Nehal Davison

🎧🎧Listen now!

Brilliant analysis of Starmer’s speech and the Labour conference with @drhannahwhite.bsky.social @cathhaddon.bsky.social @alexgathomas.bsky.social and guest @sophiestowers.bsky.social of @moreincommonuk.bsky.social

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

Fantastic event on the Best Start in Life strategy with @speechandlanguk.bsky.social, Dingley’s Promise, @sarahronan.bsky.social and more. Lots of practical recommendations for building a more inclusive early years system.

Labour’s Best Start in Life Strategy has got off to a good start – now comes the hard part | Institute for Government The government’s early years strategy signals strong intent, but will require confident, careful steering to make it a reality.

The early years were missing from last month’s SR, but Labour’s Best Start in Life strategy shows they are still committed. Read @sophiemetcalfe.bsky.social and my and my take on what it gets right - and what it’ll take to make it a reality.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/labo...

Spending review 2025: Six key things we learned from Rachel Reeves' announcement | Institute for Government IfG experts set out the six things they learned from the spending review.

Our @instituteforgovernment.org.uk spending review analysis is out! Take a read here www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/spen...

Our key takeaways: 1/7

Great thread from @sophiemetcalfe.bsky.social on what the SR means for the early years and ambition to give children the “best start in life” 👇

Closing the early years opportunity gap for boys eligible for free school meals | Institute for Government Next steps for the IfG's work on school readiness.

Thanks to all the early years experts who’ve shared insights on the govt’s opportunity mission.

Next up: boys eligible for free school meals – one of the most persistently left-behind groups.

More here: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/early-years-...

Adult social care could be a victim of the government’s immigration white paper | Institute for Government The immigration white paper makes it less likely that the government will improve performance in adult social care.

Great blog by @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social on the “trilemma” govt faces in adult social care: welcome overseas workers (ruled out this week), boost council funding (unlikely) or accept further decline in access and performance. 👇
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/adul...

Reducing school absence | Institute for Government Learning from the last Labour government can help Keir Starmer reduce school absence.

School absence has exploded, but it is preventable. Moira Wallace, first Director of Blair’s Social Exclusion Unit, tells the story of how they brought down record absence in the late 1990s & 2000s and sets out clear lessons for this govt. See 👇

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Latest from me on the govt’s ambition to ensure all children are ‘school ready’ 👇

Want to know what the chancellor's announcements mean? Follow the @instituteforgov.bsky.social top public finances team of @gemmatetlow.bsky.social, @tompope.bsky.social and @danhaile.bsky.social!

Calling all early years experts and practitioners | Institute for Government The IfG is seeking insights into early years development.

⏭️ In the next stage of our project, we'll focus on one or more at-risk groups. We want your input on who we should focus on and why – especially if there are intersectional groups that have been neglected to date.

Get in touch here: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/early-years-...

➡️That's why we want to work with you. By combining on-the-ground insight with our expertise on how government works, we want to shape the policy making process so that it delivers for groups who have been persistently underserved.

📊 The findings will no doubt be familiar. But we know that the insights of people who understand the early years best are not always reached by government. We also know how valuable they are.

Policy making for left-behind groups: School readiness | Institute for Government How can government start closing the opportunity gap in early years education?

📣Calling all early years experts and practitioners!

Our NEW report reveals which groups of children are most at risk of not being ‘school ready’ - based on the most comprehensive analysis of publicly available data to date.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Policy making for left-behind groups: School readiness | Institute for Government How can government start closing the opportunity gap in early years education?

NEW report from me and @nehaldavison.bsky.social on school readiness:

- Who is most at risk of not being school ready?
- What does this mean for the govt's opportunities mission? Is the target for 75% of children to be 'school ready' helpful?

