Future Governance Forum

The Future Governance Forum is a new progressive, non-partisan think tank. Our mission is to shape a comprehensive new operating model for the UK that delivers for all.


Britain’s system of government is in desperate need of a reset after years of cumulative economic, environmental, and political crises. We are here to provide the intellectual and practical infrastructure vital to national renewal and the revival of progressive government in the UK.


Our focus is on transforming policy ideas into practical measures ready for implementation. By bringing together leading experts and institutions, we develop new models of partnership, policy development and service delivery. Through this approach, we are thinking about how to govern for the long term in a way that delivers tangible benefits for citizens.

Our work influences progressive politicians and policymakers to:

  • Embrace a mission-driven approach to government, embracing the risks and rewards innovation can bring
  • Meaningfully devolve power to nations, regions and local communities, fostering collaboration rather than imposing solutions
  • Deliver better, more effective government 
  • Secure the investment needed for a progressive economic revival
  • Reform complex delivery systems to solve challenging public policy questions

Latest reports

Power Failure: A new theory of power

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum rethinks how power operates in the British state. British politics feels stuck. In recent years, both Conservative and Labour governments have found themselves increasingly hamstrung by a web of problematic concentrations and dispersals of power, thwarting their attempts to make people’s lives better. Left feeling...

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The Green Book and getting more investment into the regions

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum calls on the Government to change the way that its Green Book is used. A new report by The Future Governance Forum, ‘The Green Book and getting more investment into the regions’, has called on the Government to change the way that its Green Book...

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Restoring order and reducing costs: How to close asylum hotels and save up to £5 billion

This report from UK think the Future Governance Forum puts forward a three step plan for the government to end use of asylum hotels by 2026. Published by The Future Governance Forum with contributions from Nesta, Labour Together, the Refugee Council and housing expert Kate Wareing, Restoring Order and Reducing Costs puts forward a three...

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In Power 01: Transforming Downing Street

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum recommends the creation of a new Department for the Prime Minister to drive his agenda. In Power 01: Transforming Downing Street is the culmination of an in-depth investigation by FGF into the centre of government. It recommends that Keir Starmer accelerate his revamp of the...

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The Future of Asylum – A vision for renewal

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum considers how the government can reform and renew the asylum system. The Future of Asylum – A vision for renewal considers how the government can reform and renew the asylum system. This essay collection features leading progressive voices and sets out bold ideas for the...

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Impactful Devolution 03: A toolkit for regional growth and industrial strategy

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum recommends developing a Renewal Investment Tracker to shine a light on public investment. If the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy is to succeed, it will need to maximise the UK’s economic growth potential in a highly uncertain and rapidly changing global context, while at the same...

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Written evidence: PACAC Mission Government Inquiry

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum takes stock of the government’s progress and offers answers to build a more responsive state. Setting mission-driven government up to succeed requires a radical overhaul of the state: not just its structures and processes, but its culture, capabilities and ways of working. In our submission...

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Asylum management centres – a new approach to reduce small boat crossings

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum calls on government to set up new asylum management centres in France to divert asylum seekers into safe routes. With rising small boat arrivals and a dysfunctional asylum system, the government faces growing pressure to demonstrate control at the border. But achieving a significant and...

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Impactful devolution 02: Local government for the digital era

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum explores what an effective local digital ecosystem – bridging local and central government – could look like. Plans are in motion within the ‘digital centre’ of government to reshape the way central government works and delivers public services, reflecting a recognition of the power of...

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Rebuilding the Nation 05: Spurring innovation

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum sets out how the government can create an environment where innovation thrives. Productivity has flatlined across the UK since the 2008 financial crisis, costing the economy tens of billions of pounds a year. Despite a world-class research base, UK firms struggle to translate early-stage ideas...

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Mission Critical 03: Mission-driven partnerships with civil society organisations

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum offers practical steps Government can take to embed civil society’s insight and expertise. Civil society organisations, with their depth of insight, reach into communities and capacity for innovation, have an important role to play in achieving the government’s five missions. But they are too often...

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Rebuilding the nation 04: A mountain to scale

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum sets out how government can unlock greater investment and help transform start-up potential into scale-up success. In opposition, Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out her ambition to make Britain “the best place to start and grow a business.” However, while the UK excels at helping companies...

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Mission Critical 02: Governing in partnership with business and trade unions

This report from UK think tank Future Governance Forum outlines five crucial steps government can take to embed business and union insight and expertise in policy design and delivery. Business and trade unions lie at the heart of the government’s recently unveiled Industrial Strategy, and are set to play an equally pivotal role in delivering...

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Support for the future: Making a devolved employment support system work

This report from UK think tank Future Governance Forum calls on the government to introduce a new, localised model of employment support. Supporting more people into fulfilling, sustainable work will be crucial to tackling Britain’s economic inactivity crisis and advancing the government’s growth agenda. However, many of those out of work feel the current employment...

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Rebuilding the nation 03: Infrastructure investment partnerships

This report from UK think tank Future Governance Forum argues that the time is right to introduce a new, progressive form of PPP into the Westminster government’s policy toolkit. The UK has a large – and growing – infrastructure deficit. We can see the results all around us: pot-holed roads, tired and old-fashioned hospitals, and...

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