The Rt Hon David Lammy MP set out how a foreign policy lens of ‘progressive realism’ might affect the practice of diplomacy, should Labour win the election. The discussion covered the evolution of the Foreign Office as an institution, under both Labour and Conservative governments. It focused in particular on the balance between traditional diplomatic activity and the new demands created by climate change, global health challenges and the regulation of emerging technologies.   The Shadow Foreign Secretary also explored the convergence between domestic economic and foreign policy and its implications for how Labour's mission-driven approach would shape how Whitehall works on international issues. Following his speech, David Lammy was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government, and took questions from the audience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Institute for Government welcomed Lucy Powell MP, the Shadow Leader of the Commons, to give a keynote speech on how a Labour government would approach parliament, the legislative process, and the role of MPs. With Westminster hit by a series of scandals in recent years, what can be done to restore parliament's image? How can the legislative process be improved? And how would Labour, if elected, approach the way that MPs work in parliament? Following her speech, Lucy Powell was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government. She then took part in an audience Q&A. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From attacking opposition policies to rebutting opposition attacks, selling key messages to voters and shaping media narratives, general election campaigns can be won or lost on the success of a communications strategy. So how do the parties design and deliver their approach to the media, or to communicating beyond the media? How different are the approaches needed for print, broadcast and online? Are the challenges different for the Conservatives and Labour? What are the key moments and potential turning points in a campaign? And what happens when an unexpected event, gaffe or story threatens to derail a general election campaign? To examine how Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer are communicating with the electorate as the general election approaches, and to explore the lessons of previous campaigns, the Institute for Government brought together people who have led communications strategies for government and the opposition, and shaped election coverage for national broadcasters and newspapers.   Anushka Asthana, Deputy Political Editor at ITV News Lee Cain, Downing Street Director of Communications (2019–20) James Schneider, Head of Strategic Communications for the Labour Party (2016–20) Katy Searle, Head of BBC Westminster (2017–20) and Executive Editor of BBC Politics (2020–22)   The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The success of the civil service has always depended on the recruitment and retention of exceptional individuals – and this means bringing in talented outsiders with particular skills and capabilities. It is 170 years since the Northcote-Trevelyan report argued that people “of the highest abilities should be selected for the highest posts” in Whitehall, while the government’s most recent reform plan, the 2021 Declaration on Government Reform, argued that more external recruits were needed. So, who are the officials at the very top of the civil service – and is enough being done to recruit the best outside talent? Why would the civil service benefit from bringing in more outsiders? Does civil service culture make it difficult to thrive as an external recruit? What sort of skills does the civil service need from expert outsiders? And what progress has been made since the Declaration on Government Reform was published? To discuss these questions, this event featured three permanent secretaries who have all spent time working in the private sector as well for the civil service: Gareth Davies, Permanent Secretary of the Department for Business and Trade Cat Little, Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office Sarah Munby, Permanent Secretary of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Jordan Urban, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Thursday 2 May 2024, voters across England and Wales will head to the polls in a major set of local and mayoral elections. The highest-profile contests will be the election of 10 influential metro mayors – including in Greater London and across the north and the midlands. Together these leaders will be responsible for over £25bn of public spending and will play a vital role in shaping the fortunes of the places they represent. Thousands of councillors in over 100 local areas across England are also up for election, with the successful candidates taking responsibility for key public services at a time of acute financial pressures across local government. Voters will also elect 37 police and crime commissioners and the 25 members of the London Assembly. These elections are far more important than just providing a straw in the wind for the general election to come. To discuss why these elections matter and what to expect, the Institute for Government hosted a public event with expert panellists including:  • Sarah Calkin, Editor of the Local Government Chronicle  • Sir John Curtice, Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University and Senior Research Fellow at the National Centre for Social Research • Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trust in government and politicians continues to fall, and this parliament has seen many ethical scandals, from partygate to bullying. Over the last few years, various organisations including the IfG have called for major reforms to the way ethical standards are upheld in public life, but the government has only made piecemeal changes.  