As the Conservative party looks likely to descend into painful post-match analysis and a fractious leadership contest, it is joined on the opposition benches by an unusually varied set of other parties. Four MPs will take their seats for the Greens and …
The King’s Speech on 17th July will set out Sir Keir Starmer’s legislative agenda for government and reveal his priorities for the parliamentary session. While Labour’s attention and resources have been focused on the general election campaign, Starmer and …
Rachel Reeves has set out the new Labour government’s first steps towards “fixing the foundations” of Britain’s economy. In a speech at the Treasury, the new chancellor announced a series of planning reforms which she says will get Britain building the …
Get MPs sworn in to parliament: from 9 July A new parliament will be summoned to meet on 9 July. The first business will be to elect a Commons Speaker and complete the swearing in of MPs and peers. MPs take the oath in order of seniority: the Speaker goes …
The first Labour cabinet in 14 years is in place and the junior ministerial ranks are being filled. But although the process of appointing ministers is unlikely to ever again be so straightforward for Keir Starmer, the new prime minister’s approach looks …
Some of the most enduring reforms made by UK chancellors have been to the structures that support economic policy making and announced early on in the life of a new government – from Gordon Brown’s granting independence to the Bank of England in 1997 to …
The next King's Speech, which will mark the State Opening of the first session of parliament following the election, is scheduled for 17 July 2024. What is a King's Speech and when is it delivered? The King’s Speech is part of the State Opening of …
What is the payroll vote? The 'payroll vote' is the body of MPs who hold offices that require them to support the government. These MPs are bound by collective responsibility and would be expected to resign before opposing the government. They may …
How does the opposition oppose government in parliament? Opposition MPs participate in debates on bills and amendments, usually speaking against those introduced by the government. The opposition tends to vote against government policy, although this is …
While not an entirely novel strategy, early appointments of highly qualified externals to the Lords, to fill specialist ministerial roles (Patrick Vallance as minister for science, James Timpson as minister for prisons, parole and probation, Richard Hermer …
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Keir Starmer used his first speech as prime minister to declare that the “work of change begins immediately”. But how will the Labour government approach the complex policy challenges that it has inherited? And how will it start making progress on new …
© 2024 Institute for Government | Design and development by Soapbox The Institute is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales No. 6480524 Registered Charity No. 1123926
What are the rules for MPs' second jobs? What is the payroll vote? How does 'ping pong' work? How are select committee members elected? Navigating the unique world of parliament can be challenging even for seasoned MPs. Our suite of explainers …
How do we calculate the government's working majority? In practice, the government has a larger ‘working majority’. This differs from the simple majority because two groups of MPs do not vote in parliament. Firstly, there is the Speaker and his or …
There is a fairly well-worn process that senior civil servants must guide a newly-elected prime minister through during their first 72 hours in the role. After a prime minister is appointed by the monarch they often return to make a speech outside the …
The devolution agenda needs a rethink after years of tension and disagreement The state of the Union barely featured as a theme of the 2024 election campaign, with the main party manifestos promising little in terms of reform to the devolution settlements …
A general election brings the appointment of a whole host of new ministers, and on day one in government they begin a job like no other. Former shadow ministers may be familiar with their new policy portfolio, but ministerial life is very different to …
The registration for this will go live this afternoon, Wednesday 3 July Join us for a special livestreamed recording of the Institute for Government podcast, as a team of IfG experts – bleary eyed but full of coffee – gather in the podcast studio to make …
Most effective options Given the scale of the problem, the new government will need to free up thousands of prisons places. Unfortunately, there are few options that will have sufficient impact, can be implemented quickly and pose low risk in terms of both …
