A new piece from @hannahkeenan.bsky.social and me on Danny Kruger’s plans for the centre of government under Reform UK Some useful proposals, some mistakes, but based on a fundamental misdiagnosis www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/dann...

Danny Kruger put out some ideas about how to fix the centre of gov and they are both good and bad. But Kruger's plans only make sense when you see that they're based on a fiction of an all-powerful cabinet office and civil service. @alexgathomas.bsky.social and I got our thoughts down here:

A new piece from @hannahkeenan.bsky.social and me on Danny Kruger’s plans for the centre of government under Reform UK Some useful proposals, some mistakes, but based on a fundamental misdiagnosis www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/dann...

PODCAST 🎙️ The Blair Necessities Henry Hill joins @drhannahwhite.bsky.social @alexgathomas.bsky.social @jillongovt.bsky.social to explore Danny Kruger's blueprint for government. AND: Is Tony Blair's essay a sensible plan for the PM to follow? www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

Bond villain; photos already on phone #WhitehallMonitor

This is excellent news - govt announces performance based pay progression ⬇️⬇️

In which i worry about the constitutional literacy of our politicians. Two recent examples of mistaken, or deliberate misreading, of core principles about the role of PM and the issue of confidence. @instituteforgovernment.org.uk www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/labo...

Aaron Rai is doing well in the USPGA by the way, for all the Eurovision/golf crossover fans

Well done Nina Tucker… am also quite charmed by Malta

Just to get it off my chest now The supplementary vote electoral system (as used for Burnham’s first two mayoral victories) is a PREFERENTIAL not a PROPORTIONAL system

PSA: @samcoatessky.bsky.social on the pod this morning said a leadership contest would mean government would be restrained on decision making because gov would be 'effectively in government purdah and that principle that big government decisions go on hold'. That isn't accurate.

It may not be making many headlines today, but the King’s Speech had some very welcome words about civil service reform And it’s a big win for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk too @drhannahwhite.bsky.social and @alexgathomas.bsky.social explain why: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/gove...

Some expanded thoughts welcoming the King’s Speech proposals on reforming the civil service - from @drhannahwhite.bsky.social and me @instituteforgovernment.org.uk www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/gove...

4 quick thoughts on the King's Speech 1) It's BIG - 37 bills in the background briefing including carried over and draft bills Very unusual for a second parliamentary session - it's very unlikely all of these will end up on the statute book by the end of the session

In the King's Speech, it was announced that the government will bring forward proposals to strengthen and improve the civil service. @alexgathomas.bsky.social says this is a huge moment for government reform. 📖 Read our view on how to achieve this www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Really exciting news in the King’s Speech - delighted to see the govt adopting our ideas to legislate to strengthen and improve the civil service. Amid the political turbulence this should be a massive moment for government reform

An extremely courageous person who meant a lot to so many people.

Alex Davies-Jones (minister for victims and tackling violence against women and girls) becomes the third minister to resign from government today, citing the "catastrophic" electoral defeats last week in her resignation letter and urging the prime minister to set out a timetable for his departure.

Interesting (ie I think I agree)

Also a counterpoint to the rather reductive idea going around that multiparty competition = chaos and crisis. it can also go hand in hand with stasis, the endless relitigation of old debates and a dearth of new ideas...

@lexytopping.bsky.social on the pulse of course

Bed time. My boring view with which - by definition - everyone still up and here will disagree is… …other than for parliamentary general elections where a national UK government with responsibility for defence and economic policy is formed immediately…

The grinding sound of bridges being rebuilt I guess this is a good message (suspect the hand of cab sec Antonia Romeo) but it’s all a bit civil-service-truth-to-power by rote More passion, curiosity and confidence should I think be the message www.thetimes.com/article/25d1...

Mark Allen - minutes after losing the World Championship snooker semi-final - says “I think the right person is in the final” Uber uber levels of sportsmanship there @ciaranm.bsky.social @aliceolilly.bsky.social

PODCAST 🎙️ Is Keir Starmer in the last chance saloon? James Lyons, former No.10 director of comms, joins the podcast team to assess how the PM can get the government's agenda back on track. PLUS: Is the UK-US 'special relationship' special again? And children's social care reform.

