Our first fringe event at the @libdems.org.uk conference is underway, with former party leader Nick Clegg in conversation with @drhannahwhite.bsky.social Full audio landing in the IfG Events podcast feed soon. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/ifg-li...

Some very interesting material to come from @ipsosintheuk.bsky.social @healthfoundation.bsky.social - come if you are there...

Maybe its time to repost this @instituteforgovernment.org.uk @theifs.bsky.social Chartered Institute of Taxation report from 2017 (!).. If only.. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Britain must break from the grip of dysfunctional policymaking on.ft.com/4nErxVY

I‘m heading to Labour Party conference! Thrilled to be speaking on this panel alongside prisons minister Lord Timpson and @fionarutherford.bsky.social from JUSTICE. Please come along, and drop me a DM if you want to grab a coffee and chat public services/criminal justice/digital reform.

Then on Monday 22 September, at 11:30, we will explore how to boost trade and unlock investment in an uncertain world. With @clivejonesmp.bsky.social, Helen Bower-Easton CBE, Joanna Cound, Chris Hayward @gilesyb.bsky.social @jillongovt.bsky.social

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/... It's simple and will reduce bills. But I worry its a) not visible to consumers, b) might be drowned by rising network costs. If you want to tweak bills rebalancing RO and FIT costs ~£1.5bn a year, £0.25b cheaper than VAT cuts - and helps decarb at the same time

My most centrist dad take is that most governing politicians deserve sympathy because almost every policy that's actually any good for the country is unpopular, and almost every popular policy is probably bad. Johnson's Brexit approach was far worse than Chequers IMHO but 20ppts more popular 1/

This is moving in exactly the wrong direction! Education & meaningful activity in prison is crucial to reducing violence and improving outcomes

The last event of the day at the IfG at Labour Party Conference will host Michael Shanks MP, @samalvis.bsky.social, Sam Peacock @sse.com, @dharavyas.bsky.social @energy-uk.org.uk @jillongovt.bsky.social Do not miss out on all the other events! www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/ifg-la...

First Past the Post cannot handle this level of fragmentation. It will produce completely freak results. We can grasp this problem now, or wait for the train to crash.

This is an excellent and constructive piece from the chief executive of the CBI @cbieconomics.bsky.social, calling for real tax reform (VAT, property taxes, road pricing). Business lobby (like others) often self-serving but this is clear, honest and serious. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Update on the EU-internal delay for negotiations of UK (and Canada) access to SAFE-funded projects. As is becoming usual, France is blocking and wants to push for lower non-EU share of the components. Not helpful in my view.

Going to the Lib Dem Conference in Bournemouth? 📆 Join us on Monday 22 September, 11:30, for our event on boosting trade and unlocking investment in an uncertain world. With @clivejonesmp.bsky.social @gilesyb.bsky.social @jillongovt.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/ifg-li...

After Angela Rayner’s exit from government, what next for Keir Starmer’s promise to shore up standards in public life? Must-read new @drhannahwhite.bsky.social @instituteforgovernment.org.uk column in the @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/c7b1...

delighted that this is going ahead today .. sorry had to cancel evening event @instituteforgovernment.org.uk but watch along

'Too many teams in Whitehall “are not set up for the modern media environment"', says person who was No 10 comms director when No 10 introduced civil service speaking ban and happily continued to post on X www.politico.eu/newsletter/l...

Intrigued by Trump decision to show up at US Open final. Crowd hostile (preferred Springsteen). Caused security chaos and delay. Did not applaud a fantastic champion. Did his people not tell him this was a battle between two great European players and an American would not win?

am wondering how ready Whitehall was for a major reshuffle happening today ................

We've had a few surprising moves in this reshuffle so far - one of the big ones is Shabana Mahmood becoming home secretary. On our liveblog I've given a bit of an overview of what she'll face coming in: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/st...

well that blog lasted a day - the new No.10 structure is changing again but at least having @darrenpjones.bsky.social as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster solves the division of labour problem with Pat McFadden. But still lots of other relations to sort ukandeu.ac.uk/has-keir-sta...

👀 Kendall was on (what is now) the Science, Innovation and Technology committee for a year and a half in 2018-19 (and a spad at the DTI back in the day) members.parliament.uk/member/4026/...

Pat McFadden to DWP - which will also take on skills (currently in the DfE). (Quick education nerd aside: that is actually a big machinery of government change if that includes 16-19 skills because it's includes funding for school sixth forms).

It's an absurd anachronism that Foreign Secretary is seen as a "Great office of state". MoJ much bigger/more complicated. In the modern era the PM is the Foreign Secretary.

We’ve fired up the brilliant @instituteforgovernment.org.uk reshuffles liveblog! Essential reading right now… www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/st...

