To reflect on the topics raised during the conference, the IfG and CSPL convened small group discussions to talk through more specific questions: 

What are the emerging threats and opportunities in the standards landscape? 

How do politics and partisanship affect the way standards are perceived?

What does ethical public service leadership look like?

Those joining online were able to take part in a webinar discussion on the same topics. A panel of IfG and CSPL staff will report back on the themes raised in the discussions. 

This event was part of the IfG’s conference, The Nolan Principles at 30: What does the future hold for standards in public life?

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Many of the public’s interactions with the state are with frontline officials in health and social care, policing and local government. How much do the Nolan principles resonate with those delivering public services? How can frontline officials be supported to make ethical decisions? And how can frontline organisations prevent failures, and rebuild public trust where they occur?

Speakers:

Neil Basu, former Assistant Commissioner, Metropolitan Police

Helen Buckingham, Chair of National Voices

Amerdeep Somal, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

This session was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG’s conference, The Nolan Principles at 30: What does the future hold for standards in public life?

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Chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG’s conference, The Nolan Principles at 30: What does the future hold for standards in public life?

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Chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG’s conference, The Nolan Principles at 30: What does the future hold for standards in public life?

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After 30 years of the Nolan Principles, ethical scandals – from partygate to freebiegate – are still a regular feature of UK political life and public trust in politicians remains low. What role do politicians play in leading by example? How should politicians in Westminster, devolved and local governments demonstrate their commitment to the Nolan Principles? How can they show ethical leadership within their organisations? And what does upholding standards look like in different political and governmental contexts?

Speakers:

Paula Barker MP, member of the Commons Select Committee on Standards

Roger Gough, former leader of Kent County Council  

Dr Melissa McCullough, Commissioner for Standards, NI Assembly

Dave Penman, General Secretary, FDA

This session was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG’s conference, The Nolan Principles at 30: What does the future hold for standards in public life?

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To mark the 30th anniversary of the Nolan Principles, and to explore how ethical standards can be upheld in the future, the IfG brought together a series of expert panels and keynote speakers – including former prime minister the Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH – for a thought-provoking and stimulating one-day conference.

Introduction from Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the IfG, and Doug Chalmers, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the IfG.

This event was part of the IfG’s conference, The Nolan Principles at 30: What does the future hold for standards in public life?

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Rumours of a cabinet reshuffle are never far away in Westminster. So how should Keir Starmer approach the delicate task of choosing his top team? The prime minister has to strike a balance between ministers’ performance, party management and the government’s policy agenda, while being a minister is a job like no other – there are no regular performance reviews, clear handovers or annual appraisals.

So how can ministers succeed in government and reach the cabinet table? What skills do they need at each rung of the ministerial ladder? How can backbench MPs prepare to become a minister? And how does the prime minister make decisions about who should serve in government?

To explore these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel, including:

Kitty Donaldson, Chief Political Commentator at the i Paper

Rt Hon Lucy Frazer KC, former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Rt Hon James Purnell, CEO of Flint Global and former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

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After a decade of tight funding settlements and the Covid-19 pandemic, Wes Streeting is the latest health secretary trying to improve NHS productivity. But what can the government do to ensure the NHS spends its budget – due to be more than £200bn in 2025/26 – more effectively?

This event, held in partnership with the Health Foundation, explored what the NHS can do to improve productivity – which is vital to improve the quality of services for patients, ensure the NHS is financially sustainable and provide value for money for taxpayers.  

What improvements in productivity and health outcomes can technology really deliver? What lessons are there from previous governments’ attempts to make efficiency savings? What options does Streeting really have to drive through reforms? What effect – if any – will the abolition of NHS England and cuts to integrated care boards’ budgets have on driving productivity to improve performance?

To discuss these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel including:

Helen Buckingham, Chair of Trustees at National Voices

Anita Charlesworth, Senior Economic Advisor at the Health Foundation

Caroline Clarke, Regional Director of the NHS in London

Rachel Sylvester, Political Editor at the Observer

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

This event was held in partnership with The Health Foundation.

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As part of its devolution agenda, the government is deepening and extending the mayoral model across England. Fourteen regional mayors are now in office, holding powers over transport, skills, housing and planning, economic growth and more. The government eventually wants every region of England to be led by a mayor.

But what are the characteristics of effective mayoral leadership? How should existing and new mayors use their powers and their platform to bring benefits to their regions? And what lessons can England’s mayors learn from international experience?

We held a discussion of these themes, informed by insights from the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University and its director, Professor Jorrit de Jong, who was in conversation with Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government, and Akash Paun, Programme Director for Devolution.

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Labour’s 2024 manifesto set out a number of big changes aimed at strengthening democratic participation, such as improving voter registration, addressing inconsistencies in voter ID rules and extending the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds.

Twenty-five years after the introduction of the UK’s political finance regime, and a billion pounds of donations later, the manifesto also committed to “strengthening the rules around donations to political parties” – something that has become more pressing as high-profile actors flirt with introducing significant sums of money into the UK’s party funding system.

So what difference would these proposed changes make to the UK electoral system? Can they reignite voter confidence and engagement in the democratic process? What are the lessons learnt from the 2024 general election about turnout, the voter ID requirement, and candidate abuse and intimidation? And what should the government prioritise to ensure the electoral system is ready for the next general election in 2029 and able to address growing threats?

To reflect on last summer’s election and to discuss how the government’s plans will affect the way elections work, we were joined by an expert panel:

Lewis Baston, Political journalist and author

Matteo Bergamini, Founder and CEO of Shout Out UK

Professor Jane Green, Co-Director of the British Election Study

John Pullinger, Chair of the Electoral Commission

The event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.

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