This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how the House can regulate MP's second jobs more tightly. The decision of the House of Commons to place limits on the outside interests pursued by MPs has established a clear public expectation that change is on the way. But although the House...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at current levels of senior civil service pay. The government must commit to ringfencing the £45m needed to fund its promised reform of senior civil service pay or risk undermining job satisfaction and performance. This report, commissioned by the Office of Manpower Economics, reviews...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at what should happen now on how to uphold standards in public life. The government’s U-turn in the Owen Paterson case has yet again raised the question of how standards in public life can be upheld. The public outcry triggered by the government’s heavy-handed...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how government departments are failing to live up to transparency commitments. This report shows how government departments are failing to live up to transparency commitments made by successive prime ministers – with the Foreign Office, Ministry of Justice and Home Office the worst...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at five questions about what the government means by the phrase 'levelling up'. The government’s flagship levelling up agenda lacks clear objectives, with policies often contradicting ministerial rhetoric about decentralising power. This report, published today alongside new analysis of how money was allocated from...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at what does Boris Johnson’s new cabinet mean for government. After months of rumours, Boris Johnson has reshuffled his cabinet to remove some of the most criticised ministers and elevate his allies. In public terms, it may prove underwhelming. He has indeed demoted or...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at process for public appointments. This report sets out 10 key questions that William Shawcross, Boris Johnson’s preferred candidate for the role of commissioner for public appointments, should be asked at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) pre-appointment hearing. It says the...

This update from UK think tank Green Alliance looks at the gap between government spending and what is needed to achieve climate change targets. Green Alliance has been monitoring the gap between new UK government policy and spending and what is needed to achieve legal climate change targets. This is the fifth edition of the...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how successful was the furlough scheme and what should happen next? The furlough scheme risks providing poor value for money and should end as planned at the end of September – even if it is still supporting many jobs. This report, based on...

This report from UK think tank Institute for Government looks at the effectiveness of government scrutiny by parliament.  The government must drop its dismissive approach to scrutiny as parliament returns to in-person sittings. Parliamentary Monitor 2021 finds that the efforts of MPs and peers to hold ministers to account during the 2019–21 parliamentary session were...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the government’s handling of education during the pandemic. The government's failure – indeed refusal – to make contingency plans for schools and exams in the summer of 2020 is the most “unforgiveable aspect” of its handling of education during the coronavirus pandemic.  Published ahead of the 2021 A-Level...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the Shared Fund and if it is strengthening the union or undermining devolution. The UK government’s post-Brexit UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) – replacing EU ‘structural funds’, to be launched in April 2022 – risks damaging trust between the UK and devolved administrations...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the growing need to clarify rules and improve transparency around the appointment of NEDs. Matt Hancock’s resignation – and Gina Coladangelo’s role as a departmental non-executive director (NED) – has exposed the growing need to clarify rules and improve transparency around the appointment...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government assesses the Commission for Smart Government’s ‘four steps’ for reform. The Commission for Smart Government is right to say in its report on ‘smarter government’* that this is an important moment for government renewal. Change often comes after moments of trauma. Wars and crises have...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at an overhaul of the rules governing ministerial standards of behaviour. The ministerial code is not working, is being undermined by the prime minister and requires urgent reform. This report argues that Boris Johnson should fundamentally overhaul the rules which govern the standards of...