Interested in making government more effective? Applications for our 2025–26 research internship programme, starting in September 2025, are now open. Closing date: Tuesday 29 April, 11:00 ⏰ Find out more: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/about-us/car...

The final* ministerial appointment of the year: Baroness Sherlock gets promoted to minister of state at the Department for Work and Pensions *(or so we hope)

Yesterday I spoke to ITV meridian news about the implications of the new English Devolution White Paper for the South East - drawing on a recent @instituteforgov.bsky.social report

At 9:30 tomorrow @akashpaun.bsky.social, @tompope.bsky.social, @rebeccamckee.bsky.social and @matthewfright.bsky.social will be answering all* your questions on the English devolution white paper. Submit your questions on slido (can be anonymous) or put it in the replies and I'll pass it on!

1. On a bright November morning, the final tranche of spad data for the Sunak government was released, completing 14 years of Conservative (and coalition) spad data. At @instituteforgov.bsky.social we’ve crunched the numbers – here’s what we found - www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/14-y...

The Committee of Selection has met and nominated 23 MPs to the committee examining the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Slightly larger than a standard bill committee, it contains two ministers (both of whom supported the bill at 2R), another twelve bill supporters and nine opponents

Reading back reports from the previous iteration of the Modernisation Committee and stumbled across what must be one of the earliest uses of the phrase "poor vibes" in the parliamentary record – by none other than Peter Bone MP, speaking here in 2007

Baroness Hodge, former minister and former chair of the PAC, has been announced as the PM's new anti-corruption champion We sat down with her in September as part of the IfG's Ministers Reflect project 🧵 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ministers-re...

Pleased to see the government announce that from now on citations will be required to justify nominations to the House of Lords as @instituteforgov.bsky.social called for 👍 questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

As ever, @finnbaker.bsky.social has spotted an interesting update from the government - political parties will now have to explain *why* they are nominating someone to the House of Lords - and this will be published questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

MPs are set to approve the membership of the liaison committee later today. The 32-strong membership, drawn from the chairs of the other Commons select committees, oversees the committee system and holds regular evidence sessions with the PM

Tune in at 10am to discuss all things new-cabinet-secretary www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/new-ca...

After today’s Chris Wormald news.. 📺Sign up for tomorrow’s must-watch @instituteforgov.bsky.social webinar on the new cabinet secretary @davidlidington.bsky.social joins @alexgathomas.bsky.social @cathhaddon.bsky.social & @emmanorris.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/new-ca...

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill passed its second reading by 330 votes to 275 this afternoon. Adding a devo spin to the @instituteforgov.bsky.social’s analysis, I’ve been taking a look at how MPs across the four nations voted today and what this could mean for its future. 🧵

Kim Leadbeater's assisted dying bill has passed it's first hurdle. So what happens next? A new @instituteforgov.bsky.social explainer www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/ki...

The Commons will meet in 30 minutes time (09:30) for the first private members' bill Friday of the session, with Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults Bill the first on the order paper I'll be tweeting on the procedural points here throughout the morning 🧵

Very unusually for a private members' bill, Kim Leadbeater has put down a motion that would allow the public bill committee on the assisted dying bill to take evidence

On Friday MPs will consider the assisted dying bill – a private member’s bill introduced by a backbench MP. This thread lists some of the things I've written and said about it over the past few months. 🧵

Kemi Badenoch's shadow frontbench in full 🧵 There are 25 members of the shadow cabinet. Julia Lopez (not shown here) also attends shadow cabinet as Kemi Badenoch's parliamentary private secretary

@jillongovt.bsky.social and I have written about how the Assisted Dying Bill highlights the shortcomings in the way that the Commons deals with backbench legislation www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/gove...

Kemi Badenoch has finalised her shadow frontbench and, notably, 15 of her shadow ministers currently hold select committee posts (exc. ex officio members of the Modernisation/Procedure committees) Will there be a reshuffle on the committee corridor or will these shadow ministers double hat?

