Institute for Government

Following the May 2026 local and devolved UK elections, Reform UK is running over 20 local authorities, has two regional mayors, and is the second-largest party in the Welsh parliament. But how would a Reform UK government in Westminster approach complex challenges like rewiring the state, boosting public service productivity, and growing the British economy?

On 7 July, the IfG welcomed Richard Tice MP, Reform UK’s Deputy Leader and the party’s business, trade and energy spokesman, to discuss Reform UK’s vision for government.

What has the party learned from its experiences in local government across England? How would it approach relations between Westminster and devolved governments? And what policies would Reform UK prioritise if it wins the next general election – and what possible trade-offs would it face in government?

Richard Tice was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, CEO of the Institute for Government.

The IfG DevoLab is dedicated to exploring the innovations enabled by devolution, learning from the results, and sharing the lessons so that places can take better decisions about how to use devolved powers and budgets.

We were in Sheffield for the fifth DevoLab event, where three speakers set out how mayors and local leaders can build and sustain a shared vision for growth across their regions.

The three case studies presented at IfG DevoLab #5 were:

‘Developing a shared vision for growth in South Yorkshire’, by Kate Josephs CB, Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council

‘Corridors of Growth in a Polycentric City Region’, by Tony Reeves, Chief Executive of Wakefield Council

‘Delivering an inclusive growth strategy in the East Midlands’, by Damien Dacey, Executive Director of Strategy and Inclusive Growth at the East Midlands County Combined Authority

The three speakers were joined by Pete Gladwell, Group Managing Director, Public Investment at L&G, for a broader discussion on how mayors can work effectively with partners across their region, build consensus around shared priorities, and sustain ambition as political contexts shift.

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

Insights from this discussion will inform a published policy briefing containing the three case studies and a synthesis of key lessons.

The Institute for Government would like to thank L&G for its support for this event and for its wider support of the IfG DevoLab series.

Five years on from the merger of the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development, this is a pivotal moment for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The government is managing the reduction in the international aid budget, the department is undergoing a major restructuring, and its permanent secretary was sacked by the prime minister.

With fewer resources, evolving security threats and diplomatic challenges, the government should be seizing this moment to integrate diplomacy and development.

Recent research from the HALO Trust and the Eleanor Crook Foundation has shown how modern conflict is increasingly interconnected with challenges such as food security and malnutrition – and that unless these and other pressures are addressed in a genuinely joined‑up way, the UK risks operating in siloes.

But how joined up is diplomacy and development, and can the department both retain its leadership role in international development and protect the UK’s national interest?

How should the Foreign Office approach these challenges when staff numbers are falling and its budget is shrinking? What principles should guide the merged department through this time of change? And what is the government’s overall approach to UK foreign policy and development and how is it seeking to achieve it aims?

Drawing on the IfG’s existing and ongoing research and commentary on the FCDO and its predecessors, and a series of previous successful events on similar themes, this event explored these questions and more with an expert panel featuring:

Major General James Cowan CBE DSO, Chief Executive Officer of the HALO Trust
Stefan Dercon, Professor of Economic Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government
Ben Judah, Writer, and Visiting Fellow at Chatham House
Dame Emily Thornberry MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee

This event was chaired by Hannah Keenan, Associate Director at the Institute for Government and there were opening remarks from Gemma Tumelty, Director of UK Advocacy at the Eleanor Crook Foundation.

We would like to thank the HALO Trust and the Eleanor Crook Foundation for kindly supporting this event.

The worthy aims of the NHS’s prevention shift include reducing childhood obesity, cutting the prevalence of smoking, and tackling harmful alcohol consumption. But previous Institute for Government work shows that shifting to prevention is incredibly difficult, with successive governments’ actions rarely meeting lofty rhetoric.

So, one year on from the launch of the 10-year health plan, how much progress has the government made on its prevention goal?

This event brought together a panel of experts to discuss the following questions:

What has the government done to shift the NHS towards prevention since July 2025?
How is the government assessing its own progress on this shift? What would demonstrate success in its eyes by the next election?
Where has it made the most progress? Where has progress been slower?
What does the NHS bill mean for the prospects of future progress?
What are proving to be the particular stumbling blocks to implementation within the department, central government and local systems?
What could the government do to push this agenda ahead faster?
To explore these questions and more, this event brought together a panel featuring:

Dr Zubir Ahmed MP, former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation and Safety
Dr Jennifer Dixon DBE, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation
Ravi Gurumurthy, Group Chief Executive Officer at Nesta
Ian Walker, Executive Director of Policy, Information and Communications at Cancer Research UK
The event was chaired by Stuart Hoddinott, Associate Director at the Institute for Government.

We would like to thank Nesta for kindly supporting this event.

Andy Burnham will surely become prime minister in a matter of weeks. But what kind of government would he lead and how can he prepare for the biggest job in British politics?

As Burnham sets out his policy priorities, and with much speculation about the key appointments he will make to his top team, this webinar brought together leading IfG experts to explore the challenges awaiting the next prime minister – and the skills and he experience he will need for job.

How can Burnham best use the time available to prepare for succeeding Keir Starmer as prime minister? What are the decisions that need to be taken before a transition of power? What do we know so far about the choices he could make on personnel and policies? And how will Burnham’s experiences of Mayor of Greater Manchester equip him for the job of prime minister?

Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government

This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, CEO of the Institute for Government.