UK & Europe Sarah Vibert, Chief Executive Officer of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations This event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Serco.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Anneliese Dodds MP, Party Chair and Chair of the National Policy Review Dr Fiona Aldridge, Head of Insight - Economic Delivery, Skills and Communities at the West Midlands Combined Authority Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Andy Westwood, Professor of Government Practice and Vice Dean of Humanities at The University of Manchester This event was chaired by Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Policy@Manchester.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Daniel Zeichner MP, Shadow Minister for Farming, Food and Fisheries Sophie Metcalfe, Researcher at the Institute for Government Ben Reynolds, Deputy Chief Executive of Sustain Richard Sloggett, Founder and Programme Director at Future Health Nilani Sritharan, Group Head of Healthy and Sustainable Diets at Sainsbury’s This event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Obesity Health Alliance, the Food Foundation and Sustain.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Andrew Gwynne MP, Shadow Minister for Social Care) Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government Rachel Sylvester, Political Columnist at The Times Dr Paul Williams, UK Division President at Maximus This event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director of the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Maximus.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Chi Onwurah MP, Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Innovation Katherine Bennett, Chief Executive Officer at the High Value Manufacturing Catapult Chris Giles, Economics Commentator at the Financial Times Professor Mary Ryan, Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) at Imperial College London Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Imperial College London.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Paula Barker MP, Shadow Minister for Devolution and the English Regions Simon Christian, Director at Grant Thornton UK LLP Richard Parker, Labour & Co-op Candidate for West Midlands Mayor Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Jack Shaw, Affiliate Researcher, Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge Jessica Studdert, Deputy Chief Executive, New Local This event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Grant Thornton UK LLP.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Rt Hon Baroness Smith, Shadow Leader of the House of Lords Anas Sarwar MSP, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party Stephen Bush, Associate Editor at the Financial Times Dave Penman, General Secretary of the FDA Jess Sargeant, Associate Director at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by the FDA.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Mick Antoniw MS, Counsel General of Wales and Minister for the Constitution for the Welsh Government Cllr Julia Buckley, Leader of Shropshire Council and prospective parliamentary candidate for Shrewsbury Darren Hughes, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Jess Sargeant, Associate Director at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by the Electoral Reform Society.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Sarah Jones MP, Shadow Minister for Industry and Decarbonisation Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire Anna Turley, Prospective Parliamentary Candidate and former Member of Parliament for Redcar Dr Victoria Hutchinson, Director of Environment Practice at AtkinsRéalis Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by AtkinsRéalis.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Dr Alan Whitehead MP, Shadow Minister for Energy Security Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of ScottishPower Emma Pinchbeck, Chief Executive of Energy UK Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Energy UK.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Charlotte Nichols MP, Member of the Business and Trade Select Committee Dr Tony Ballance, Chief Strategy and Regulation Officer at Cadent Gas Laura Sandys CBE, Non-Executive Director at Energy Systems Catapult Dhara Vyas, Deputy Chief Executive at Energy UK This event was chaired by Olly Bartrum, Senior Economist at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Cadent Gas.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Select Committee Kate Bell, Assistant General Secretary at the Trades Union Congress Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Kate Shoesmith, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation This event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Dame Nia Griffith MP, Shadow Minister (Cabinet Office) Mike Adamson, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross Professor Clare Bambra, Professor of Public Health at Newcastle University Tom Sasse, Britain Public Policy Editor at The Economist This event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by the British Red Cross.

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Rt Hon Jeremy Quin MP, Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office Anita Boateng, former Special Adviser and Partner at Portland Communications Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Ben Warner, former Chief Adviser on Digital and Data to the Prime Minister This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Jack Brereton MP, Member of the Transport Select Committee Cllr Abi Brown, Conservative Councillor for the Meir Park ward and former leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Andy Westwood, Professor of Government Practice and Vice Dean of Humanities at The University of Manchester This event was chaired by Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Policy@Manchester.

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Cllr Ben Bradley MP, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council and Member of Parliament for Mansfield Dr Fiona Aldridge, Head of Insight - Economic Delivery, Skills and Communities at the West Midlands Combined Authority Dr Victoria Hutchinson, Environment Practice Director at AtkinsRéalis Margot James, Executive Chair of Warwick Manufacturing Group and former Minister for Digital, Telecoms and the Creative Industries Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by AtkinsRéalis.

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Jo Gideon MP, Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent Central John Maingay, Director of Policy and Influencing at the British Heart Foundation Sophie Metcalfe, Researcher at the Institute for Government Dr Alison E Tedstone, Independent Adviser and former Chief Nutritionist at Public Health England/UK Health Security Agency This event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by the Obesity Health Alliance, The Food Foundation, and Sustain.

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Dr Tony Ballance, Chief Strategy & Regulation Officer at Cadent Gas Josh Buckland, Partner at Flint Global Colm Murphy, Head of Transformation at National Grid ESO Dhara Vyas, Deputy Chief Executive at Energy UK This event was chaired by Olly Bartrum, Senior Economist at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Cadent Gas.

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Lord Bethell, former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the (Department of Health and Social Care Dr Layla McCay, Director of Policy at the NHS Confederation Rachel Wolf, Founding Partner at Public First This event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: George Freeman MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology James Wild MP, Member of Parliament for North West Norfolk Anna Bradley, Chair of the Solicitors Regulation Authority Phoebe Clay, Co-Director of Unchecked UK Antony Walker, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of techUK This event was chaired by Dr Matthew Gill, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Rt Hon Lord Maude of Horsham, Member of the House of Lords and former Minister of State for Trade and Investment and Minister for the Cabinet Office Virginia Crosbie MP, Member of Parliament for Ynys Môn Professor Adam Boddison OBE, Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Project Management Alastair Evans, Director of Corporate and Government Affairs of Rolls-Royce SMR This event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by the Association for Project Management.

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: George Freeman MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Katherine Bennett, Chief Executive Officer at the High Value Manufacturing Catapult Professor Nigel Brandon, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Imperial College London Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Imperial College London.

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Paul Scully MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Dr Andrew Rogoyski, Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence at the University of Surrey Hetan Shah, Chief Executive of the British Academy Anna Thomas, Co-Founder and Founding Director of the Institute for the Future of Work This event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by the Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence at the University of Surrey.

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: John Penrose MP, former Minister for Constitutional Reform Henry Hill, Deputy Editor of ConservativeHome Amy Leversidge, Assistant General Secretary at the FDA Jess Sargeant, Associate Director at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by the FDA.

Revelations about the widespread use of – and failure to replace – reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in schools have put government capital spending in the spotlight. For decades the UK has invested less than other wealthy nations. Government departments receive relatively ungenerous capital budgets, consistently underspend, and in some cases use capital budgets to cover day-to-day spending shortfalls. This has impacted on public service productivity and led to serious concerns being raised about the safety of some public buildings – with the concrete crisis in schools the most recent example. So why has the UK government historically set relatively low capital budgets and why do departments consistently underspend capital allocations? How can government provide public services with higher, more stable capital settlements and ensure that public service infrastructure is adequately maintained and renewed? What can we learn from other countries? To discuss these questions and more, the Institute for Government brought together a panel of experts including: Anita Charlesworth, Director of Research at the Health Foundation Chris Giles, Economics Editor at the Financial Times Edwin Lau, Head of the Infrastructure and Public Procurement Division Public Governance Directorate at the OECD Lord O'Donnell, former Cabinet Secretary and Permanent Secretary for the Treasury The event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

Baroness Hale, former President of the Supreme Court, joins Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government, and Professor Michael Kenny, Director of Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge, for an in conversation. This event was part of the IfG and Bennett Institute's joint conference on the Future of the UK Constitution.

There is now an expectation that the public should be consulted on constitutional change. However, traditional routes for gaining public legitimacy – such as referendums and elections – can result in binary choices, or unclear mandates. So is there a greater role for deliberative democracy? Processes including citizens' assemblies, with informed discussions amongst a representative group of citizens, can offer many benefits to decision-makers, but getting them right is a challenge and getting them wrong can do more harm than good. When and how the public should be involved in constitutional decision making? How could options for deliberative democracy best be implemented? What are the challenges and benefits of this approach? Speakers: Sarah Allan, Director of Capacity Building and Standards at Involve Joanne Anderson, former Mayor of Liverpool Doreen Grove, Head of Open Government at the Scottish government Professor Alison L Young, Sir David Williams Professor of Public Law at the University of Cambridge This event was chaired by Dr Rebecca McKee, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government. This event was part of the IfG and Bennett Institute's joint conference on the Future of the UK Constitution.

