Pritesh Mistry

Three things the government needs to do to make the child poverty strategy work | Institute for Government The child poverty strategy is a concrete shift towards prevention but ministers must take action to implement it effectively.

NEW IfG verdict on the child poverty strategy from me and @amberdellar.bsky.social

A critical package for the govt, but it needs:
- stronger powers/accountability in DWP to lead it
- much more robust support for LAs
- earlier monitoring/evaluation

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/chil...

Four mayors delayed, three ministers reflect, and a House of Lords battle renewed Podcast Episode · Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government · 12/12/2025 · 39m

🎄 🎶Four mayors delayed, three ministers reflect and a House of Lords battle renewed 🎶 🎄

@drhannahwhite.bsky.social @akashpaun.bsky.social @jackpannell.bsky.social and @rebeccamckee.bsky.social on this week’s Inside Briefing

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

There’s a lot of ways you could answer this question, but am going to contribute this, written a couple of years ago, as one answer www.politicshome.com/thehouse/art...

Four mayors delayed, three ministers reflect, and a House of Lords battle renewed | Institute for Government The IfG's experts are in the studio to discuss the delay to the 2026 mayoral elections, and the government's plans to instal more peers in the Lords.

PODCAST 🎙️ Four mayors delayed, three ministers reflect, and a House of Lords battle renewed

@drhannahwhite.bsky.social is in the studio with @akashpaun.bsky.social @rebeccamckee.bsky.social @jackpannell.bsky.social

Listen to the Inside Briefing 🎧 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

An image ad for the IfG's one-day conference. Government 2026 on Tuesday 13 January, 09:00-17:00 In the right corner is an image of 10 Downing Street.

2026 is set to be a hugely significant year for Keir Starmer’s government and British politics.

So what are the big questions facing government? Join us on Tuesday 13 November for Government 2026, our annual conference.

Register to attend online www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/govern...

Rapid policy making | Institute for Government Civil servants face various challenges when working to compressed timeframes.

NEW | Civil servants face various challenges when working to compressed timeframes.

Our report, Rapid policy making, sets out practical recommendations for how they can be better supported to deliver robust advice at pace www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Ministers Reflect | Institute for Government Interviews with former ministers on the realities of the role and how to be effective in government.

Excited to publish our latest batch of Ministers Reflect interviews! We spoke with former health secretary and chancellor Sajid Javid, former Wales secretary and chief whip Simon Hart, and former Defra secretary Theresa Villiers.

Some highlights…

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ministers-re...

This should be a great event... What can govt communicators do when Trump blows up their grid on a daily basis. Have we now normalised ignoring facts and is politics just performance art? Does our system of government have any protections if someone followed populist playbook?

Learning from the DevoLab #1: How devolution can address health inequalities | Institute for Government Three case studies of how devolved powers have been used to address health inequalities.

Report | Learning from the DevoLab #1: How devolution can address health inequalities

This policy briefing presents three short case studies of how devolved powers have been used to address health inequalities.

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

WEBINAR | The Trump challenge: Chaos, confusion and government communications

@alastaircampbell2.bsky.social and @simonbaugh.bsky.social will join us to discuss the impact of Trump’s unpredictable approach to facts, accuracy and communication.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/trump-...

EVENT | In conversation with Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales

@prifweinidog.gov.wales joins us to discuss her priorities as First Minister, relations with Westminster, the 2026 Senedd election and the future of devolution.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/conver...

EVENT | How can changes to NHS structures help deliver the 10 Year Health Plan?

🔍 Big NHS shake-up ahead. With NHSE gone and ICBs merging, can the new structure actually work?

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/nhs-st...

EVENT | How can the government make a success of the abolition of NHS England?

This webinar will explore the risks and opportunities associated with abolishing NHS England and how much progress has been made to date.

@nuffieldtrust.org.uk

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/govern...

A strong OBR is in everyone’s interests | Institute for Government The chancellor should appoint a strong chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility to replace Richard Hughes.

A strong OBR is in everyone’s interests

Replacing Richard Hughes with someone seen as more compliant to the government’s views would undermine the OBR's independence, bringing a high cost to government and the country, says @gemmatetlow.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/stro...

Mayoral elections in priority areas should be held in May 2027 at the very latest | Institute for Government The government has not made a convincing case for postponement.

Great new piece from @akashpaun.bsky.social on the decision to delay next year’s mayoral elections.

“even on the government's own terms… then the case for shifting these polls to 2027 is far stronger than delaying them until 2028”

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/mayo...

A quote from Sajid Javid in his IfG's Ministers Reflect interview: “I did say to the prime minister, 'Dominic Cummings is running rings around you, and you can't even see it.'”

A quote from Simon Hart in his IfG Ministers Reflect interview: “The temptation was to just leave anything which didn’t have a natural home to be dealt with by the whips.”

