📺 The Peter Mandelson scandal: What are the lessons for Keir Starmer's government?
Essential @instituteforgovernment.org.uk webinar with @drhannahwhite.bsky.social @jillongovt.bsky.social @timdurrant.bsky.social @hannahkeenan.bsky.social
Tues 12:30
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/peter-...
So this is kind of important. Why is it right that Romeo and Little waited a month to disclose to the PM that they now knew about the vetting outcome, versus why Robbins chose not to. Starmer says they were right to await legal advice.
Key q for Robbins whether he took legal advice.
It's not the passive voice, but the prime minister saying "Downing Street's wish to appoint Peter Mandelson" is *shudders*. Guess who is the boss of Downing Street??
Starmer now choosing to lean into this in the Commons. It seems there are severe errors in how fcdo handled this (especially if Cab Sec not informed) - but, perhaps unsurprisingly if also depressingly, Starmer focused entirely on how everything would have been different had fcdo given him the info
Voter registration closes tonight at 23:59 for the Senedd, Scottish Parliament and English local elections on 7 May. The @instituteforgovernment.org.uk has several great explainers outlining what is at stake in each election.
PM will make a ministerial statement in Parliament. We hear that he's going to 'admit he inadvertently gave MPs misleading information' (guardian).
But the nerd in me wants to know if he's going to do a proper correction using the suggested wording... guidetoprocedure.parliament.uk/articles/wT3...
There's so much to write about everything that's happening with Mandelson vetting fight (and always happy to explain the process, others have done so v well on here). But the v. aggressive approach from no10 is over the weekend is just so damaging - so have tried to capture some of that
As we gear up for the PM's statement, check out this key analysis from my brill @instituteforgovernment.org.uk colleague @hannahkeenan.bsky.social- all you need to know about what's happened and what impact it's having on an already fragile system:
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/mand...
I feel like the next 24 hours in parliament are going to be really trying for those of us who dislike the passive voice
Ultimately none of the process chatter about the Mandelson appointment really matters, it is all just fluff around 'the PM made a bad decision that became politically untenable':
Playbook, a newsletter that purports to care about what happens in government and how it works: did you hear who went to this event at the weekend?
Anyone else: here's how something in government works
Playbook: BOOOORING
Our new IfG report explores what a better system of employment support for people out of work due to ill health could look like. DWP's centralised approach to date has some strengths, but has limited integration with other services and the innovation needed to better understand what works 🧵
The English devolution bill: small but important steps on public health.
As government moves to give mayors a clearer role in improving health, our comment sets out some key lessons from DevoLab for how mayors can tackle inequalities:
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/article/comm...
The same Sir Adrian Fulford currently charing the Southport Inquiry? Retired makes it sound like he has more time on his hands for this than I imagine he actually does...
totally - which is madness isn't it. maybe not for the fast streamer to have to push back, but seniors should be telling those kinds of ministers that their behaviour isn't acceptable
as you say, if this is the case it's not new for this government - but it is a failure of ministerial leadership, no? good ministers should be open to problems, not expect people to hide them/get angry with people who surface them
Never let it be said that IfG doesn't have its finger on the pulse...
fascinated that the PM found out on Tuesday but told neither Cooper nor Jones, who both only found out yesterday it seems? what were no10 doing with the information, if not discussing it with the ministers who oversee the vetting process and the department in question?
These blogs are but a small part of the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk's wider coverage of the upcoming local and devolved elections - check out our central hub for loads more:
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/our-work/top...
In a first for the IfG, @meganbryer.bsky.social and I have translated two pieces about the upcoming Welsh and Scottish elections into Cymraeg! 1/🧵
With 3 weeks to go until Welsh and Scottish elections, we @instituteforgovernment.org.uk have been looking at what new ministers and current civil servants can learn from the 2024 experience. And Megan and Dan have translated it into Welsh for us!
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/new-...
This paper represents a small but deeply impressive and genuinely important achievement by the much maligned British state in what is probably the most important global issue of our era.
Hear me out ( 🧵) 1/
www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/our-eva...
You can read the details of our (@rebeccamckee.bsky.social, @meganbryer.bsky.social and me) findings here:
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
It's not rocket science:
- know what you want to achieve
- build the right team (inside and outside government)
- use the right tools to check your plans are working
- defend and champion your plans (you'll get plenty of criticism!)
Thanks to Politics Home for the chance to talk about our recent @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report - and the lessons ministers can learn from recent predecessors on how to drive reform in public services.
absolutely - you need to get the right people around you, to fill in those gaps. also a key part of leadership!
i think that's totally right!
not for a while i'm afraid - these are all busy people and we're putting together various interesting resources based on the different interviews. i can guarantee it will be worth the wait!
We're doing a series of interviews with former PMs (to be published in the coming months!) and one of them said exactly this: the job is so varied, and you can't pick and choose the good bits of the job - you *have* to do them all.
WEBINAR | Civil service digital transformation, data, and artificial intelligence
📆Today, 12:30-13:15
Join us online today for the second of our 'A state rewired?' series exploring the findings of Whitehall Monitor 2026 and what hopes the government is pinning on digital transformation and AI