Labour has criticised the Conservatives for their performance on this issue, but has recently been less vocal on the topic. With an election due in the coming months, will the political parties make ethical standards an issue during the campaign?   To discuss the IfG’s proposals on rebuilding trust in public life, how things can be improved, and why this topic matters ahead of the election, we were pleased to welcome a great panel:  • Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government • Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Shadow Minister Without Portfolio (Cabinet Office) and Labour MP for Torfaen • Esther Webber, Senior UK Correspondent at Politico • Rt Hon Sir Jeremy Wright MP, Conservative MP for Kenilworth and Southam and former Attorney General The event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Less than a year out from a general election, the significance of opinion polls in shaping public perception and political strategy is increasingly prominent. Political pundits, parties, journalists and members of the public look to opinion polls to give them a picture of what people are thinking about parties and politicians, their priorities and concerns, and how they might vote. Crucially, public opinion will inform political parties’ election strategies and the public’s voting decisions. But with multiple companies publishing a range of different polls, it can be a confusing landscape. To interpret polling results, understanding the methodologies behind opinion polls, including sampling, margin of error and the all-important question framing, is more important than ever. And for those trying to understand party strategies, it is essential to understand the role polling plays. To explore these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel including: • Kelly Beaver MBE, Chief Executive of Ipsos in the UK and Ireland • Christabel Cooper, Director of Research at Labour Together • Rob Ford, Senior Fellow at UK in a Changing Europe • Tom Lubbock, Founding Partner of JL Partners The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AI-generated ‘deepfake’ audio clips of both London mayor Sadiq Khan and leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer have circulated on social media. A faked robocall impersonating Joe Biden was sent to voters before a primary election. The number of AI-enhanced images of politicians is increasing. In a year when over two billion people in more than 50 countries will vote in elections, the use of AI technology – more widely accessible than ever – and disinformation could have a major impact on trust and integrity. So what can be done to tackle this growing problem? What can political parties, government, media companies and civil society do to mitigate the risks of AI and ensure electoral integrity? And what steps can be taken ahead the elections of 2024 and then in the longer term. We were joined by an expert panel, including: • Professor Joe Burton, Professor of International Security in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University • Louise Edwards, Director of Regulation and Digital Transformation at the Electoral Commission • Chris Morris, Chief Executive of Full Fact • Simon Staffell, Director of Government Affairs at Microsoft The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. We would like to thank Lancaster University for kindly supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The question of how to reform the House of Lords dominates discussions about the upper house, with less attention focused on its day-to-day activities. Since his election as Lord Speaker in 2021, Lord McFall of Alcluith has sought to champion its important role of revising legislation and advising the government, while ensuring the Lords remains on the path of modernisation. Lord McFall has focused on parliamentary outreach and prioritised communicating the value of the House of Lords externally, bringing the devolved parliaments and Westminster closer. He has also worked with schools and universities, and launched a podcast, to demystify the upper house.  What are public perceptions of the upper chamber and how have they changed? How has the Lords changed its ways of working? What kinds of links does it have with the devolved parliaments? And what might all of this mean for discussions about reform of the Lords? Lord McFall addressed these questions and more in a keynote speech at the Institute for Government, before taking part in a discussion with the IfG’s Director Dr Hannah White and an audience Q&A. Follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) @IfGEvents and join the conversation using #lordspeaker. Lord McFall of Alcluith became Lord Speaker in 2021, having served as senior deputy speaker for five years. He entered the Lords in 2010 after spending 23 years in the Commons as Labour MP for Dumbarton and later West Dumbartonshire. There, he served as a minister in the Northern Ireland Office, a government whip, and chaired the Treasury Select Committee between 2001 and 2010, including during the global financial crisis. Before entering politics, Lord McFall worked for over a decade as a teacher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Treasury is perhaps the most powerful department in Whitehall. Its ownership of public spending means it has direct control over the money available to the rest of government, while the Treasury’s responsibility for tax policy gives it enormous influence over the finances of households and businesses. But criticism of the department’s influence on government policy is almost as old as the institution itself, with frequent complaints about the “dead hand of the Treasury” or attacks on the department’s “orthodoxy”. However, a recent IfG report found many of the fiercest criticisms to be overblown: many simply represent a dislike of a budget constraint. The department plays an important function in effectively managing public spending and guarding against financial disorder. It has also consistently been a champion of