Working to make government more effective

In-person event

‘Ministers Reflect’: how to be an effective government minister

Lord George Young and Jeremy Browne shared their experiences and views on how to be an effective minister.

Since the general election the Institute for Government has interviewed over 30 ministers who served in the Coalition Government between 2010 and 2015, capturing in their own words what it takes to be an effective minister, the challenges ministers face, and what more can be done to support ministers in driving forward their policy objectives.

In publishing the transcripts from these interviews in a unique new online archive, we have created a resource for current and future generations of political leaders, advisers, and civil servants as well as researchers and historians.

At this event, Senior Researcher Jen Gold shared key insights from the interviews, focusing in particular on ministers’ experience of entering office and delivering results on the ground.

We were joined by Lord George Young and Jeremy Browne who shared their experiences and views on how to be an effective minister. This event was chaired by Nicola Hughes, Research Manager at the Institute for Government.

Also speaking at this event: 

  • Rt Hon. the Lord Young of Cookham was Leader of the House of Commons and later Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip during the last Parliament. The former Conservative MP for North West Hampshire and Ealing Acton also held ministerial positions in both the Thatcher and Major governments, including Secretary of State for Transport. He was appointed to the House of Lords in September 2015.
  • Jeremy Browne was a Liberal Democrat Minister of State in the Foreign Office and then at the Home Office. He was the MP for Taunton Deane until May 2015. Jeremy is now a Special Representative in the Brussels office of the City of London Corporation.

You can view video clips of the two former ministers' opening remarks below.

Read Nicola Hughes' blog about the project or visit the Ministers Reflect archive.

You can also see our latest blogs on Ministers Reflect

Watch event replay (video).
Watch Jen Gold's presentation (audio slideshow).
Watch Lord Young's speech (video).
Watch Jeremy Browne's speech (video).

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