Working to make government more effective

Working to make government more effective

A woman riding a bike along Whitehall Road, in front of the Cabinet Office.
Podcast

All roads lead to Romeo

The IfG's experts are in the studio to discuss the tasks ahead for new cabinet secretary Antonia Romeo, ethical standards and local elections U-turn.

Antonia Romeo has been appointed as the new cabinet secretary and is the first woman to hold the post. So what can she do to turn the civil service, and perhaps the government, around?

Keir Starmer's administration is still reeling from resignations, apologies, suspensions and the latest Peter Mandelson scandal. With questions around ethics and standards back in the news, and both Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor facing misconduct in public office investigations, what does the government need to do to tackle standards in public life and can the PM show his government really is different from the last?

Plus: Postponed local elections are now un-postponed and need to be held in just over three months’ time. Just how did the government end up taking such a chaotic approach? 

What we talked about in this episode

People featured in this episode

Topic
Civil service Ministers Devolution
Keywords
Civil servants Civil service reform Government reform Ethical standards Accountability Local elections Local government Local government reorganisation
Political party
Labour
Position
Prime minister Cabinet secretary
Administration
Starmer government
Department
Number 10 Cabinet Office Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Project
Local and devolved elections 2026
Public figures
Keir Starmer Antonia Romeo Steve Reed
Publisher
Institute for Government

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