How can ambitious MPs – Labour backbenchers or the new shadow cabinet alike – prepare to be ministers? @sachinsavur.bsky.social and I look at a new wave of @instituteforgov.bsky.social Ministers Reflect interviews to see how ministers get ahead www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/mini... 🧵

Here's the @instituteforgov.bsky.social starter pack 👇 go.bsky.app/P7JZCH

My first comment with @nehaldavison.bsky.social and the @instituteforgov.bsky.social policy making team is out! This forms part of series on how the government can learn lessons from past policy to turn their manifesto promises into tangible results.

Kim Leadbeater's assisted dying bill has been published ahead of its 2nd reading debate on 29 November Others will no doubt comment on the bill itself but while you wait, read this explainer from @paddy-mcalary.bsky.social and I on the PMB process www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/pr...

IfG: What was your proudest achievement in govt? Margaret Hodge: Sure Start, except I’m miserable that it hasn’t been maintained. We got it wrong because they were able to destroy it Some interesting lessons from Hodge on Sure Start that are relevant for prevention and Labour's reform plans 🧵👇

Excited to add to our Ministers Reflect archive with three excellent new interviews: former children’s minister Dame Margaret Hodge, former Scottish secretary Sir Alister Jack and former apprenticeships minister Robert Halfon Some highlights... 🧵 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ministers-re...

Yesterday the government published its new ministerial code - and they made really important changes! More independent scrutiny, easier structure, clearer focus on ministers' own responsibilities See our @instituteforgov.bsky.social analysis here www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/ke...

I'm not going to do the "it's the big news of the day" shtick but - the government did something important today. A new ministerial code, making real positive changes to the system for upholding standards www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/star...

Going to start using BlueSky more. Here’s my latest for @instituteforgov.bsky.social on the rise & fall of the Department for International Development. Advocates need to reckon more seriously with why it was abolished www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/depa...

Most Commons select committees now have a full slate of members (or will do from Monday) The 2024 intake of MPs are a notable presence, with some committees almost entirely composed of new members – to take four examples:

The discussion at this @instituteforgov.bsky.social event on dfid has been quite symptomatic of why dfid got wound up. Massive love-in for dfid with no real assessment of why Boris got no real political blowback for dismantling it, and no positivity about anything outside the 2008-16 golden age

Notable that of the 35 Conservatives due to be nominated to select committees later, nine are serving shadow ministers –including one who attends shadow cabinet, John Glen

Another 80 private members' bills are due to be introduced on Monday – the first date that non-ballot bills can be presented This haul includes 30 from Sir Christopher Chope alone www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/pr...

20 ballot bills will be introduced in the Commons tomorrow morning, firing the starting gun on another session of private members’ bills. But what is a PMB and why do MPs introduce so many each session? 🧵 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/pr...

Tomorrow Kim Leadbeater will introduce into the House of Commons her private member's bill on assisted dying. PMBs face a precarious route onto the statute book, often vulnerable to objections from small numbers of MPs. So what might we expect on this bill? 🧵

So as we approach 100 days of this government, we now know what (some of) the key decision-making bodies in government are - my colleague Patrick McAlary has updated our @instituteforgov.bsky.social explainer on cabinet committees www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/ca...

Lots of references around to Conservative MPs being "the most sophisticated electorate in the world", but this phrase is more historically associated with Labour 🧵

New ministers are being appointed all the time - or in many of these cases, given second, third or even fourth jobs! But still no ministerial code...

Four ministerial appointments have been added to our @instituteforgov.bsky.social Ministers Database since launch day, including three more appointments made last night

Sue Gray isn’t the only short serving Downing Street chief of staff: remarkably few have lasted any time in post since 2016

After a summer of stories about appointments, and a September of stories about clothing, the PM really needs to get back on the front foot on ethics. My latest thoughts for @instituteforgov.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/prim...

There’s an authority gap in the civil service at the centre of government. Starmer needs to restore the clout of the cabinet secretary and stamp out No10 factionalism Here’s my take on recent bumps and briefings www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/article/comm...

Yesterday the government announced it plans to proceed with 8 provisional devo deals concluded by the previous administration. Today Akash Paun and I lay out in a new @instituteforgov.bsky.social report how the govt can reach 100% English devolution by the end of the parliament 🧵

The last government took some really positive steps in supporting ministers who are becoming mothers - but there’s more to do. New from me and Nicola Blacklaws for @instituteforgov.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/mini...