“Hollowed grounds”

Not a great precedent for embattled prime ministers saying they will fight the next election - tends to crystallise anxieties Though the PM is surely right about bigger issues coming on the near horizon. The consequences of Iran/Hormuz could make all this look very small in a few weeks

Following an intensive period of shuttle diplomacy

My take on the Robbins-Starmer stand-off for @financialtimes.com (£) www.ft.com/content/6be5... From tepid bath to cold shower - neither good for ministerial-civil service relations and bad news for the new Cabinet Secretary.

Yes, the Mandelson scandal & Olly Robbins’ sacking is a blow upon a bruise for the relationship between ministers & civil servants More important is what to do now Here’s @hannahkeenan.bsky.social and me on what must happen to rebuild trust www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/rebu...

Really good piece “Inflation, shortages, flight cancellations will soon be dominating all public discourse” The government will need to step up whether ministers want to or not

ICYMI: Great run through of what the government's high level stated goals across public services were when it came in to power, and how it's got on...

As someone who only left the civil service recently, it's felt quite sad to read the headlines this week. But I'm pleased to be working at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk where colleagues are thinking constructively about what needs to happen to rebuild trust. Read Alex and Hannah's thoughts below.

Yes, the Mandelson scandal & Olly Robbins’ sacking is a blow upon a bruise for the relationship between ministers & civil servants More important is what to do now Here’s @hannahkeenan.bsky.social and me on what must happen to rebuild trust www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/rebu...

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 The Mandelson crisis exposes No 10's civil service rift Former Cabinet Secretary Lord Robin Butler, the IfG's @hannahkeenan.bsky.social, FDA's Dave Penman, and CSW's @suzannahb.bsky.social discuss the damaging sacking of Olly Robbins and its fallout Listen now: pod.fo/e/40598c

NEW | Policy making in a crisis: A civil servant’s guide What works in crisis policy making, what doesn’t and why. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Hear from @meganbryer.bsky.social and @howesdaniel.bsky.social about the Senedd election (in Welsh, naturally) youtube.com/watch?v=-imX...

PODCAST 🎙️ Starmer vs Robbins: Why the Mandelson row keeps getting worse Foreign Office perm sec Peter Ricketts joins the podcast team to work out where a week of blame and counter-blame has left the government. PLUS: Policy making in a crisis www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

New IfG report recommends devolving employment support. I think the case for this is very strong: if you look at a map of “where sickness related economic inactivity happens”, it is obvious that what you are seeing is primarily a problem of how local economies operate:

Robbins describes the atmosphere / message from no10 on vetting: "It wasn't just 'please get this done quickly', it was also 'get it done'"

The extent to which I would much rather be writing about the IfG's new report on employment support (read it! It's really interesting) tomorrow than yet another round of 'man who refuses to do the job of PM properly continues to be bad at it' cannot be overstated.

12:30 today - watch brilliant colleagues analyse the Mandelson scandal in this webinar ⬇️

So this is kind of important. Why is it right that Romeo and Little waited a month to disclose to the PM that they now knew about the vetting outcome, versus why Robbins chose not to. Starmer says they were right to await legal advice. Key q for Robbins whether he took legal advice.

The bigger picture on the Mandelson-Starmer-Robbins brouhaha Mistakes all round, casting a shadow on the relationships of trust we need to make government work Excellent from @hannahkeenan.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/mand...

Very much not the main point, but has there been a more reliable interim/acting perm sec in recent years than Nick Dyer?

A sad reflection on what we seem to know tonight on the Mandelson vetting saga… A story of two separate tribes, ministers and civil servants, not trusting each other, second guessing what to share and what to withhold, failing to find the common ground that makes for savvy, effective government

Let’s see what we learn in the coming weeks/months about this. If FCDO & Robbins made mistakes then it’s right for him and senior officials to be accountable I find it surprising. Not impossible, but surprising. A great shame if Robbins were chewed up twice for the mistakes of PMs & their advisers

Let’s see what we learn in coming weeks/months about this. If FCDO & Robbins made mistakes then it’s right for him and senior officials to be accountable I find it surprising. Not impossible, but surprising. A great shame if Robbins were chewed up twice for the mistakes of PMs & their advisers

In a first for the IfG, @meganbryer.bsky.social and I have translated two pieces about the upcoming Welsh and Scottish elections into Cymraeg! 1/🧵

Three weeks to go until the Senedd Cymru elections What do we want? Welsh language content! When do we want it? Now! Very excited we’re publishing two comment pieces in Welsh about the election in the land of my fathers 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @meganbryer.bsky.social @howesdaniel.bsky.social top translators