Healey and Haigh have asked ministers how they will use procurement as a "strategic lever to deliver innovation and growth in every postcode" (as per @lucyfisher.ft.com). New comment from me on some of the answers departments should give www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/andy...

Five ways departments can help deliver Andy Burnham’s procurement agenda | Institute for Government

The government has asked departments to show how they can support its new procurement reforms.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Burnham can’t take the politics out of social care reform Andy Burnham's pledge to tackle social care is an encouraging, though familiar, commitment, but he will need to face some very difficult choices to succeed www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/burn...

Burnham can’t take the politics out of social care reform | Institute for Government

The new PM will have to prioritise to make progress on social care during this parliament.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

And here is my piece for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk elaborating a bit on these initial reflections www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/andy...

Andy Burnham’s devolution announcement is a strong start on his priority agenda | Institute for Government

Changes on tax, new powers and institutions show Burnham means business.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Thomas Pope@tompope.bsky.social · 5d ago

Some thoughts on the government's devo announcement today: Overall, this is a great start on the govt's flagship agenda 1/

Also really welcome to see the commitment to public engagement in policymaking and building career paths between civil service and strategic authorities. Lots of good stuff in here from the government 👇

Stuart Hoddinott@stuarthoddinott.bsky.social · 5d ago

This is a genuinely exciting announcement about Burnham's intention for public service reform There are some potentially massive changes to the way that services are funded and operate A few things that jumped out at me 👇 www.gov.uk/government/p...

Really great it looks like government is going further on devolving employment support. It's a big opportunity to join-up services, tailor support locally, improve engagement and innovate. Flexible funding will be key to this (and should help areas streamline the current patchwork of programmes)

Stuart Hoddinott@stuarthoddinott.bsky.social · 5d ago

Details on some of the first services they intend to devolve power for, including employment support. A big win for @drbenpaxton.bsky.social and @martha-ford.bsky.social who recommended exactly that in their recent paper on the topic www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Some thoughts on the government's devo announcement today: Overall, this is a great start on the govt's flagship agenda 1/

Rewiring the State – Cabinet Statement (HTML)

gov.uk

This is a genuinely exciting announcement about Burnham's intention for public service reform There are some potentially massive changes to the way that services are funded and operate A few things that jumped out at me 👇 www.gov.uk/government/p...

Rewiring the State – Cabinet Statement (HTML)

gov.uk

Cross-party talks are fine-and might be part of a process to sort out social care But Burnham can’t sidestep politics Deciding how to spend billions (or not), & who should win or lose, is the essence of politics From @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/article/comm...

Burnham can’t take the politics out of social care reform | Institute for Government

The new PM will have to prioritise to make progress on social care during this parliament

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

New comment: PM buy-in is needed to reform adult social care, so yesterday's speech was positive And political consensus would help. But waiting for consensus shouldn't stop reform, else Burnham risks becoming the latest PM to fail on social care www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/article/comm...

Burnham can’t take the politics out of social care reform | Institute for Government

The new PM will have to prioritise to make progress on social care during this parliament

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

As Andy Burnham sets out his approach to social care, our performance tracker offers context. The findings expose regional and demographic differences in access to care. Closing this gap will require a clear understanding of the factors driving it: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Adult social care across England | Institute for Government

Examining the care gap in England.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

So the press revs up the tax scare stories about ASC reform There are just so many other angles: adressing a long-standing injustice, improving millions of lives Is the possibility of tax rises of indeterminate size and for unknown people at some hazy future date really the most pressing story?

This will be a great webinar with @jillongovt.bsky.social @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social and @tompope.bsky.social - do join us on Thursday and send in the questions you’d like the team to answer…

Institute for Government@instituteforgovernment.org.uk · last wk.

EVENT | Andy Burnham: How is the new prime minister changing the direction of government? 📅Thursday 30 July 2026, 13:00-13:50 Join us online as an expert panel assesses Andy Burnham's early decisions, his key appointments, and the way he is approaching the job of prime minister.

EVENT | Andy Burnham: How is the new prime minister changing the direction of government? 📅Thursday 30 July 2026, 13:00-13:50 Join us online as an expert panel assesses Andy Burnham's early decisions, his key appointments, and the way he is approaching the job of prime minister.

I’ve now made a full-government version of this Of the 92 MPs in Burnham’s government, 11 represent constituencies in Greater Manchester The north west has 16 in total, equalling the number from London and Yorkshire and the Humber

Philip Nye@philipnye.bsky.social · 2w ago

One question that’s come up a couple of times: where do Andy Burnham’s new cabinet represent as MPs? The north west has been the big gainer, with seven cabinet ministers holding seats there – of whom, five are in Greater Manchester

Public service reforms are underway but as @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social highlights Starmer's reforms haven't tackled the 'wonky patchwork' of overlapping boundaries that hinder delivery. Burnham has an opportunity to align public service reform and the devolution agenda but needs to act now

Burnham’s devolution agenda can lay strong foundations for public service reform | Institute for Government

The new PM needs to align the boundaries of services in local areas.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

New from @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social on why the government needs to align public service reform plans with its devolution agenda now

Stuart Hoddinott@stuarthoddinott.bsky.social · 2w ago

NEW BLOG: organisational boundaries in local govt, the NHS and police do not match up That's a problem for Burnham's devo ambitions He should intervene now to create an aligned system that paves the way for future public services devo More 👇 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/burn...

