Government 2024: IfG's annual conference

2024 will be a crucial year for government and for British politics. With a general election no more than a year away, Rishi Sunak has asked to be judged on meeting his five pledges – and the pressure is on Keir Starmer to add policy details to his five missions.

To mark the start of this pivotal 12 months, the Institute for Government’s annual conference brought together influential speakers and IfG experts to explore the key questions facing government – and opposition parties – in 2024, stimulate new thinking and discuss the year ahead.

What are the main challenges facing the country as a general election nears? After a decade of decline, and with no new money promised at the autumn statement, what can be done to fix public services? How should the civil service be reformed to deliver for ministers? What dividing lines will define debates on UK–EU relations, net zero, and devolution? And with the war in Ukraine showing no sign of ending, the crisis in the middle east causing shockwaves way beyond the region, and a US presidential election taking place in November, what impact might international affairs have on the political debate in this country?

The day was packed with panel discussions, keynote speeches, in conversation events and a live podcast recording, all exploring what government is doing well – and what it should be doing better.

We would like to thank Grant Thornton UK for supporting this event. 

Welcome

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• Dr Hannah White OBE, Director of the Institute for Government
• Phillip Woolley, Partner at Grant Thornton UK

Labour keynote speech

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• Karin Smyth MP, Shadow Minister of Health 
• Dr Hannah White OBE, Director of the Institute for Government

Ending the decline: how to fix public services

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Stuart Hoddinott, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government, set out key findings from Performance Tracker – the IfG’s annual stocktake of nine key public services – ahead of a panel discussion on how public service performance can be turned around. 

• Stephen Bush, Associate Editor and Columnist at the Financial Times
• Councillor Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council
• Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government (Chair)

Government keynote speech

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• Rt Hon John Glen MP, Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
• Dr Hannah White OBE, Director of the Institute for Government (Chair)

General election countdown: key challenges for government in 2024

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A wide-ranging discussion on the key issues facing government – and the economy – as a general election draws near.

• Claire Ainsley, Director of the Project on Center-Left Renewal and former Executive Director of Policy to Keir Starmer
• Anita Boateng, Partner at Portland Communications and former Special Adviser for the Cabinet Office, MoJ and DWP
• Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
• Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
• Joe Owen, Director of Impact at the Institute for Government (Chair) 

Ready for reform: next steps for the civil service (including the launch of Whitehall Monitor 2024)

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Rhys Clyne, Associate Director at the Institute for Government, set out key findings from Whitehall Monitor 2024 – the IfG’s annual report into the shape, size and performance of the civil service – ahead of a panel discussion on how the civil service can be reformed to deliver for ministers. 

• Rowena Mason, Whitehall Editor at the Guardian
• Rt Hon Lord Maude, author of the Independent Review of Governance and Accountability in the Civil Service
• Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
• Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Shadow Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
• Emma Norris, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government (Chair)

The essential IfG briefing

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From devolution to parliamentary scrutiny, standards in public life to net zero, a panel of IfG experts explore a range of key policy areas that this and future governments will need to focus on.

• Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
• Dr Matthew Gill, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
• Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
• Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
• Dr Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government (Chair)

IfG Director’s closing remarks

• Dr Hannah White OBE, Director of the Institute for Government

Podcast recording: The Expert Factor Live!

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• Adam Fleming, Presenter of BBC Newscast
• Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Professor Anand Menon, Director of UK in a Changing Europe

• Dr Hannah White OBE, Director of the Institute for Government 

  
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  We would like to thank Grant Thornton UK for supporting this event.