Government 2025: IfG's annual conference

What do the public think of Labour’s first six months in power and what does this mean for Keir Starmer’s priorities? How is Labour’s mission-led government actually working and how can these missions – and Starmer’s ‘Plan for Change’ – shape the upcoming spending review? How are England’s locally-elected leaders changing the way the country is run? And what should the new cabinet secretary do to change the way the civil service is run – and rewire the British state?

Government 2025 was packed with fascinating panel discussions, keynote speeches, in-conversation events, new polling and more, all exploring what government is doing well – and what it could be doing better. 

Breakfast session: US election – The night after president Trump’s inauguration

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What will the return of Donald Trump to the White House mean for Keir Starmer, the government and British politics?

• Mark Landler, London Bureau Chief at The New York Times
• Dr Leslie Vinjamuri, Director, US and the Americas Programme at Chatham House

This panel was chaired by Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. 

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

Welcome and opening remarks

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• Dr Hannah White OBE, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government  
• Phillip Woolley, Partner, Head of Public Sector Consulting at Grant Thornton UK LLP 

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

Six months on: How is the Labour government performing?

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This expert panel assessed how Labour has performed since returning to government, and what challenges – and opportunities – await in 2025. 

Polling presentation by Joe Twyman, Director of Deltapoll.

• Claire Ainsley, Director of the Project on Center-Left Renewal at the Progressive Policy Institute
• Anushka Asthana, Deputy Political Editor at ITV News
• Dr Danny Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation

This panel was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. 

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

Rewiring the civil service: What can the UK learn from the rest of the world?

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As Sir Chris Wormald starts his new job as cabinet secretary, two panels – one livestreamed from Singapore – brought together civil service leaders from other countries to explore how they approached the job and what the UK could learn from their experiences.

Speaking at the IfG: 

• Pamela Dow, Chief Operating Officer at Civic Future and a former UK civil servant
• Leslie Evans, Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government 2015-2021
• Martin Fraser, Ambassador of Ireland to the UK, Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach 2011–22

This panel was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

We also recorded a bonus discussion on this with an expert panel at the Global Government Summit in Singapore: 

• Heather Baggott, Deputy Public Service Commissioner, Public Service Commission, New Zealand
• Siobhan Benita, Global Government Forum Chair
• Lord Gus O’Donnell, UK Cabinet Secretary 2005-2011
• Taimar Peterkop, Secretary of State, Government Office, Estonia

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

In conversation with Alex Burghart MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

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Alex Burghart MP was in conversation with Dr Hannah White OBE, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.  

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

How to embed a mission-led approach in the spending review 

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As the spending review approaches, this session, featuring IfG senior fellow Sam Freedman, explored how the government can best use its missions – and milestones – to shape its spending choices.

• Nehal Davison, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
• Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government
• Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government

This panel was chaired by Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government. 

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

Liberal Democrat keynote: Daisy Cooper MP, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats

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Following her speech, Daisy Cooper MP was in conversation with Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

How to fix local government

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Local government has faced huge financial pressures, leaving residents across England struggling to access services. Featuring presentations from council leaders, this panel explored what can be done to turn around performance. 

Presentations from:

• Jenny Rowlands, Chief Executive of Camden Council
• Claire Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Sheffield City Council

Panel:

• Hilary Cottam, author, innovator and change maker and Honorary Professor at the Institute of Innovation and Public Purpose at UCL
• Florence Eshalomi MP, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee
• Jim McMahon MP, Minister of State (Minister for Local Government and English Devolution)

This panel was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. 

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

The devolution revolution: What next for England’s mayors?

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Two of England’s elected mayors join an expert panel to explore how well mayors are working with central government – and what powers they need.

• Ben Houchen, Mayor of Tees Valley
• Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands

This panel was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. 

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

Government keynote: Rt Hon Darren Jones MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury

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Following his speech, Rt Hon Darren Jones MP was in conversation with Dr Hannah White OBE, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr. 

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