Working to make government more effective

Working to make government more effective

Ministers Reflect

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

Our Ministers Reflect series of interviews includes more than 150 conversations with former ministers from the UK and devolved governments. They discuss the reality of being a minister, reflect on what they wish they had known about the job before they began, and offer advice to new ministers taking on the role.

Our interviews are regularly used by civil servants, policy makers and academics to inform their work.

Our quote bank compiles some of the best insights from our interviews, categorised by topic.

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Displaying 41 - 50 of 159
09 NOV 2020 Interview

Jeremy Wright

Jeremy Wright reflects on giving legal advice to government, the styles of different PMs and the importance of DCMS as an economic department.

29 OCT 2020 Interview

Andrea Leadsom

Andrea Leadsom reflects on working to deliver Brexit in different departments, reforms to the House of Commons and learning about energy on the job.

06 APR 2020 Interview

Sam Gyimah

Sam Gyimah reflects on working across two departments, dealing with prison riots and government’s relationship with universities.

05 MAR 2020 Interview

David Gauke

David Gauke reflects on his time at the Treasury, pushing through reforms to the justice system and rebelling against the government in parliament.

04 MAR 2020 Interview

Norman Lamb

Norman Lamb reflects on not being offered a ministerial role after the 2010 general election, coalition politics and mental health care reforms.

27 FEB 2020 Interview

Greg Clark

Greg Clark was interviewed on 27 February 2020 for the Institute for Government’s Ministers Reflect project.

04 FEB 2020 Interview

David Mundell

David Mundell talks about his time in the Scotland Office and his relationship with the Scottish government during the 2014 independence referendum.

22 JAN 2020 Interview

David Lidington

David Lidington reflects on David Cameron’s renegotiation of the UK’s EU membership and the 2016 referendum and being Theresa May’s deputy.

07 JAN 2020 Interview

Jeremy Hunt

Jeremy Hunt reflects on his nine years in the cabinet, including serving as the longest-serving health secretary, and his role in the Leveson Inquiry.

09 DEC 2019 Interview

Gavin Barwell

Gavin Barwell was interviewed on 9 December 2019 for the Institute for Government’s Ministers Reflect project.