economic growth, though there is debate about how that is managed against its responsibility for managing government spending. While the department has clear strengths, there are clearly problems with how it functions. The Treasury often takes a short-term approach, is frequently accused of micromanaging other departments, and wields excessive influence over government policy relative to the rest of the centre. So how can these problems be addressed? How much are they due to the relative weakness of other departments or the incentives facing Treasury ministers? And just what impact does the Treasury have on government policy making? Our expert panel exploring these issues and more featured: • James Bowler CB, Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury • Anita Charlesworth, Director of Research at the Health Foundation and former Director of Public Spending at HM Treasury • David Gauke, former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions • Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government and co-author of Treasury orthodoxy, and former No 10 special adviser for industrial strategy The event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fraud is the UK’s most common crime. But despite 3.5 million incidents reported in 2022/23, 40% of all reported crimes, only one in a thousand results in a charge or summons. So why is there such a huge gap between preventing, detecting and prosecuting this crime – and what can be done to fix the problem? A wide range of organisations have responsibility for tackling fraud, including the Home Office, National Crime Agency, Serious Fraud Office, City of London Police, Metropolitan Police Service, Financial Conduct Authority and the National Cyber Security Centre. However, there are problems with coordination, capacity and capability. So what can government and others do to help prevent fraud? How can coordination among the various agencies responsible for tackling fraud be improved? And what steps could be taken to help increase detection and prosecution rates? We were joined by an expert panel, including: • Francesca Carlesi, CEO of Revolut UK • Adrian Searle, Director of the National Economic Crime Centre • Nick Stapleton, Co-Presenter of BBC Scam Interceptors • Rt Hon Emily Thornberry MP, Shadow Attorney General The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From tackling low economic growth to addressing regional inequalities, from adapting to climate change to transforming public service performance, UK government is facing substantial and urgent challenges. But without radical reform of the centre of government, whoever wins the next election will repeat the failures of previous administrations. The next prime minister must transform No.10, the Cabinet Office and the Treasury. On Monday 11 March, The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH and The Rt Hon Gordon Brown spoke at the Institute for Government to launch the final report of the Commission on the Centre of Government. It sets out a plan – ambitious but deliverable – for reforming the centre of government. Over the last year the IfG’s Centre Commission has been speaking to people who have worked at the heart of government in the UK and overseas, to devolved governments, industry and civil society leaders and community leaders. Our conclusion is that the centre of government is not equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Fundamental change is needed – and it cannot wait. The first part of the event featured opening speeches from Sir John Major and Gordon Brown. This was followed by panel discussion of the core recommendations of the report. For this discussion we were delighted to be joined by: • Baroness (Louise) Casey, a Commissioner who supported the project, and a crossbench peer and former civil servant • Lord (Gus) O'Donnell, former Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service • Sir Anthony Seldon, Deputy Chair of the Commission on the Centre of Government. The panel was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government and Chair of the Commission on the Centre of Government. This event was supported by a grant from Charities Aid Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the general election less than a year away, the Conservatives, Labour and all other political parties are drawing up their manifestos. Scrutinised by the media and voters, manifestos can shape debate, shift the polls, and play a major part in an election campaign – and shape what the winning part does in government. While manifestos are described as a contract between a party and the people, the reality in government is often quite different. Pledges may prove difficult to deliver in practice, with unforeseen crises and the day-to-day challenges of governing seeing commitments fall by the wayside. In a coalition or minority government, parties may have to compromise. So how do the parties develop and write their manifestos? What does a good manifesto actually look like? What are the questions that Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer will be considering when signing off on their manifestos? And just how important are manifestos during – and after – a general election campaign? Joining us to discuss these questions and more were:  • Andrew Fisher, former Executive Director of Policy for the Labour Party, and author of the 2017 and 2019 Labour manifestos  • Robert Shrimsley, Chief UK Political Commentator and Executive Editor at the Financial Times • Rachel Wolf, Founding Partner at Public First, and co-author of the 2019 Conservative manifesto The event was chaired by Dr Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Thérèse Coffey served in government under every prime minister from David Cameron to Rishi Sunak, including four years as a member of the cabinet. She led the Department for Work and Pensions through the Covid pandemic, served as deputy prime minister and heath secretary under Liz Truss, and was made environment secretary by Rishi Sunak. She left government at the November 2023 reshuffle.  