Alex Thomas

Thanks Tim

Great piece from Alex and Jack (of course)

Plenty of savings to be made in the civil service, but the response to all these kinds of announcements (from government and opposition parties!) should always be: what do you want the state to stop doing?

Our reaction to Mel Stride’s big day at the Tory conference

There are savings to be made in the civil service. But an arbitrary headcount target & ignoring new demands on the state won’t deliver them

The hard work of doing that falls to the govt

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

Am looking forward to this post-party conference palette cleanser ⬇️

And finally… and this is actually the main point… everything will be different by 2029

The Labour government also wants to cut the cost of the civil service. They are implementing redundancy programmes and hiring freezes and we’ll see if that works. So this is all a bit of a fantasy numbers game

A reminder that it’s a mistake to target headcount reductions

We should focus on the money saved, not the people lost. Because if you target headcount the incentives are skewed. The cheaper, easier-to-lose people go, the more expensive entrenched people stay

There is scope to cut the civil service. The central policy function has more than doubled since 2016. New technology will change the nature of civil service work and reduce costs, especially in the biggest departments. Civil servants also report duplication and unnecessary overhead all the time

CS grew especially because of Brexit & Covid. Some cannot be unwound, eg repatriated border controls, customs arrangements, new env & financial reg, trade negotiations

Also legitimate new priorities from ministers eg asylum processors in the Home Office, more prison staff in the MoJ

Tories tout £47bn in spending cuts in bid to reclaim fiscal reputation Shadow chancellor says he will target welfare spending, overseas aid budget and civil service staffing to find savings

On the civil service bit of this…£8bn savings *a year* by the end of the Parliament claimed

Reducing headcount to 2016 levels is easier said than done, as previous govts know

on.ft.com/46Da3nm

Obviously easy to dunk, but it is a good sign if new politicians are getting to grips with finance and trade-offs and wrestling with them. Denying reality is the danger, not trying to balance the budget

What an admirably clear statement from the Jewish Leadership Council, especially when all of those involved must surely have been dealing with so many other urgent challenges in safety, security and grief + shock today before having this further divisive and distracting intervention to address too.

Has Euan Blair’s company Multiverse been chosen to run the government’s new digital ID scheme? – Full Fact Multiverse is an “upskilling company”, not a software developer, and both it and the government say there’s no truth to viral claims linking it to the scheme.

Absolutely astonished @hignfy.bsky.social just stated that Multiverse will be running the government's digital ID scheme

An incredibly basic failure of fact-checking

fullfact.org/technology/d...

Five things the IfG learned at the 2025 Labour Party Conference | Institute for Government What did the Labour conference reveal about Keir Starmer’s government?

Five things the IfG learned at the 2025 Labour Party Conference

@timdurrant.bsky.social @alexgathomas.bsky.social @gemmatetlow.bsky.social @gilesyb.bsky.social @jillongovt.bsky.social explore what #Lab25 revealed about Keir Starmer’s government www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/2025...

🎧🎧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...

OK deal

Yep yep yep

Every interview:

“you’re amazing!”

“no, you’re the best!”

“I did it for you”

“but you have my big golf heart”

“thanks gentlemen, appreciate it”

Separately / relatedly - v much enjoying Luke Donald and the Europeans leaning in to soppy love on the golf course

Ha - well they are being ravaged

Bad taste I suppose to suggest Trump might send the National Guard to Beth Page

Marvellous

Also - DeChambeau is charismatic and a good YouTuber. But desperate for him to lose this match after the Trump nonsense at the start

Think golf is a hobby and a skill. The fact it’s unsporty is probably why I enjoy watching and playing it

F1. I lost interest after Nigel Mansell

What a ludicrous thing DOGE is. Predictable and predicted madness and bad government - this is well worth a read

An image ad for an IfG event at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. How can government use leadership and innovation to deliver for the public? Tuesday 30 September | 10:30–11:30 Speakers: Chris Ward MP, Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office Kelly Beaver MBE, Chief Executive of Ipsos, UK and Ireland Conrad Thompson, Public Sector Lead for Innovation at PA Consulting Moira Wallace, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government This event will be chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event is in partnership with PA Consulting.

How can government use leadership and innovation to deliver for the public?

📅 Tuesday 30 September | 10:30–11:30

Don't miss our #Lab25 event with Chris Ward MP, Kelly Beaver at Ipsos, Conrad Thompson at PA, Moira Wallace, @alexgathomas.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/ifg-la...

The 2025 budget and beyond: How Rachel Reeves can approach tax reform to help drive growth | Institute for Government A big autumn approaches for the chancellor.

New @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report by me, @gemmatetlow.bsky.social and @jillongovt.bsky.social on how Reeves should approach tax this Autumn

With tax rises inevitable, Reeves should reject path of least resistance and embrace tax reform 1/3

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

How Number 10's strengthened economics team can work for Keir Starmer | Institute for Government There are four key steps to help No10's new economics team succeed.

How Number 10's strengthened economics team can work for Keir Starmer

@gilesyb.bsky.social identifies four key steps to help No10's new economics team succeed.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/numb...

The civil service is still growing… (just)

Civil Service Fast Stream named UK's top graduate employer Fast Stream programme climbs to top of league table based on survey of over 15,000 graduates across UK universities.

The fast stream consistently ranks (near) the top of graduate employer rankings - and this year it's taken the top spot (again!).

But while graduates find the scheme very attractive, exclusive @instituteforgovernment.org.uk research shows their expectations aren't always met once on the scheme.

Trump’s State Visit: The Sequel Podcast Episode · Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government · 17/09/2025 · 32m

NEW: Trump’s State Visit: The Sequel

@drhannahwhite.bsky.social @cathhaddon.bsky.social @alexgathomas.bsky.social & guest @michaelmartins17.bsky.social preview Donald Trump’s visit

(On the IfG podcast, now landing in your feeds a little earlier in the week)

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