Government reviews: Dither and delay, or route to reform?
Keir Starmer commissioned a number of high-profile reviews into difficult policy areas on taking office, but the prime minister seems to have become more sceptical about their value in recent weeks.
At this event, to mark the launch of a new IfG report on lessons from past policy reviews, a panel of former reviewers and commissioners of reviews explored when reviews can lead to real change – and what needs to be done to ensure they succeed.
When is it the right time to launch a review? How should ministers best set up, work with and respond to reviews? And has the prime minister changed his view of reviews – and, if so, why?
Discussing these questions, and more, were:
Rt Hon Ed Balls, former Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and Special Adviser at HM Treasury (and commissioner of several reviews)
Dame Carol Black, leader of multiple past reviews, including: the Review of Drugs (2021), Drug and Alcohol Addiction, and Obesity: effects on employment outcomes review (2016), Health at Work Review (2011) and Working for a Healthier Tomorrow Review (2008)
Dame Tracey Crouch, former Minister for Sport and Civil Society and Chair of the Fan-led Review of Football Governance (2021)
Sir Howard Davies, Chair of the Airports Commission (2012–15)
The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.
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1:06:37
A keynote speech by Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
The IfG was pleased to welcome Rt Hon Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, who delivered a keynote speech on how the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) plans to use its expanding powers and spending freedoms.
From April 2025, Greater Manchester will be funded by a new ‘integrated settlement’ that gives the mayor and other local leaders far greater control of spending in areas such as transport, skills, employment and housing. In his speech, Andy Burnham set out his vision for how these powers should be used to drive growth and improve outcomes for people across the region, and what further powers should be devolved.
Andy Burnham was then in conversation with IfG Devolution Programme Director Akash Paun and took questions from the media and public audience.
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1:22:58
What lessons can government learn from the insourcing of probation services?
The new public sector Probation Service was created in 2021 to unify the outsourced management of low- and medium-risk offenders with the public sector management of high-risk offenders.
While the initial transition went well, four years on probation still faces deep structural challenges – as do other public services. The government is committed to public service reform and a ‘mission-driven’ approach, but it is not yet clear what this will look like.
So what can the government learn about improving public service reform from probation insourcing? What are the implications for Labour’s strategic review of probation governance? And what comes next for the probation service?
To discuss these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel including:
Professor Harry Annison, Co-Investigator of Rehabilitating Probation Research Project, and Professor of Criminal Justice at Southampton Law School
Helen Berresford, Director of External Engagement at Nacro
Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Martin Jones CBE, HM Chief Inspector of Probation
The event was chaired by Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.
This event was kindly supported by Rehabilitating Probation.
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1:01:04
The state of the civil service: location, grade, pay and morale
Whitehall Monitor 2025 – the Institute for Government’s flagship annual report on the civil service – found that high staff turnover, confused workforce planning, slipping morale and uncompetitive pay will hinder its ability to deliver Labour’s missions, even with an increased headcount and a relentless pressure for greater efficiency and productivity
Keir Starmer and Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden have shown a welcome enthusiasm for Whitehall reform – including a commitment to a “test and learn” mindset and “mission boards” – but little will change until long-running civil service challenges, like excessive staff turnover and falling morale, are resolved.
This webinar – the third in a three-part series focusing on the report’s findings – examined the relationship between civil service pay and the shift in grade structure since 2010, as well as trends in officials’ morale.
The webinar featured:
Teodor Grama, Research Assistant at the Institute for Government
Hannah Keenan, Associate Director at the Institute for Government
Jack Worlidge, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government and lead author of Whitehall Monitor 2025
The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.
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45:21
IWD & Modernising Parliament: Lucy Powell in conversation with Hannah White
This special event to mark International Women’s Day, saw Lucy Powell, Leader of the House of Commons, discuss the modernisation of Parliament and how the Modernisation Committee can help make the House more accessible, effective and inclusive.
Lucy Powell has served as the MP for Manchester Central since 2012 and became Leader of the House after the 2024 election. In this role, she represents the government in Parliament and Parliament in government. She is also a member of the House of Commons Commission, which oversees the administration of the House, and chairs the Modernisation Committee.
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The Labour government has a huge majority in parliament – but Keir Starmer’s administration is also facing an incredibly complex set of policy challenges. So how can the prime minister and his team turn around public service performance? What can chancellor Rachel Reeves do to get the economy growing again? What will mission-driven government actually mean in practice? Who should be making the key decisions in Westminster – and beyond? And what will the appointment of a new cabinet secretary mean for the future direction of the civil service?
From reforming how the centre of government works to the battle for the future of the civil service, from making a success of levelling up to achieve net zero goals, IfG EVENTS stimulate fresh thinking and share ideas about how government works – and how it could work better.
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