Our panel explored why successive governments have failed to address rising obesity and what would be needed to tackle it. We discussed which policies work, how to build support for them and the role of government in leading change.

To explore these questions and more, our expert panel included:

Henry Dimbleby, founder of Leon, former government adviser and author of Ravenous: how to get ourselves and our planet into shape
Sophie Metcalfe, Researcher at the Institute for Government
Dr Dolly Theis, Visiting Researcher at the Cambridge University MRC Epidemiology Unit

The event was chaired by Tom Sasse, Associate Director at the Institute for Government.

How can the government tackle obesity?

The Hot Waitress Index Economics | Financial Forecast SO1EO11

This event was part of the IfG's Conservative Party Conference 2023 fringe programme.

Speakers:

Jo Gideon MP, Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent Central
John Maingay, Director of Policy and Influencing at the British Heart Foundation
Sophie Metcalfe, Researcher at the Institute for Government
Dr Alison E Tedstone, Independent Adviser and former Chief Nutritionist at Public Health England/UK Health Security Agency

This event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.

This event was kindly supported by the Obesity Health Alliance, The Food Foundation, and Sustain.

How can government’s obesity policy boost the UK's health and economy?

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme.

Speakers:

Daniel Zeichner MP, Shadow Minister for Farming, Food and Fisheries
Sophie Metcalfe, Researcher at the Institute for Government
Ben Reynolds, Deputy Chief Executive of Sustain
Richard Sloggett, Founder and Programme Director at Future Health
Nilani Sritharan, Group Head of Healthy and Sustainable Diets at Sainsbury’s

This event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.

This event was kindly supported by Obesity Health Alliance, the Food Foundation and Sustain.

How could Labour use obesity policies to achieve its health mission?

2024 will be a crucial year for government and for British politics. With a general election no more than a year away, Rishi Sunak has asked to be judged on meeting his five pledges – and the pressure is on Keir Starmer to add policy details to his five missions.

To mark the start of this pivotal 12 months, the Institute for Government’s annual conference brought together influential speakers and IfG experts to explore the key questions facing government – and opposition parties – in 2024, stimulate new thinking and discuss the year ahead.

Dr Hannah White, IfG Director, gave a welcome to the conference, followed by opening remarks by Phillip Woolley, Partner at Grant Thornton UK.

Government 2024 welcome and opening remarks

The Treasury is perhaps the most powerful department in Whitehall. Its ownership of public spending means it has direct control over the money available to the rest of government, while the Treasury’s responsibility for tax policy gives it enormous influence over the finances of households and businesses.

But criticism of the department’s influence on government policy is almost as old as the institution itself, with frequent complaints about the “dead hand of the Treasury” or attacks on the department’s “orthodoxy”.

However, a recent IfG report found many of the fiercest criticisms to be overblown: many simply represent a dislike of a budget constraint. The department plays an important function in effectively managing public spending and guarding against financial disorder. It has also consistently been a champion of economic growth, though there is debate about how that is managed against its responsibility for managing government spending. While the department has clear strengths, there are clearly problems with how it functions. The Treasury often takes a short-term approach, is frequently accused of micromanaging other departments, and wields excessive influence over government policy relative to the rest of the centre.

So how can these problems be addressed? How much are they due to the relative weakness of other departments or the incentives facing Treasury ministers? And just what impact does the Treasury have on government policy making? 

Our expert panel exploring these issues and more featured:

James Bowler CB, Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury
Anita Charlesworth, Director of Research at the Health Foundation and former Director of Public Spending at HM Treasury
David Gauke, former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government and co-author of Treasury orthodoxy, and former No 10 special adviser for industrial strategy

The event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

Does the Treasury wield too much power over government?

The Labour government will have been in power for nearly two months by the time parliament returns on 2 September. We have already seen a King’s Speech, a major statement on the public finances, an overhaul of the planning system, big plans for clean power – and more.  So what have we learned since Keir Starmer became prime minister – and what comes next for government and British politics?  

Ministers – and opposition MPs – are braced for busy couple of months ahead. What legislation is coming down the track in parliament? How significant is Rachel Reeves’ upcoming budget? Is there more clarity about mission-led government and how the prime minister wants his No.10 to work? How is the Conservative Party leadership contest progressing? And how significant will the party conference season be for Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak and Ed Davey?  

To discuss these questions and more, this Institute for Government webinar brought together an expert panel featuring:  
Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow the Institute for Government 
Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government 
Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government 

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

Parliament returns: What next for British politics?

Spending reviews, which decide how at least half a trillion pounds of annual public spending should be allocated across different public services, are one of the most consequential processes in government. The new government has announced a new review, to conclude in Spring 2025, that will determine departmental budgets for much of the current parliament. But how should ministers choose how to prioritise for spending? Should more money be spent on roads, skills, or police? What is the best way to judge the costs and benefits of each decision? 

A new report from the London School of Economics, Value for Money calls for a radical change in policy making. It argues that policies should be judged using a cost-benefit analysis which includes a comprehensive valuation of their effects on wellbeing. The report argues that, judged this way, therapies for mental health and guaranteed apprenticeships give much better value for money than most new roads. 

To discuss this topic, we were joined by a panel, including:

Professor Lord Richard Layard, Co-Director of the Community Wellbeing Programme at the Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and co-author of Value for Money
Lord Gus O’Donnell, former Cabinet Secretary
Amanda Rowlatt, former Chief Economist at the Department for Transport, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Department for Work and Pensions
Conrad Smewing, Director General of Public Spending in His Majesty's Treasury and Joint-Head of the Government Finance Function

The panel was chaired by Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

How can public spending do better at improving wellbeing?

The government has promised to restore the target to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate also requires that 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain will have to be zero emission by 2030. However, car makers have expressed concerns about their ability to hit these targets without further support, and the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) is lagging behind the government target. So what are the barriers to EV uptake?

Charging infrastructure is one reason consumers hesitate to make the switch, with a lack of on-street charging, bottlenecks with motorway charging, as well as concerns about price differential and different rates of VAT for on- and off-street parking. More also needs to be done to ensure the electricity network can cope with demand, and that charge points can be easily and cheaply connected to the grid.

So what could be done to accelerate the rollout of EV charging infrastructure? How does the new government plan to address these challenges? And where in the country are these problems most acute?

To discuss these questions and more, our panel included:

Lilian Greenwood MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Future of Roads)
Rosa Hodgkin, Researcher at the Institute for Government
Ian Howells, Executive Vice President of Honda Motor Europe
Bharat Pathania, Head of New Technologies at Midlands Connect

This event was chaired by Nehal Davison, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

How can the government effectively roll out EV charging infrastructure?

Tamara Finkelstein, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Head of the UK Civil Service Policy Profession, is clear that generalist skills are essential but questions whether it is time to move away from generalists as roles sitting outside of professions. 

Tamara set out current plans for the Policy Profession, which provides a professional home and career anchor for former generalists, and how it is providing a framework for building and improving skills. This was followed by a discussion about how to build the skills they need and how to embed professional expertise in the policy-making process.

For this discussion we were delighted to be joined by:

Tamara Finkelstein, Permanent Secretary at Defra and Head of the Civil Service Policy Profession
Aaron Maniam, Fellow of Practice and Director, Digital Transformation Education at the Blavatnik School of Government
Lord Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation

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

The future of the Civil Service Policy Profession: The end of the generalist?

The leading think tank working to make UK government more effective. 

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