Some may say I'm biased... but I think this is a great piece Have a read!

Stuart Hoddinott@stuarthoddinott.bsky.social · 2w ago

NEW BLOG: organisational boundaries in local govt, the NHS and police do not match up That's a problem for Burnham's devo ambitions He should intervene now to create an aligned system that paves the way for future public services devo More 👇 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/burn...

Strongly agree with Stuart here. In our work on employment support for people out of work due to ill health, the mayoral strategic authorities that were aligned with NHS ICB boundaries repeatedly said how useful this had been for joining up support www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Designing and delivering employment support | Institute for Government

How can government better support people out of work due to ill health?

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Stuart Hoddinott@stuarthoddinott.bsky.social · 2w ago

NEW BLOG: organisational boundaries in local govt, the NHS and police do not match up That's a problem for Burnham's devo ambitions He should intervene now to create an aligned system that paves the way for future public services devo More 👇 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/burn...

Come on prime minister - having adopted our recommendations for the centre of government, why not take on board @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social important points about aligning public services…

Stuart Hoddinott@stuarthoddinott.bsky.social · 2w ago

NEW BLOG: organisational boundaries in local govt, the NHS and police do not match up That's a problem for Burnham's devo ambitions He should intervene now to create an aligned system that paves the way for future public services devo More 👇 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/burn...

NEW BLOG: organisational boundaries in local govt, the NHS and police do not match up That's a problem for Burnham's devo ambitions He should intervene now to create an aligned system that paves the way for future public services devo More 👇 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/burn...

Burnham’s devolution agenda can lay strong foundations for public service reform | Institute for Government

The new PM needs to align the boundaries of services in local areas.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

For those who want a break from Burnham news… NEW @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report out today by @paddy-mcalary.bsky.social, Saudamini Sigdel and I on how govt can better engage with researchers & bring their evidence, insights and expertise into policy making.

Government and academia: How government can better engage with researchers | Institute for Government

Government has made great strides in opening itself up to inputs from the UK’s world-leading university sector – but it can do still more.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

As Ed Miliband looks set to leave DESNZ a short 🧵on the department's achievements with him as minister and where there's still work to do:

To keep up to date with what's happening in public services and what a change of prime minister mean for upcoming reforms follow @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social @cassiarowland.bsky.social & @amberdellar.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/burn...

Burnham should learn from Starmer’s successes and failures on public services | Institute for Government

Keir Starmer squandered the opportunity to reform public services.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Burnham inherits a tricky fiscal situation. That may become tougher still, with a worsening forecast and expensive policy ambitions We argue that, while politically tricky, he should consider ditching Starmer and Reeves' tax lock pledge, which tied their hands More from us 👇

Institute for Government@instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 2w ago

Keir Starmer ducked the scale of the government’s fiscal challenges on entering office. Andy Burnham now has the opportunity to avoid making the same mistake, say @tompope.bsky.social, @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social and @drbenpaxton.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/burn...

Keir Starmer ducked the scale of the government’s fiscal challenges on entering office. Andy Burnham now has the opportunity to avoid making the same mistake, say @tompope.bsky.social, @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social and @drbenpaxton.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/burn...

Andy Burnham needs a new fiscal strategy that deals with the tax lock | Institute for Government

Tough choices on tax and spend await the next prime minister.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

NEW REPORT: how to make a success of SEND reform Government needs to get off the sidelines and build a SEND system that makes it easier for schools, councils and health services to work together. Our new report sets out how 🧵

Joining up SEND | Institute for Government

How to begin fixing SEND by making the system more joined-up.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Keir Starmer has started his final week as PM. So what have been the big moments of his premiership, and what can his successor learn from the last two years? We @instituteforgovernment.org.uk have been having a look back... www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Agree with Jill that this would be a very short timetable But if he does go for it, we wrote about the approach he should take: 1. Pick a few priorities with a clear vision (devo?) 2. Build on Starmer's successes 3. Force depts to collaborate www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/burn...

Burnham should learn from Starmer’s successes and failures on public services | Institute for Government

Keir Starmer squandered the opportunity to reform public services.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Jill Rutter@jillongovt.bsky.social · 3w ago

Lot to be said for what we used to call a Unified Budget under Major (tax and spending plans together_) as per @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/abf4... But to start from scratch and complete by autumn would be very brave, prime minister..

New comment: Starmer can credibly say he steadied the ship on public services But his govt launched a haphazard set of reforms and performance has not improved radically What choices does Burnham face? What can he do in the next ~3 years? 🧵👇 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/burn...

Burnham should learn from Starmer’s successes and failures on public services | Institute for Government

Keir Starmer squandered the opportunity to reform public services.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Late to this but good from @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/one-...

One year on: Where has the government’s decision to abolish NHS England left the NHS? | Institute for Government

The NHS is dealing with the fall out of Keir Starmer’s hasty and confused announcement.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk