Working to make government more effective

Working to make government more effective

Woman in a red dress walking in front of a sign for Parliament Street and Whitehall.

Understanding government as an MP

How to hold ministers to account and get the best out of government for your constituents.

What is the difference between a budget and a spending review? How do cabinet committees work? Which public services are under the most strain? What can government do about it?

MPs play a key role in scrutinising government policy and legislation and campaigning for change. Our suite of explainers on how Whitehall works, data-driven analysis and proposals for reform are tools that will help you hold ministers to account and get the best out of government for your constituents.

The state of the state

A reading list for reform

Getting started in parliament as a new MP

What you need to know to hit the ground running in the House of Commons.

Explore our resources
The lobby in the Houses of Parliament

Government explained

See all

Ministers Reflect

Interviews with former ministers on the realities of the role and how to be effective in government.

Explore the archive of interviews
Whitehall sign

Ministerial careers

See all

Find out more

Public services

We examine the performance of public services and make proposals about how they can improve.

Public finances

We analyse tax, spending and wider economic policy, looking at how it can most effectively be designed, implemented and where government falls short.

Policy making

We look at how government makes policy and develop ways to do it more effectively.

Regulation

We look at how government uses regulation to achieve its objectives and how rules can most effectively be designed and implemented through regulators.

Devolution

We examine the effectiveness of devolution across the UK and the relationships between national and devolved government.

Net zero

Our net zero project looks at how to embed net zero in government and policy making.