Institute for Government

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Sir David Norgrove, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority. Sir David’s term as chair of the Statistics Authority, which oversees the UK’s statistical system (including the Office for National Statistics, the Office for Statistics Regulation, and the Government Statistical Service), has taken in a Census, the coronavirus pandemic, technological progress and other developments in how data and statistics are used in decision making. As his term comes to an end, he reflected on his experiences in conversation with Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government. #IfGNorgrove Sir David Norgrove is Chair of the UK Statistics Authority. Sir David began his career as an economist at the Treasury and worked in a Chicago bank before becoming Private Secretary to the then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. He spent 16 years with Marks & Spencer between 1988 and 2004 and became a member of the Board there. Since leaving M&S he has chaired the Low Pay Commission, the Pensions Regulator and a Government review of the family justice system. Sir David was knighted in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to the low paid and to family justice.

After a turbulent decade in British politics and government, the civil service faces a crisis of authority. Politicians question its legitimacy and effectiveness, permanent secretaries have been summarily dismissed and officials have been drawn into “partygate” and procurement scandals. A new paper from the Institute for Government will argue that the civil service needs a new statutory role to underpin its constitutional position and improve its accountability and effectiveness. Government reform also creates an opportunity to improve policy making in the UK. Chronic policy problems like housing supply, social care and regional inequality have been left untackled for too long. A second IfG report, also to be published on 3 March, will set out ways for the civil service to be held more accountable for the standards of its policy advice and the expertise of its staff. Our panel to debate these new papers: The Rt Hon The Lord Herbert of South Downs, former Minister of State for Policing and Social Justice The Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP, former Chair of the Public Accounts Committee Polly Mackenzie, Chief Executive of Demos and former Director of Policy to the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg Ian Watmore, former First Civil Service Commissioner The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. #IfGcivilservice

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Andy Haldane, the Permanent Secretary for Levelling Up. On a six-month secondment from the RSA, Andy Haldane was assigned a key role in defining and delivering one of the flagship policies of Boris Johnson’s government. In conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, Andy Haldane discussed the recently published levelling up white paper, the challenges to the white paper’s ambitions, and how to turn those ambitions into reality. Andy Haldane was Chief Economist at the Bank of England from 1989 to June 2021. He was appointed Chief Executive of the RSA in September 2021. #IfGlevellingup

The future of the protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland remains uncertain, a year after it came fully into force. The arrangements continue to be a major source of tension in the post-Brexit UK-EU relationship and within Northern Ireland, with the first minister citing the DUP’s objections to the protocol for his recent resignation. The ongoing uncertainty around the protocol is having a real impact on business and society. And with the May 2022 elections to the Northern Ireland assembly approaching and a question mark over Stormont’s future, the UK and the EU are under pressure to reach agreement on the future of the protocol. What lessons are there from the protocol’s first year? Why does the protocol continue to be a source of tension in the UK-EU relationship and such a divisive issue in Northern Ireland? Are attitudes changing? Where are the sticking points, and where is the protocol working well? What challenges are coming down the track and where can compromise be found? Set against the results of new polling from Queen’s University Belfast, this event explored what people in Northern Ireland think of the protocol, the challenges that the UK and the EU face in managing the protocol and its consequences in the long term, and how people from Northern Ireland can be involved in the effective governance of the protocol’s implementation. Panel: Professor Katy Hayward, Professor of Political Sociology, Queen’s University Belfast and Senior Fellow at UK in a Changing Europe Professor David Phinnemore, Professor of European Politics at Queen’s University Belfast Raoul Ruparel, former Special Adviser to Theresa May on Europe Jess Sargeant, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. #IfGBrexit We would like to thank Queen's University Belfast and the Economic and Social Research Council for kindly supporting this event.

