The new public sector Probation Service was created in 2021 to unify the outsourced management of low- and medium-risk offenders with the public sector management of high-risk offenders.

While the initial transition went well, four years on probation still faces deep structural challenges – as do other public services. The government is committed to public service reform and a ‘mission-driven’ approach, but it is not yet clear what this will look like.

So what can the government learn about improving public service reform from probation insourcing? What are the implications for Labour’s strategic review of probation governance? And what comes next for the probation service?

To discuss these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel including: 

Professor Harry Annison, Co-Investigator of Rehabilitating Probation Research Project, and Professor of Criminal Justice at Southampton Law School
Helen Berresford, Director of External Engagement at Nacro
Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Martin Jones CBE, HM Chief Inspector of Probation

The event was chaired by Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.

This event was kindly supported by Rehabilitating Probation.

What lessons can government learn from the insourcing of probation services?

The fast stream, the civil service’s flagship talent development programme, has recently seen a record number of applications and reclaimed the top spot in the Times Higher Education graduate scheme ranking.

But exclusive Institute for Government research reveals that the programme still faces significant challenges, including early exits from the scheme, variable quality of postings and fast streamers struggling to find roles upon scheme completion.

What should the fast stream’s role be in the wider civil service recruitment ecosystem? What can the government do to ensure that the fast stream delivers more for the civil service? What can the civil service learn from other sectors? And what should future fast stream reform efforts focus on? 

To explore these questions, the IfG was delighted to be joined for a panel discussion on the future of the fast stream by: 

Robert Eagleton, National Officer for the Fast Stream at the FDA Union
Rachel Hopcroft CBE, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at NatWest Group
Sonia Pawson, Director of HR at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and former Head of Fast Stream

The conversation started with a presentation of key IfG research findings by Teodor Grama, author of Changing course: How to reform the civil service fast stream. 

The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. 

How can the fast stream deliver more for the civil service?

Better use of technology, the transition from analogue to digital, and greater innovation are at the heart of the 10 Year Health Plan. This includes plans to make the NHS app a gateway to the entire NHS, integrate AI into clinical pathways, create a new Health Data Research Service, make genomic sequencing at birth universal, utilise wearable technology in treatments as standard, and to improve uptake and adoption of medicines.

What are the potential benefits of greater use of technology and innovation in the NHS? Are there any risks associated with this? How deliverable is the 10 Year Health Plan’s vision for the use of technology and innovation in the NHS? What are the barriers to greater adoption of technology and innovation more broadly? And how can these be overcome? How can investment in technology and innovation be protected and prioritised?  

To discuss these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel including:

Matthew Chisambi, Director of Imperial College Health Partners
Johan Kahlström, President and Managing Director, UK and Ireland at Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK
Sam Roberts, Chief Executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

This event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

We would like to thank Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK for kindly supporting this event.

How can changes to NHS technology help deliver the 10 Year Health Plan?

Keir Starmer has announced plans for a new digital ID scheme to combat illegal working and make it easier for people to use vital government services like applying for a driving licence and accessing tax records. The government has said that digital ID will be mandatory for right to work checks by the end of this parliament.

But critics argue that government has not made a clear case for digital ID, and warn that building a secure, reliable and trusted form of digital identity will be a monumental challenge to implement.

So what problem – and for whom – would digital ID solve? Are the government’s ambitions realistic? Is the right data and security infrastructure in place?  And what could this mean for digitally excluded groups?  

To discuss these questions and more, we will be joined by an expert panel including: 

Rachel Coldicutt, Founder and Executive Director of Careful Industries

Matthew Feeney, Advocacy Manager at Big Brother Watch

David Normington, former Permanent Secretary at the Home Office

Morgan Wild, Chief Policy Adviser at Labour Together and author of “Britcard: a progressive digital identity for Britain”

The event will be chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. 

The government's digital ID plan: Why now and what for?

Poor public service performance was a key reason for Labour’s victory in the 2024 election. Following the new government’s first multi-year spending review and a major reshuffle, this event brough together a panel of experts to discuss how successfully Labour has managed public services since coming to office.  

This event brought together a panel of experts to discuss these key questions:

What was Labour’s public service inheritance?

How much progress has the government made on public services since the election?  

What impact with the spending review have on public service performance?

What are the biggest public service challenges that need to be addressed over the rest of the parliament?

What are the implications for the budget?