🧵⬇️
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

New paper from @sophiemetcalfe.bsky.social & I exploring who is at greatest risk of not being ‘school ready’ and what this means for the govts Opportunity Mission. Report 👇 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/... and write up in the @theipaper.com

A very big week for @instituteforgov.bsky.social and our Inside Briefing pod. We’re recording in Hull now and our instalment featuring the PM will land in your podcast feeds tonight.

Calling all UK policy professionals (past and present) who have had to provide rapid advice to ministers under pressure. Fill in our survey 👇 to help us develop new tools that support policymakers to deliver rapid yet robust advice and give policies the best chance of success!

📢Calling all UK policy officials!

Have you ever had to provide policy advice under pressure – in a crisis or in response to breaking news? We at the @instituteforgov.bsky.social want to hear from you!

Fill out our survey (open until 14 Feb) to share your insights: bit.ly/3Ek2KoM!

TOMORROW: How can the government accelerate its clean power mission?

Don't miss our event exploring Labour's progress on decarbonising power by 2030 and the potential pitfalls.

@rosahodgkin.bsky.social @chrisstark.bsky.social @dharavyas.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/govern...

An image for an IfG event. The future of the Civil Service Policy Profession: The end of the generalist? Thursday 06 February 2025, 10:00 — 11:00 (GMT) For this discussion we are 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 will be chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

EVENT: The future of the Civil Service Policy Profession

🗓️ Thursday 6 Feb, 10:00

Register to hear Tamara Finkelstein, Aaron Maniam, Lord Vallance discuss the Policy Profession and how to embed professional expertise in the policy-making process www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/civil-...

How to run the next multi-year spending review | Institute for Government Labour's missions need a reformed spending review process.

We described these thematic policy reviews as "Dutch-style reviews" in our paper last summer. More info here

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Excellent to see Darren Jones announce the government will run a "regular programme of thematic reviews" between spending reviews.

Done well, these could help drive a more evidence-based and collaborative SR process

Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury speaking at @ifgevents right now. Confirms that the govt has adopted most of the @instituteforgov.bsky.social recommendations on how to conduct a multi-year spending review. #impact

Fascinating presentation from @joetwyman.bsky.social on new polling data for @instituteforgov.bsky.social on what people think about the govt‘s progress so far. Clear call for govt to listen more to women, older people, younger people, experts and others to ensure policies deliver results.

Our Government 2025 annual conference is underway.

We're discussing how Labour has performed since returning to government, and what challenges – and opportunities – await in 2025.

Tune in live now www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/govern...

Whitehall Monitor 2025 | Institute for Government The civil service needs to change to deliver Labour's missions.

It’s @instituteforgov.bsky.social Whitehall Monitor launch day today!

Brilliant colleagues @jackworlidge.bsky.social @alexgathomas.bsky.social @tompope.bsky.social and more bring you the essential study of how the civil service is performing…

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

More support would make the Sheffield Policy Campus success truly transformative | Institute for Government Sheffield can be a "test and learn pioneer" at the heart of the government's plans to rewire the civil service.

@sophiemetcalfe.bsky.social
visited the Sheffield Policy Campus in October – home to the largest number of policy civil servants outside London. Check out her comment on its successes so far and how it can step up a gear to be truly transformative👇 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/shef...

Pat McFadden starts a long haul on public sector reform | Institute for Government Consistent commitment to change must follow Pat McFadden's speech on civil service reform.

Late night McFadden content we all want

Opening up civil service + ‘test-and-learn’ are good. Also CDL’s commitment to risk appetite (but ministers too)

Need to go deeper on accountability/money, culture & learning

With @nehaldavison.bsky.social

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/pat-...

A job advert for a Researcher at the Institute for Government. This is a permanent position in the civil service team to start as soon as notice period allows. Salary: £30,00-£39,000 depending on skills and experience Deadline: Thursday 9 January, 11:00

Would you like to be a researcher here at the IfG? Interested in making government more effective?

Applications are now open to join our civil service team.

Find out more and apply by Thursday 9 January ⏰👇https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/about-us/careers/current-vacancies/researcher