The devolution settlement of 1999 marked a major constitutional development for the UK, but over two decades on devolution is anything but settled. The devolved governments and parliaments have become established features of the UK constitution, but the UK’s central institutions have failed to adapt. With further devolution on the agenda, there may be more changes in the near future. So what can the UK government, parliament and civil service do to improve the workings of devolution? How can the UK government work with devolved legislatures to achieve common aims whilst also respecting the desire for policy divergence in different nations? How can the UK parliament reflect the multi-national state? And what civil service reforms are needed to facilitate co-operation over conflict? Speakers: Rt Hon Sir Robert Buckland MP, former Secretary of State for Wales Christine Jardine MP, Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West and Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Scotland) Ciaran Martin, Professor of Practice in the Management of Public Organisations at the Blavatnik School of Government Jessica Studdert, Deputy Chief Executive of New Local The event was chaired by Professor Michael Kenny, Director of Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge

Speakers: Dr Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Dr Alice Lilly, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government> Jack Newman, Research Associate at the Productivity Institute and the Department of Politics, University of Manchester Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government The event was chaired by Jess Sargeant, Associate Director at the Institute for Government. This event was part of the IfG and Bennett Institute's joint conference on the Future of the UK Constitution.

Parliament is at the centre of the UK constitution, passing law, representing citizens, and holding the government to account. However, the government’s strong control of the House of Commons, and issues of democratic legitimacy in the House of Lords, have raised questions about whether parliament is an effective check on the executive. So how well does parliament fulfil its constitutional role? Are MPs and peers able – and willing to protect the constitution? What reforms are needed to help ensure that they can? Speakers: Rt Hon Sir David Lidington, former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Rt Hon the Baroness Smith of Basildon, Shadow Leader of the House of Lords Rt Hon the Lord Wallace of Saltaire, Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson on the Cabinet Office Dr Hannah White OBE, Director of the Institute for Government The event was chaired by Jess Sargeant, Associate Director at the Institute for Government. This event was part of the IfG and Bennett Institute's joint conference on the Future of the UK Constitution.

Briefing on the final report from the IfG/Bennett Institute team. To mark the conclusion of the Institute for Government/Bennett Institute Review of the UK Constitution, this special one-day event brought together commentators, academics and parliamentarians for a series of keynote speeches and panels to consider all these questions and more.

The Institute for Government welcomed Rt Hon Liz Truss MP to give a keynote speech on the economy. A year since her government’s Growth Plan – the September 2022 ‘mini-budget’ – including a programme of tax cuts and supply side reforms, the former prime minister set out her vision for how the government could enable the UK to achieve faster economic growth. Following her speech Liz Truss was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, the Director of the Institute for Government, before taking part in a Q&A with an invited audience.

Better use of data is key to more effective government. Across government, teams are doing fascinating work with data. But those projects don’t get the attention they deserve. Data Bites aims to change that. This event was the 45th in our series, where the speakers presented their work in an exciting, quickfire format. Each speaker had eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience. This month's speakers were: Penny Babb, Head of Policy and Standards at the Office for Statistics Regulation, on the review of the Code of Practice for Statistics. Ian Gordon, Head of Data at Parliament Restoration and Renewal on Data and the Built Environment Nic Granger, Director of Corporate and Chief Financial Officer at the North Sea Transition Authority and Chair of the Offshore Energy Data Strategy Taskforce, on digitalising offshore energy Kaveh Jahanshahi, Lead Data Scientist at the ONS Data Science Campus, on estimation of travel to work matrices The event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government.

The Darlington Economic Campus is rapidly establishing itself as the civil service’s flagship office outside of London – and has been described by chancellor Jeremy Hunt as moving “decision makers and advisers closer to the communities we serve.” So how has the Darlington Economic Campus changed the way policy is made? What difference has it made to the local area and is it contributing to the levelling up agenda? What are the factors behind the campus’s success and should it be used as a blueprint for future relocations? And what are the next steps in the government’s plan to relocate the civil servants from London? A recent IfG report has evaluated the impact of the Darlington Economic Campus on the civil service and the local area and set out recommendations for current and future relocations. At this event, which was held in Darlington, there was a welcome from Nigel Robinson from PA Consulting, and a short presentation from Jordan Urban, the report’s lead author. Baroness Penn, Treasury Lords Minister, responded to the IfG's research. An expert panel discussion followed, featuring: Jo Crellin, Director General, Trading Systems at the Department for Business and Trade Mike Hughes, Business and Commercial Editor at The Northern Echo Baroness Penn, Treasury Lords Minister Andrew Perkin, Business Growth and Investment Manager at Darlington Borough Council Beth Russell, Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by PA Consulting.

The government’s plans for capital projects have repeatedly shifted over the last decade. Capital budgets have been cut, then boosted, and now retrenchment is planned again. And major capital projects, such as HS2, have been subject to revisions in budget and scope. The five-year national infrastructure delivery plan and the national infrastructure and construction pipeline only apply to some projects and are still subject to change. This makes it difficult for the construction sector to plan, which can increase government costs and mean its capital budgets do not go as far. So what are the benefits of, and barriers to, a longer-term and more stable project pipeline? This event explored those key questions from both the government’s and industry’s perspective. To explore these questions and more, our expert panel included: Sir John Armitt, Chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission Steve Beechey, Group Public Sector Director at Wates Bill Esterson MP, Shadow Minister for Business and Industry Urvashi Parashar, Chief Impact Officer and Chief Economist at the UK Infrastructure Bank The event was chaired by Olly Bartrum, Senior Economist at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by Wates Group.

There has been no shortage of central government attempts to support regional development over past decades, but these have been insufficient to close the widening gaps in geographical disparities, with efforts lacking scale, coordination, data and effective oversight, and policies ultimately proving short lived. So what can be done to fix the problem? The Levelling Up White Paper proposed several reforms to 'rewire Whitehall' to ensure the government delivered more effective regional policy, including the creation of a Levelling Up Advisory Council (LUAC) – an expert group reporting to the levelling up secretary of state – to provide insight, challenge, and advice to the government on its design and delivery of the levelling up policy agenda. This event will also consider how central government can best be organised to deliver effective long-term regional policy, whether the white paper’s reforms are the right ones, what difference structures like the Advisory Council make, and what else is needed. So what progress has the government made on implementing the white paper proposals? What difference have the structures set out in the white paper made already and is the LUAC fulfilling the purpose it was set up for? What are the key challenges for a government when trying to deliver cross-cutting policy? And are the structures in place for cross-government working, between central and devolved governments, adequate to deliver regional policy effectively? To discuss these questions and more, the Institute for Government brought together an expert panel. Andy Haldane, Chair of the Levelling Up Advisory Council and Chief Executive of the RSA Rebecca McKee, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering and member of the Levelling Up Advisory Council The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government

How to restore trust in politics by strengthening standards in public life has been in the spotlight in recent years. The Labour Party has proposed a new, independent Ethics and Integrity Commission to “stamp out corruption in government, strengthen the rules and ensure they are enforced.” But how would that commission work in practice? If Labour forms the next government, what powers would the commission have to investigate alleged poor behaviour? How will it enforce its judgements? Who would sit on the commission and how will it work with government ministers? To answer all these questions and set out her vision for how to make politics work better at a time of depleted trust, the Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster, gave a keynote speech at the Institute for Government. The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Following her speech, Angela Rayner took part in a Q&A with the in-person and online audience.

Impartiality is a defining feature of the UK’s civil service – and one if its ‘core values’ – but the future of civil service impartiality is in the spotlight. Brexit, and the strained relationship between ministers and civil servants that characterised the Johnson and Truss governments, have seen ministers accuse officials of obstructing their agendas, with Dominic Raab attacking “increasingly activist” civil servants when he resigned from government. The ability of an impartial civil service to serve governments of any political persuasion has been widely acknowledged as one of its strengths for generations, but recent tensions have led to calls for more political appointees in government. So what can the UK learn from other countries? How do different governments approach the question of civil service impartiality? What are the benefits – and risks – of political appointments? And what is the right balance between impartial officials and political appointees? To explore these questions, and identify any lessons for the UK, the IfG brought together a panel of experts from around the world, including: Dr Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Professor Donald Moynihan, McCourt Chair at the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, Washington D.C Peter Woolcott AO, former Australian Public Service Commissioner This event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.