The Freedom of Information Act at 25: What next for freedom of information?

With European nations now spending more on defence than America for the first time since the Second World War, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin explored how the end of the peace dividend is creating new dilemmas for the political class and what this means for the Whitehall machine.   In his first speech since stepping down as head of the armed forces, Admiral Sir Tony, who served four successive prime ministers, reflected on the advent of a third nuclear age, the race to artificial super intelligence and the requirement for grand national strategy to meet the demands of a new more dangerous era.   Following his speech, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin was in conversation with Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The industrial strategy has emerged after a long gestation, with June’s white paper containing an exhaustive list of policy commitments intended to deliver Labour’s promise to “lay the foundation for a decade of growth”, create hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs, ensure that every region thrives, and put Britain “at the forefront of the technological revolution”.   The strategy identifies 37 different ‘Frontier Industries’ within the eight growth sectors already set out in the green paper from October 2024, with these sectors treated as enablers of productivity to other parts of the economy – not just as vehicles of growth in themselves. So how can this ambitious idea be delivered successfully?    What combination of market and regulatory reforms can help to deliver this aim? What will be the role of public sector financial institutions like the National Wealth Fund and British Business Bank? What is the role for private finance? Is the government’s push to encourage more pension fund investment in British industry welcome or risky? And with the industrial strategy containing so many goals, industries and policy instruments, has the government taken on more than it can realistically deliver?     To explore these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel, including:   Sam Lister, Director General for Industrial Strategy at the Department for Business and Trade Paul Nightingale, Professor of Strategy at the University of Sussex Karen Northey, Corporate Affairs Director at the Investment Association Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.   This event was kindly supported by the Investment Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At this year’s local elections, the Reform Party secured outright majorities in 10 local authorities and won two metro mayor contests.   As its local leaders make the transition from opposition to government, what skills will they need to be successful? What are the trade-offs they will have to make? How should they design and deliver policy? And how should they work with the Labour government in Westminster to deliver for voters locally?   Speakers:    Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government (chair) Cllr Linden Kemkaran, Leader of Kent County Council & County Councillor for Maidstone Southeast Akash Paun, Programme Director (Devolution) at the Institute for Government Gawain Towler, former Head of Press for Reform UK   This event was an IfG fringe event held at the Reform UK Party Conference 2025 in Birmingham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Freedom of Information (FoI) Act – which was passed 25 years ago and came into force five years later – created a legal right for citizens to request information from public authorities. This was a radical shift in the government's approach to information and a significant step towards a more open culture of government. FoI was designed to generate more transparency and to tackle perceived secrecy in government, and it has been a vital tool for journalists, researchers and private citizens alike. However, some politicians have been critical of the burden that FoI requests create, and there are outstanding questions about how the FoI system can be more effective. With FoI requests more than tripling since it was introduced in 2005, this IfG event assessed the state of FoI on its double anniversary – and explored, through a series of proposals and an expert panel discussion, how the system can be improved.  To pitch their proposals for the future of Freedom of Information, the IfG was joined by Jenna Corderoy, Investigative reporter at Democracy for Sale Dr Louise Crow, Chief Executive of mySociety Dr Ben Worthy, Lecturer at Birkbeck University And to discuss the proposals and the FoI system more broadly: John Edwards, Information Commissioner Lord Charlie Falconer, Secretary for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor (2003–07) Lynn Wyeth, Executive Board Member of the Campaign for Freedom of Information, and Executive Board Member of The National Association of Data Protection and Freedom of Information Officers (NADPO)  The event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate of the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The prime minister has made some big changes in No10. Darren Jones moves from the Treasury to take on the newly-created job of chief secretary to the prime minister. A new executive director of communications has been recruited. Minouche Shafik has been appointed as the PM’s economics adviser. And other eye-catching job changes are taking place.   So what does this all say about how Keir Starmer wants to govern? How will Darren Jones’s role dovetail with chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden? Will these changes really equip the centre of government for a “relentless focus on delivery”? And what Institute for Government recommendations should Starmer now adopt as he weighs up further changes to the centre?   Alex Thomas, Hannah Keenan, Gemma Tetlow and Hannah White explain all in this expert Institute for Briefing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The IfG DevoLab is a new Institute for Government initiative dedicated to exploring the innovations enabled by devolution, learning from the results, and sharing the lessons so that places can take better decisions about how to use devolved powers and budgets.     