The Institute for Government recently published the ninth edition of our annual Whitehall Monitor report on the government’s size, shape and performance. This report launch explored what Whitehall Monitor 2022 reveals about the way the pandemic has changed how the government works and how the Covid-19 response will sit alongside ministers’ wider agenda for the second half of the parliament. How has the Omicron variant complicated the government's attempts to move away from crisis management mode? What will increases to departmental spending mean for pandemic backlogs? And what do civil service staff cuts mean for government capability - including its ambitions for civil service reform? On our panel to discuss these issues were: Matthew Holehouse, British political correspondent at The Economist Charlotte Pickles, Director of Reform Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection William Wragg MP, Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. There was a short presentation of the key findings from the report at the start of the event. #IfGWM22

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Sir John Major KG CH to give a keynote speech on the issue of trust and standards in a democracy. It was chaired by Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government. Sir John Major was Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997. He served as MP for Huntingdon from 1979 to 2001. #IfGJohnMajor

Bronwen Maddox gave the Institute for Government’s annual Director’s Lecture. This was followed by a response from New Statesman political editor Stephen Bush, and a discussion chaired by Sir David Lidington, the former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Minister for the Cabinet Office, and Justice Secretary. In her speech, Bronwen reflected on the government’s handling of the pandemic, expectations now of government and reforms that are needed. #IfGDirector

The Department for Education’s Covid response has been widely criticised, with schools closing and reopening with little warning and many pupils adapting to remote learning. And now DfE faces a fresh set of challenges – from ‘levelling up’ educational opportunities to ensuring everyone has a better start in life by improving early education and childcare. But does DfE have the capacity to meet education’s challenges in the post-pandemic world? How has academisation changed the role of the department? Does it have the capacity to improve the system? And does the department devote enough time to long-term challenges? On our panel to discuss these questions: Justine Greening, former Secretary of State for Education Anne Longfield, former Children’s Commissioner for England Jonathan Slater, former Permanent Secretary for the Department for Education Rachel Sylvester, Political columnist at The Times The event was chaired by Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. #IfGeducation We would like to thank edpol.net and the Foundation for Education Development (FED) for supporting this event.

Institute for Government/Bennett Institute 'Review of the UK Constitution' launch event. From Supreme Court interventions to accusations of ‘dead parliaments’, the Brexit impact to the pandemic response, a tumultuous period in British politics has put the UK constitution under huge strain and undermined public faith in how the UK is governed. Calls for change have come from all sides. Should the UK’s constitution be codified? Does parliament have enough power to hold the government to account? Are the courts going too far in diluting government power? Does the role of the House of Lords and the monarchy need rethinking? Is devolution working – and do we need more of it? How do governments deal with the public and can trust be restored? While the last five years have brought the constitution’s sustainability into question, they have also created a real opportunity to reinvigorate UK democracy, restore trust in the political system and improve the way that government works. But without a clear vision for the future, the UK risks yet more constitutional confusion and conflict. Over the next 18 months, the Institute for Government and the Bennett Institute of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, backed by a distinguished advisory panel, will undertake an impartial, non-partisan review of the constitution before setting out recommendations for change for this and future governments to follow. This event launched this major joint project, exploring how well the UK constitution is working and the problems that now need to be addressed. On the panel to discuss the UK constitution and the problems faced, were: Dr Halima Begum, Chief Executive of the Runnymede Trust The Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC, former Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice; current Member of Parliament for South Swindon Professor Ciaran Martin, former Chief Executive of the National Cyber Security Centre; now Professor of Practice in the Management of Public Organisations at Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University Baroness Smith of Basildon, Shadow Leader of the House of Lords This event was chaired by Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government. Professor Michael Kenny, Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, provided some opening remarks on the review. #IfGBennettInst

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. At this month's event, the 26th in our series, the speakers presented their work in an exciting, quickfire format. Each speaker has eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience. This month's speakers were: Hamish Dibley, Director at BearingPoint, on how humanising the use of NHS data leads to performance improvement and better person outcomes John Bryant, Head of Strategy and Development, Torbay Council, on Greener Care Collaborative: Releasing Time to Care Arnie King, Research and Policy Lead at Coproduce Care CIC, on social care voice data for those receiving ‘worst outcomes’ Juliana Outes Velarde, Data Steward at the Government Outcomes Lab, Blavatnik School of Government (University of Oxford), on better data for social outcomes The event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government. #IfGDataBites We would like to thank BearingPoint for supporting this event.