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Institute for Government

Institute for Government

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Discussions from Institute for Government

Politics

Local government reorganisation credibility is on the line

Local government reorganisation credibility is on the line sam.macrory Thu, 10/09/2026 - 20:22 Local authorities need a clear delivery timetable following the the LGR process review. 4 Comment Matthew Fright Institute for Government Yes Pressing pause on the LGR process, Angela Rayner noted that a “huge amount of work has already gone into progressing reorganisation in each of these areas”. Devolution Local government Local government reorganisation Labour Burnham government Starmer governmen...

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Politics

A collaborative taskforce can help a government deliver its priorities

A collaborative taskforce can help a government deliver its priorities melissa.ittoo Wed, 09/09/2026 - 14:47 Andy Burnham and Lousie Haigh have an uphill battle to overcome taskforce scepticism. 4 Comment Hannah Keenan Institute for Government Yes First secretary of state Louise Haigh with prime minister Andy Burnham and chancellor John Healey at No.10 North. Haigh will be chairing three new taskforces. Civil service Cabinet Civil servants Labour Prime minister Burnham government Number 10 No...

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Politics

New government, new legal risk guidance

New government, new legal risk guidance sam.macrory Tue, 08/09/2026 - 15:11 New guidance is an insight into the government’s attitude to the law and legal risk. 5 Comment Sir Jonathan Jones KCB KC (Hon) Institute for Government Yes Ellie Reeves, the new attorney general, has issued new guidance on legal risk. Parliament and the constitution Judicial review Law Labour Burnham government Starmer government No With a new prime minister and a new attorney general comes a new version of the govern...

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Politics

Danny Kruger and Antonia Romeo have more in common than they think

Danny Kruger and Antonia Romeo have more in common than they think will.driscoll Mon, 07/09/2026 - 11:46 Reform UK’s head of preparation for government shared his ideas at an IfG fringe event. 5 Comment Alex Thomas Institute for Government Yes Danny Kruger MP, Reform UK's head of preparation for government, spoke to the IfG at our fringe event. Civil service Civil service reform Reform UK No Danny Kruger, who is leading Reform UK’s preparation for government, has been publishing a series of a...

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Economy

What are the different views on how tax policies should be shaped in John Healey's first budget?

John Healey’s speech: continuity is no crime will.driscoll Mon, 07/09/2026 - 16:58 The summer’s Reeves to Healey switch was more continuity than change. 5 Comment Giles Wilkes Institute for Government Yes John Healey delivers his speech in Coventry on 7 September. Public finances Budget Labour Conservative No The past two decades have seen enough chancellor transitions to support a categorisation into two sorts: radical change and gentle evolution. In the first sits the shift from Alastair Darling to George Osborne in 2010, and to and from Kwasi Kwarteng in 2022. The rest were more continuity than change. And this includes this summer’s changing of the guard. Yes, more of the same John Healey’s speech on Monday has accordingly been damned as “more of the same” by opposition parties, no doubt confident that associating the new chancellor with Rachel Reeves will do him no favours. But it was already apparent that Andy Burnham’s takeover from Keir Starmer represented a change of style and personnel more than a . There will also be something he called “economic potential analysis”, which sounds very like a willingness to be generous when assessing the possibility of positive, dynamic change. These changes are not guaranteed to work. Consultation and judicial review may be impediments but are also helpful guardrails against arbitrary, badly-thought-through ideas. One person’s economic potential is another’s optimism bias. But the government promised a tilt towards action, and these measures should help with that. Healey has also indicated progress on the PM’s signature ambition: greater devolution. One of Rachel Reeves’s last big announcements was a plan to produce a Fiscal Devolution Roadmap. Healey has now promised one at the budget this autumn. The suspicion is that this will be a more ambitious effort than whatever might have been extracted from the Treasury before. His argument is that putting power and resources with local leaders will be a boon for private investm

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Politics

Will Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham still abolish NHS England?

Will Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham still abolish NHS England? will.driscoll Fri, 04/09/2026 - 14:44 Wes Streeting's Health Bill is on its way back to the Commons. 5 Comment Stuart Hoddinott Institute for Government Yes Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham have some tricky decisions on NHS England coming down the track. Public services Public bodies Devolution NHS Health Machinery of government Public sector Department of Health and Social Care No The abolition of NHS England required legislation (...

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Politics

Burnham down the House – the new PM's parliamentary debut

Burnham down the House – the new PM's parliamentary debut melissa.ittoo Thu, 03/09/2026 - 16:14 Henry Hill joins the podcast team to make sense of Andy Burnham's first day back in parliament. 1 Podcast Institute for Government No Parliament and the constitution Ministers PMQs Shadow cabinet Labour Prime minister Burnham government Number 10 No The summer recess is over. Parliament is up and running. And the new prime minister gave a mammoth statement in the Commons. There were no new policy a...

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Politics

Totally Rewired - Can Burnham really do government differently?

Totally Rewired - Can Burnham really do government differently? melissa.ittoo Fri, 28/08/2026 - 15:48 The Guardian's Kiran Stacey joins the podcast to look back on a summer of speeches, policy announcements, guitar-playing and social media games. 1 Podcast Institute for Government No Devolution Public services Civil service Cabinet Government reshuffle Social care Criminal justice Prisons Local government Labour Prime minister Burnham government Number 10 Number 10 North No Andy Burnham has c...

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Economy

‘Good growth in every postcode’

‘Good growth in every postcode’ melissa.ittoo Fri, 28/08/2026 - 09:49 12 Insight paper What could Andy Burnham’s pledge mean in practice? Matthew Gill Institute for Government Yes Prime minister Andy Burnham (rear centre) sits between cabinet secretary Antonia Romeo (left) and chancellor of the exchequer John Healey (right) during a National Economic Council meeting at No.10 North. Public bodies Growth Regional economic growth Economy Labour Prime minister Burnham government Number 10 Number ...

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Politics

Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 3: Adjusting to the role

Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 3: Adjusting to the role melissa.ittoo Thu, 20/08/2026 - 12:35 In the final episode of our series, we explore lessons former mid-term transitions hold for Andy Burnham’s premiership – or future – mid-term PMs. 1 Podcast Institute for Government No Ministers Civil service Parliament and the constitution Cabinet Leadership election Government reshuffle Civil servants Labour Conservative Prime minister Cabinet secretary Special adviser Major government Blair go...

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Politics

Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 2: The transition

Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 2: The transition melissa.ittoo Thu, 13/08/2026 - 12:11 Episode two of our series takes a closer look at what happened in the first weeks and months of the mid-term premierships from Major to Sunak. 1 Podcast Institute for Government No Parliament and the constitution Ministers Civil service Cabinet Leadership election Government reshuffle Civil servants Conservative Labour Prime minister Cabinet secretary Special adviser Major government Blair government Br...

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Politics

Five tips for Labour’s new special advisers

Five tips for Labour’s new special advisers will.driscoll Wed, 12/08/2026 - 10:50 How can spads in the Burnham government get things done? 6 Comment Patrick McAlary Megan Bryer Institute for Government Yes A record number of special advisers have worked across Whitehall departments in recent years. Civil service Ministers Civil servants Government communications Government reshuffle New government Labour Burnham government Starmer government No Once the public spectacle of a new prime ministe...

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