The first ever IfG DevoLab event saw speakers from three regions set out how the powers and profile of mayors are being used to address health inequalities in their regions.   The three case studies being presented at IfG DevoLab #1 were:   ‘Beds for Babies: Safe Space to Sleep’, by Andy Gates, Director of Development, Collaboration and Culture at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority ‘Taking a health in all policies approach’, by Vicky Hobart, Director of Public Health at the Greater London Authority Group. ‘Working Well’, by Thomas Britton, Principal – Contracted Employment Provision at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The three speakers were joined by Peter Babudu, Executive Director of Impact on Urban Health, for a broader discussion of how devolution can improve health outcomes, how the government can support innovation and learning, and whether there is a case for further devolution in this area.   This event, which took place in London and could also be joined online, was chaired by Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.   Insights from this event informed a published policy briefing containing the three case studies and the key lessons for mayors and local leaders.   This event was kindly supported by Impact on Urban Health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Special advisers are a vital part of the glue that helps make government work effectively, and since July 2024 more than 100 spads have been appointed by Keir Starmer and his ministers. As well as experiencing the day-to-day challenges that come with one of the most intense jobs in Westminster, the new cohort has also faced ministerial churn, parliamentary rebellion and a change of No.10 chiefs of staff.   So how can special advisers be most effective in government? What are the challenges they face, and how can they deal with them? And how is the current cohort of spads faring in their difficult, and misunderstood, roles?    To discuss how the spads of today (and tomorrow) can do the job well we were joined by:   Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor at the Sunday Times and co-author of Get In: The Inside Story of Labour Under Starmer Salma Shah, Special Adviser to Sajid Javid (2014–19) Sam White, Special Adviser to Alistair Darling (2004–10) and Chief of Staff to Keir Starmer (2021–22); Chair of Foundations: the national what works centre for children and families   The event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is driving Donald Trump’s America – and what lessons might the rise of the MAGA movement, and the Democrats’ defeat in the 2024 US presidential election, hold for Keir Starmer and the Labour Party?   Tim Ryan, a former Democrat nominee for President, served in the US House of Representatives for Ohio for over two decades. He ran for President in 2020 and then the US Senate from Ohio in 2022, an election won by JD Vance – the future US Vice President.   On Monday 14 July, Tim Ryan joined Anushka Asthana, Channel 4’s US Editor, at the Institute of Government, to share his experiences of US politics – and what other countries can learn from the rise and return of President Trump. What lies behind the dissatisfaction in US voters that saw Trump return to the White House? How can the Democrats build a vote-winning agenda? And what was it like to face JD Vance – and how influential is the Vice President on Trump’s America?   This event was introduced by IfG Director and CEO Dr Hannah White.   Tim Ryan, the former representative for Ohio, was in London with PPI to champion the Campaign for Working Americans – the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) mission to develop ideas and policy proposals to help the US Democratic Party reconnect with working Americans. Ryan represented Ohio in the US Congress from 2003–23, and ran for the Senate in Ohio in 2022, an election JD Vance won and went on to become US Vice President.    Anushka Asthana joined Channel 4 News in June 2025 as US Editor. She previously worked at ITV News, where she had been Deputy Political Editor since 2021 and co-presented Peston since 2018. Prior to joining ITV, Anushka was joint Political Editor of The Guardian, having worked for Sky, The Times, and The Observer. In 2024, her book, Taken As Red, was published as one of the first accounts of Labour's dramatic election win, with the updated paperback published in June 2025 on Labour’s first year in government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Labour fought the 2024 general election on a manifesto which promised “a new way of doing government” – one built on the concept of mission-driven government. But how much has this government’s decisions, trade-offs and policy priorities really been shaped by its five missions? And how far have they been able to make progress on their priorities in the first year?   To mark the first year of Keir Starmer becoming prime minister, the Institute for Government and the Institute for Fiscal Studies hosted a joint event to explore what progress the government has made and whether Starmer’s government is really doing things differently to its predecessors.   Are the government’s missions realistic or do they lack ambition? Have Rachel Reeves’ tax and spending choices supported or hindered mission delivery? What did the spending review reveal about the government’s priorities? How could government be better structured – and decisions made – in a way that is more mission-driven? And one year on since the general election, can the government really say it is governing in a “new way”?   To explore these questions and more, the IfG and IFS brought together an expert panel featuring:   Stephen Bush, Associate Editor and columnist at the Financial Times Helen Miller, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government   The event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of 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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices