Institute for Government

Boys from families living on low-incomes have been ‘left behind’ in early years policy making for decades. Nearly three in five boys from low-income families are not reaching a good level of development by the end of reception year, with long-term effects on their later educational attainment, job prospects, health and wellbeing.

Two reports from the Institute for Government (IfG) – supported by Impact on Urban Health – set out how the government can ensure this group is not left behind in the implementation of its early years policy agenda over the next 12 months.

Why have successive governments overlooked the needs of boys from low-income families? Where are promising models and practices already making a difference? What practical lessons do they offer central government as it works towards its target of 75% of five-year-olds being ‘school ready’ by 2028?

To explore these questions and more, this event brought together a panel featuring:

Claire Ainsley, Director of the Project on Center-Left Renewal and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Candice James BEM, Director of the Loughborough Community Centre
Miriam Loxham, Senior Principal, Early Years and Family Help at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Alistair Strathern MP, Member of Parliament for Hitchin and Co-chair of the Labour Group for Men and Boys
Shaina Sangha, Researcher at the Institute for Government, started the event with a presentation of key findings from the reports.

The event was chaired by Sophie Metcalfe, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.

We would like to thank Impact on Urban Health for kindly supporting this event.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw the government spend hundreds of billions of pounds to buy PPE, keep businesses afloat and avoid mass redundancies. In the heat of this once-in-a-generation crisis, decisions were made that enabled widespread fraud by both individuals and organisations – leading to an estimated £10.9 billion of Covid-19 spending being lost to fraud and error.

In December 2024, the chancellor appointed Tom Hayhoe as the Covid Counter-Fraud Commissioner to scrutinise Covid spending, explore how public funds could be recovered and make recommendations to prevent fraud in the future.

So what could government have done differently to respond quickly to the pandemic while avoiding the vast scale of fraud? What should government do now to ensure there are more robust checks and balances ahead of the next crisis? How can departments and organisations better work together to prevent fraud across the public sector? And how will cultural and technological changes since the pandemic, including the growth of AI, impact the nature of public sector fraud and government’s ability to tackle it?

To discuss this and more, the IfG brought together an expert panel, including:

Dr Susan Hawley, Executive Director of Spotlight on Corruption
Tom Hayhoe, Chair of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority and formerly the Covid Counter-Fraud Commissioner
Joshua Reddaway, Director of Fraud and Propriety at the National Audit Office
Rachael Tiffen, Director of Public Sector & Learning at Cifas
The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

The Institute for Government was pleased to welcome Kemi Badenoch to give a keynote speech on Tuesday 9 June at 10:30am.

Following her speech, the Leader of the Opposition was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government, and took part in a Q&A with the audience.

An expert panel drew on lessons from the recent assisted dying bill and other PMBs to consider how backbench MPs should approach complex issues.

While historically major social reforms – such as decriminalising homosexuality or legalising abortion – have been introduced through private members’ bills (PMBs), most backbench attempts to legislate that do not begin with government support fail to make it onto the statute book. The Procedure Committee has undertaken extensive work and made proposals for reform, but the deficiencies of the PMB process remain largely hidden from public view.

With the attempted passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill shining a spotlight on the PMB process, this Institute for Government event will explore the value and effectiveness of PMBs, and the wider role of backbenchers in shaping policy. Is the current process fit for purpose when it comes to issues that divide opinion and stir public debate? Are there other options that parliament should consider for backbench MPs to raise, debate and legislate on critical social issues?

To discuss this and more, the IfG brought together an expert panel, including:

Paul Brand, UK Editor at ITV News

Dr Daniel Gover, Senior Lecturer in British Politics at Queen Mary University London

Kim Leadbeater MP, sponsor of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Luke Norbury, Parliamentary Counsel at the Cabinet Office

The event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.

Ministerial resignations, letters of no confidence, and Andy Burnham’s determination to return to Westminster have rocked Keir Starmer’s premiership. Plenty of twists and turn await in the coming weeks, with the work of government continuing under a cloud of uncertainty.

So how can a prime minister lead a government if their authority is being questioned by their own MPs? What would a Labour leadership contest mean for the way government operates? What is the impact of this volatility on the civil service and the government’s legislative programme? Do Wes Streeting’s accusations of Starmer’s lack of vision and direction stack up – and, if so, how should this or another PM approach the job in a different way?

To discuss all these questions, and make sense of what a return to chaos means for British government, this expert IfG webinar featured:

Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Alex Thomas, Executive Director for Impact and Influence at the Institute for Government
Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
The event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.