Dr Coffey joined Tim Durrant, Programme Director for Ministers at the Institute for Government, to reflect on her government career and the challenges of ministerial life. What was it like serving under five different prime ministers? How did she approach running a large delivery-focused department during the pandemic? And are the pressures of ministerial office impacting too much on the lives of politicians? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Devolution to Wales is almost 25 years old. Since the first Welsh assembly elections in 1999, the powers of the devolved institutions in Cardiff have been substantially expanded – with Welsh voters backing the historic transformation of the assembly into a law-making parliament in a 2011 referendum.  A quarter of a century since devolution began, what are the potential next steps in Wales’s unfinished constitutional journey? Set up to address this very question, the cross-party Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales, established by the Welsh government, will publish its final report in January 2024 – a key moment in the debate on the future of Wales. The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, the First Minister of Wales, to discuss the findings of the commission, his perspective on how devolution to Wales could be protected and strengthened, and how a future Labour government in Westminster should reform the constitution and improve relations with the devolved administrations. Mark Drakeford was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government, followed by Q&A with the live and online audience.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A wide-ranging discussion on the key issues facing government – and the economy – as a general election draws near. On the panel: • Claire Ainsley, Director of the Project on Center-Left Renewal and former Executive Director of Policy to Keir Starmer • Anita Boateng, Partner at Portland Communications and former Special Adviser for the Cabinet Office, MoJ and DWP • Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government • Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government • Joe Owen, Director of Impact at the Institute for Government (Chair) This event was part of the Institute for Government’s Government 2024 annual conference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stuart Hoddinott, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government, set out key findings from Performance Tracker – the IfG’s annual stocktake of nine key public services – ahead of a panel discussion on how public service performance can be turned around. On the panel: Stephen Bush, Associate Editor and Columnist at the Financial Times Councillor Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government (Chair) This event was part of the Institute for Government’s Government 2024 annual conference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The IfG was delighted to welcome Rt Hon John Glen MP, Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, for a keynote speech at Government 2024, the IfG’s annual conference with Grant Thornton UK LLP. This was followed by an in conversation with Dr Hannah White OBE, Director of the IfG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The next general election is – at most – one year away. If Labour wins, there will, as is almost always the case in the UK, be an overnight transition of power. A party that has spent 14 years in opposition would be instantly thrown into government.   But having focused already limited resources on election campaigning, and often lacking the knowledge and experience of being in government, how can opposition parties prepare for an overnight transition? Which issues do they need to consider ahead of a possible election win? And what challenges might arise on that first day in power?   As the Institute’s research shows, proper preparation can make the difference between success and stagnation once in office. This event, the latest in the Institute for Government’s General Election programme, discussed a new IfG report – Preparing for government: How oppositions should ready themselves for power – which sets out how to prepare for a possible transition into government.   Joining us to the discuss the report and its findings was an expert panel, including:   Wes Ball, former Director of the Parliamentary Labour Party Baroness Fall, former Deputy Chief of Staff to David Cameron Dr Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Lord Macpherson, former Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury (2005–16)   The event was chaired by Joe Owen, Director of Impact at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Earlier this month Lord Maude, who served as Minister for the Cabinet Office from 2010-2015, published his Independent Review of Governance and Accountability in the Civil Service. The comprehensive review saw Maude speak to former and present civil service leaders, minister and ex-ministers, former Prime Ministers, and many civil servants. Maude concludes that “the arrangements for governance and accountability of the civil service are unclear, opaque and incomplete”, and that the centre of government has become "unwieldy, with confusion about where responsibilities lie." So what is Lord Maude’s plan to fix these problems and how would his 57 recommendations work? Ministers have reacted coolly to Maude’s plan to split the Treasury and create an Office of Budget and Management, but is he right? What responsibilities should the Cabinet Secretary hold? And what can be done to ensure this review of the civil service succeeds when so many previous attempts have failed? To discuss these questions and more, Lord Maude joined us in conversation at the Institute for Government. The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices