Event

Government 2025: IfG’s annual conference

This event hosted by UK think tank the Institute for Government brings together influential speakers and experts to explore the key questions for government in 2025.

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 will be 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. 

08:45–09:15 | Breakfast session: US election – The night after the inauguration

Mark Landler, London Bureau Chief at The New York Times

Dr Leslie Vinjamuri, Director, US and the Americas Programme at Chatham House

09:30–09:35 | Welcome and opening remarks

Dr Hannah White OBE, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government  

Will McWilliams, Partner, Head of Public Services Advisory at Grant Thornton UK LLP 

09:35–10:25 | Six months on: How is the Labour government performing?

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 will be chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. 

10:30–11:25 | Rewiring the civil service: What can the UK learn from the rest of the world?

As Sir Chris Wormald starts his new job as cabinet secretary, this panel will bring together civil service leaders from other countries to explore how they approached the job – and what the UK could learn from their experiences.

11:40–12:30 | Opposition keynote

A keynote speech with a shadow minister.

13:30–14:15 | How to run a mission-led spending review

As the spending review approaches, this session will explore how the government can best use its missions – and milestones – to shape its spending choices.

Nehal Davison, Programme Director, Institute for Government

Tim Durrant, Programme Director, Institute for Government 

Peter Hyman, Adviser to Keir Starmer 2022-24, and key architect of missions-led approach

Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher, Institute for Government

Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow, Institute for Government

14:20–15:00 | Liberal Democrat keynote

Daisy Cooper MP, Deputy Leader, Liberal Democrats

Emma Norris, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government

15:00–16:00 | How to fix local government

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

Florence Eshalomi MP, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee

Hilary Cottam, author, innovator and change maker and honorary Professor at the Institute of Innovation and Public Purpose at UCL

Jim McMahon MP, Minister of State (Minister for Local Government and English Devolution)

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

16:15–17:00 | Devolution – View from the frontline: How are mayors working with government?

Sam Freedman, IfG Senior Fellow and former government adviser

Ben Houchen, Mayor of Tees Valley

Jessica Studdert, Chief Executive at New Local

Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands

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

17:10–18:00 | Government keynote

A keynote speech with a government minister.

More speakers to be announced soon.