A quote from Theresa Villiers in her IfG Ministers Reflect interview: "I'd assumed that I'd had my one shot at government."

NEW 🚨 Today we have launched three new #MinistersReflect with former chancellor Sajid Javid, former chief whip Simon Hart and former Defra secretary Theresa Villiers about their time in the May, Johnson and Sunak governments.

Read their interviews www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ministers-re...

Abolished to perfection? Building a better centre for the NHS | Institute for Government The abolition of NHS England creates both risks and opportunities.

Abolished to perfection? Building a better centre for the NHS

The abolition of NHS England creates both risks and opportunities. Our report with @nuffieldtrust.org.uk identifies five key factors in whether the process will be a success www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

An image ad for the IfG's one-day conference. Government 2026 on Tuesday 13 January, 09:00-17:00 In the right corner is an image of 10 Downing Street.

2026 is set to be a hugely significant year for Keir Starmer’s government and British politics.

Join us on Tuesday 13 Jan for our one-day conference on what government is doing well – and what it could be doing better.

Register to attend online 📅 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/govern...

The Covid Inquiry shows the importance of ministerial leadership during crises | Institute for Government Clarity of priorities, clear messaging and visible leadership are paramount in any crisis.

The Covid Inquiry shows the importance of ministerial leadership during crises

Clarity of priorities, clear messaging and visible leadership are paramount in any crisis. @sophiedaud.bsky.social @timdurrant.bsky.social

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/article/comm...

The government’s decision to delay mayoral elections cannot be justified on democratic or fairness grounds | Institute for Government The government has postponed the May 2026 mayoral elections in Greater Essex, Sussex and Brighton, Hampshire and the Solent, and Norfolk and Suffolk.

The government's decision to delay the 2026 mayoral elections in DPP areas is truly baffling and v disappointing

Excellent analysis in this from @matthewfright.bsky.social @akashpaun.bsky.social @shawharriet.bsky.social @meganisaac.bsky.social

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/gove...

Behind every great minister there is a great private office | Institute for Government The Institute for Government has launched a workshop series for private office starters.

New comment from me and @sophiedaud.bsky.social discussing the valuable work of minsters' private office, the need for more support AND launching our private office induction workshops

The first workshop is 18th December, more details on our website
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/article/comm...

Government 2026: IfG's annual conference | Institute for Government Join us as we bring together influential speakers and experts to explore the key questions for government in 2026.

I know it's barely even December, but what are you doing on 13 January? That's right, joining the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk annual conference!

Check out all the details here:

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/govern...

The government still has questions to answer on digital IDs | Institute for Government What does the government need to do to move its digital ID plans forward?

The government still has questions to answer on digital IDs

@hcdunlop.bsky.social considers what the government needs to do to move its plans forward www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/gove...

WEBINAR | The Trump challenge: Chaos, confusion and government communications

Join @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social and @simonbaugh.bsky.social to discuss the impact of Trump’s unpredictable approach to facts, accuracy and communication.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/trump-...

Patients clogging up A&E with hiccups, sore throats and niggles NHS bosses warn the public to use hospitals wisely amid concern this could be a tough winter.

The 'clogging up' of A+Es is not due to the 2% of people coming to ED with this quite arbitrary list of conditions. The main reason they're clogged is poor flow through hospitals!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Should the UK do budgets differently? | Institute for Government As Rachel Reeves is accused of misleading the public, the IfG's experts discuss how well the UK does budgets, and Lammy's plans for judge-only trials.

PODCAST 🎙️ The chair of the OBR has gone, the chancellor is being accused of misleading the public. So how did that budget go – and should the UK do budgets differently?

The IfG team are in the studio to discuss.

PLUS: Lammy's judge-only trial plans www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

I really enjoyed this panel yesterday so interesting to hear from Tom Walker and Mayor Claire Ward in two areas that are forging ahead

There's lots to learn from the different approaches in different places, always fascinating to be part of that conversation.

Thanks to @uniofsurrey.bsky.social !

This is an interesting piece. Analysis we've done support some of the findings

First, staff absences are higher on average in trusts that serve more deprived populations, and the effect is larger for mental health absences than for other conditions

The government's digital ID plan: Why now and what for? | Institute for Government An expert panel discusses what problems digital ID would solve and the challenges of implementing the policy.

1/ At the IfG, we have been following the government’s announcements on digital ID closely. Last month, we were joined by an expert panel to discuss the potential opportunities and challenges of implementing the policy.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/govern...

David Lammy’s proposals for judge-only trials would make England and Wales an outlier | Institute for Government Most countries don’t use jury trials, but few rely on a single judge to pass both verdict and sentence

David Lammy’s proposals for judge-only trials would make England and Wales an outlier www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/davi...