Creating a more effective No 10, or rearranging the deck chairs? @jillongovt.bsky.social explains all... ukandeu.ac.uk/has-keir-sta...

NEW @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report just out - on how the fast stream, the civil service’s flagship talent development programme, lost its sense of purpose and how it can get it back (A quick 🧵)

NEW: Chancellor has confirmed that the date of the much anticipated Budget will be Wednesday 26th November.

Heading to Bournemouth for the 2025 Lib Dem Party Conference? Join us from Sunday 21 to Monday 22 Sept for a series of events on boosting trade and investment, economic growth, and prevention and healthcare – plus an in conversation with Nick Clegg. See our full programme of events 📅 zurl.co/lUahe

This looks like it will be an interesting read!

fascinating piece from @dsmitheconomics.bsky.social on how to free up the housing market by building more profitable homes at top end and allowing people to move up (do they have our stamp duty in the US?) (£) www.thetimes.com/business-mon...

Think 2 big risks in No.10 shake-up are (a) more big figures & no clarity on who does what means duplicative work gumming up the system, and (b) the 'change the way the state works' bit of missions gets totally cannibalised by the 'deliver the plan for change targets' bit of missions.

EVENT: Can Keir Starmer's EU and US balancing act succeed in an increasingly turbulent world? 📆Tuesday 9 September, 18:00 Kim Darroch joins @anandmenon.bsky.social @ukandeu.bsky.social @jillongovt.bsky.social and Rachel Ellehuus @rusi.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/keir-s...

delighted to contribute a section on energy and net zero to this...one of the areas where the government can point to change (maybe why @anandmenon.bsky.social didn't highlight it!). Rest is essential autumn reading

Yet again, no one thinks of those trying to explain UK govt: Secretary of State Permanent Secretary Permanent Under-Secretary Parliamentary Under Secretary Parliamentary Private Secretary Principal Private Secretary Chief Secretary to the Treasury .... Chief Secretary to the PM "you know, reasons"

interesting from @pjtheeconomist.bsky.social @thetimes.com (£) on the madness of remuneration in the public sector and the danger of false economies. www.thetimes.com/business-mon...

"One of his revealed flaws in his personnel appointments is that he seems to prefer appointing people whose attitude or background he likes, rather than look at whether they are equipped to do the job." @jillongovt.bsky.social reflects on why Starmer struggles to get the machinery of govt. going

I am genuinely, almost professionally interested in people's views here. And not sceptical. What is the actual theory behind "if we want higher growth we must 'beef up' the No10 economics team"? Possible candidates follow: 0/ on.ft.com/4mzagxj

This is, I think, great news, in that it will hopefully unblock some of the magical thinking in and around Downing Street:

One of the most withering comments in Get In by @gabrielpogrund.bsky.social and @patrickmaguire.bsky.social was that Starmer is "an HR manager". But as the latest No.10 news shows, he is not very good at putting people in the right jobs. Me for @ukandeu.bsky.social ukandeu.ac.uk/prime-minist...

Much as successive recent PMs (save Sunak) have been sceptical about HMT insiders as PPS, it's a hard job to do without that experience.

Why the strange reluctance of Labour to stand up for ethnic minorities is damaging integration policies and weirdly also Labours own prospectives to win another election. This, by @anandmenon.bsky.social is nailing it.

📣 We're hiring for a Principal Economist 👀 This is a unique opportunity for an individual who can conduct economic and policy analysis independently at an advanced level. Full details here ⤵️ buff.ly/5pBKLDx

Join us at the IfG where Sam Lister, paulnightingale.bsky.social‬, Karen Northey @the-ia.bsky.social‬, @gilesyb.bsky.social and @jillongovt.bsky.social explore the government’s economic growth mission and the role of the Industrial Strategy 🎟️🎟️🎟️🎟️www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/hybrid...gy

The rather impressive temporary Canadian House of Commons chamber — the old one is being restored and renewed. Will British parliamentarians ever do the same?

🌹Going to Labour Party Conference? Don't miss our event with @fes-uk.bsky.social on the future of UK-EU relations 📅 Mon 29 Sept, 11:15am 📍Hilton Hotel, Liverpool With @jannikewachowiak.bsky.social, @jillongovt.bsky.social, the Rt Hon Hilary Benn, Hubertus Heil MdB and @ellenmilligan.bsky.social

NEW REPORT: how does where you live and your background affect how you do at school? - Inequalities have widened around the country and between groups of children since the pandemic - Progress depends on sharing what works to support disadvantaged pupils & cutting high absence 🧵👇

The govt aims to break the link between a child’s background and their future success as part of its opportunity mission. But it needs to understand how educational outcomes have changed. Our Performance Tracker Local explores this across England www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Not sure about the political risk of various sorts of tax reform but I do think at a certain point governments do need to actually try to make the British economy work better and reshape it to accord with their vision of fairness.