2024 will be a crucial year for government and for British politics. With a general election no more than a year away, Rishi Sunak has asked to be judged on meeting his five pledges – and the pressure is on Keir Starmer to add policy details to his five missions.

To mark the start of this pivotal 12 months, the Institute for Government’s annual conference will bring together influential speakers and IfG experts to explore the key questions facing government – and opposition parties – in 2024, stimulate new thinking and discuss the year ahead.

What are the main challenges facing the country as as a general election nears? After a decade of decline, and with no new money promised at the autumn statement, what can be done to fix public services? How should the civil service be reformed to deliver for ministers? What dividing lines will define debates on Brexit, net zero, and devolution? And with the war in Ukraine showing no sign of ending, the crisis in the middle east causing shockwaves way beyond the region, and a US presidential election taking place in November, what impact might international affairs have on the political debate in this country?

The day will be packed with panel discussions, keynote speeches, in-conversation events and a live podcast recording, all exploring what government is doing well – and what it should be doing better.

We would like to thank Grant Thornton UK for supporting this event.

09:15 – 09:30 | Welcome

• Dr Hannah White OBE, Director of the Institute for Government
• Phillip Woolley, Partner, Grant Thornton
   

09:30 – 10:30 | General election countdown: key challenges for government in 2024 
 

A wide-ranging discussion on the key issues facing government – and the economy – as a general election draws near.

• Claire Ainsley, Director of the Project on Center-Left Renewal and former Executive Director of Policy to Keir Starmer
• Anita Boateng, partner at Portland
• Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
• Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
• Dr Hannah White OBE, Director of the Institute for Government (chair)
   

10:50 – 11:45 | Ending the decline: how to fix public services

• Stuart Hoddinott, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government – to set out key Performance Tracker findings
   
• Councillor Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council
• Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, former Minister
• Stephen Bush, Associate Editor and Columnist at the Financial Times
• Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government
• Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government (chair)
   

11:50 – 12:45 | Government Keynote Speech

13:30 – 14:20 | The essential IfG briefing

A chance to discuss other key IfG workstreams ahead of the election

• Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
• Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
• Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
• Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
• Dr Matthew Gill, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
• Joe Owen, Director of Impact at the Institute for Government (chair)
   

14:25 – 15:25 | Ready for reform: next steps for the civil service (including the launch of Whitehall Monitor 2024)

• Rhys Clyne, Associate Director at the Institute for Government – to launch findings of Whitehall Monitor
   
• Rt Hon Lord Maude, author of the Independent Review of Governance and Accountability in the Civil Service
• Sapana Agrawal, Director of Modernisation and Reform, Cabinet Office
• Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government 
• Emma Norris, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government (chair)

15:45 – 16:30 | Labour Keynote Speech

16:30 – 16:35 | IfG Director’s closing remarks

16.45 – 17:30| Podcast recording: The Expert Factor Live!

• Adam Fleming, Presenter, BBC Newscast
• Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Professor Anand Menon, Director of UK in a Changing Europe
• Dr Hannah White OBE, Director of the Institute for Government

 Follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) @ifgevents and join the conversation using #IfGgov24

We would like to thank Grant Thornton UK for supporting this event.