As the Institute for Government published the latest edition of Performance Tracker, written in partnership with the Nuffield Foundation, which featured new analysis on the performance of public services, Amber Dellar, Stuart Hoddinott and Cassia Rowland, presented the key findings. They were joined by Stephen Bush, associate editor and columnist at the Financial Times.

This event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government, with an introduction by Mark Franks at the Nuffield Foundation.  

This event was kindly supported by the Nuffield Foundation.

How successfully have Labour run public services?

At May’s UK-EU summit, Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a new Common Understanding between the EU and the UK.

The government hailed a new “deal” with the EU which included an agreement on fisheries and a joint commitment to negotiate a ‘youth experience scheme’, as well as new arrangements for agriculture, emissions trading,  energy cooperation and defence.  Many of these changes will involve the UK accepting dynamic alignment, with its potential role in “decision-shaping” to be defined.

Six months on, how much progress has been made? Have new stumbling blocks emerged? And now the government has started to highlight the economic consequences of Brexit, will it start to seek an even closer relationship? 

To explore these questions and more, we were joined by our expert panel:

Baroness Ashton, former High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and member of House of Lords and European Affairs Committee

Professor Anand Menon, Director of UK in a Changing Europe

Calum Miller MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Foreign Affairs)

Sir Ivan Rogers, former UK Permanent Representative to the EU

The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.

We would like to thank UK in a Changing Europe for kindly supporting this event.

The UK-EU ‘reset': Six months on

Scotland is just six months away from May’s crucial parliamentary election, with First Minister John Swinney preparing to lead the SNP into one of the most unpredictable campaigns since the party entered government almost 19 years ago.  

On 19 November, the Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Scotland’s First Minister to discuss his priorities ahead of the 2026 Scottish parliament election, the political context in Scotland ahead of the crucial UK budget, and the SNP’s vision for Scotland’s constitutional future.

John Swinney was in conversation with Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government, followed by a Q&A with the live and online audience. 

In conversation with John Swinney MSP, First Minister of Scotland

On 20 November 2025, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry will publish its second report. This module focuses on political and administrative decision making during the pandemic, examining how key decisions were made across government, and civil service performance. This report will also include perspectives from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

In a rapid reaction webinar the following day, our expert IfG panel unpacked the report’s findings and explored their implications for future governance:

Tim Durrant, Programme Director for the IfG Ministers work programme
Stuart Hoddinott, Associate Director at the IfG
Akash Paun, Programme Director for the IfG Devolution work programme
Alex Thomas, Programme Director for the IfG Civil Service work programme
The webinar was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.

The Covid Inquiry: What does Module II say about government decision making and political governance?

Just hours after Rachel Reeves sets out the budget to parliament, this webinar brought together a team of Institute for Government (IfG) experts to share their instant and essential analysis of the chancellor’s plans.

Who are the winners and losers of Reeves’s tax and spending announcements? How will her measures affect economic growth? Has the chancellor finally set a coherent tax strategy? And what challenges now lie ahead for Keir Starmer’s government?

To answer these questions and more, this budget day webinar from the IfG brought together an expert line up featuring Dan Haile, Jill Rutter, and Giles Wilkes. The webinar was chaired by Dr Hannah White.

Autumn budget 2025: What is Rachel Reeves’ plan for the economy?

Are public inquiries a good way for government to learn lessons

The government’s ‘devolution revolution’ in England will see newly-created strategic authorities given greater powers to shape local economic policy through designing and delivering strategies on skills, housing, infrastructure, and transport. This will equip mayors to drive growth, raise living standards and improve services in their areas, while mayoral-led authorities are also expected to influence national economic policy through statutory local growth plans.

So how can new authorities – some of which will work across new geographies – develop a well-evidenced and coherent economic strategies? How can places at different stages of development approach this challenge? What role can local businesses, universities, and civil society play in shaping these plans? And how can they best be engaged?

Drawing on new IfG research, supported by the University of Surrey, which uses UK and international best practice to set out the development lifecycle of a local economic strategy, this event brough together an expert panel to explore how new strategic authorities can deliver local economic growth.

Professor Lisa Collins, Pro Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation at the University of Surrey
Dr Rebecca McKee, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government
Tom Walker, Interim CEO at Greater Essex Combined County Authority
Mayor Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands
The event was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This was followed by a Q&A session and an opportunity to network over lunch with fellow attendees. 

We would like to thank the University of Surrey for kindly supporting this event.

Devolving growth: What are the challenges and opportunities for new strategic authorities?

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