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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

@instituteforgovernment.org.uk has a really stellar line-up to debate the relationship between ministers and public bodies at Conservative conference next week. If you're in Birmingham and interested in how arms-length government works, you shouldn't miss this. Hope to see you there!

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

4/5 Their review has created an opportunity to highlight the key areas for reform: (1) mapping and clarifying the confusing landscape of ombuds and other redress bodies; (2) making better use of ombuds to spot early warning signs; and (3) overhauling outdated structures.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

3/5 With no clear locus for ombuds policy in government at present, it is time to bring coherence to a fragmented system. The Ethics and Integrity Commission are rightly reviewing this area.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

2/5 Ombuds schemes investigate and resolve complaints about public authorities, providing redress for individuals as well as identifying systemic issues. The UK’s ombuds landscape matters for both public service improvement and individual redress, but it needs to change.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

11/11 There’s much more colour in the short insight paper – which is published in HTML form for easy scrolling. Just click here! www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

‘Good growth in every postcode’ | Institute for Government

How Andy Burnham can show that he has delivered against his pledge at the next election.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

10/11 Strengthen working relationships between business and government. Burnham’s vision requires deeper collaborative relationships between all levels of government and business, not just better incentives or policy leverage.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

9/11 Maintain confidence in the continuity of growth policy. Burnham must show that his plans can endure – politically as well as practically – for the long haul.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

8/11 Quantify and explain growth-friendly spending and investment plans. Levering in more private sector investment, for example in housebuilding and infrastructure, has cost and risk implications.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

7/11 Conduct dispassionate cost-benefit analysis of those ancillary objectives. It will be important to understand the trade-offs that the various objectives packaged into good growth initiatives entail, politically and financially.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

6/11 Distinguish growth-related and ‘ancillary’ aspects of good growth initiatives. Some outcomes associated with “good growth” are intrinsic to achieving growth itself while others reflect distinct, more or less related, aims.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

5/11 Build the skills and processes needed around the country. For delegated decision making about growth initiatives to succeed, local areas will need the ability to appraise and implement projects well.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

4/11 Clarify which decisions will be devolved to which level in a consistent way. Not all growth initiatives will work everywhere or in isolation, so Burnham should set clear and realistic expectations as to what can be delegated to places.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

3/11 Set out the government’s strategy for long-term growth at a national level. This should again build on existing knowledge and should explain how local growth fits into a national strategy.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

2/11 Before anything else, Burnham must define “good growth” clearly for the wider public. He will need to explain what can be learnt directly from Manchester and what needs to be different at a national level.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

1/11 Andy Burnham wants “good growth in every postcode”. There's a lot to unpack! This short insight paper for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk looks at what Burnham must do to define and deliver “good growth” at all levels of government: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

‘Good growth in every postcode’ | Institute for Government

How Andy Burnham can show that he has delivered against his pledge at the next election.

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Reposted by Matthew Gill

Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 28/08/2026

NEW | ‘Good growth in every postcode’: What could Andy Burnham’s pledge mean in practice? @drmatthewgill.bsky.social explores how the PM can show that he has delivered against his pledge at the next election www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

‘Good growth in every postcode’ | Institute for Government

How Andy Burnham can show that he has delivered against his pledge at the next election.

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Reposted by Matthew Gill

Alex Thomas @alexgathomas.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Major machinery of govt changes including - finally! - the creation of an Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet Long overdue and excellent news that the Burnham govt has grasped this nettle questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

questions-statements.parliament.uk

Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.

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Reposted by Matthew Gill

Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 14/07/2026

EVENT | Regulation in a changing world: How to meet the needs of the future? 📅Wednesday 15 July 2026, 13:45-17:25 A half-day conference bringing together experts from across government, industry and civil society to discuss the future of regulation in the UK. The conference will include...

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Reposted by Matthew Gill

Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 08/07/2026

There's just a week to go until our half-day conference, Regulation in a changing world: How to meet the needs of the future? Watch as @drmatthewgill.bsky.social reveals more about the day and our speakers. Interested in joining us on Weds 15 July? Check out the links below

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

8/8 The final panel will then look at the practicalities of ongoing reforms across utilities regulation, taking the water sector as its case study. Will the reforms facilitate long-term investment in UK critical infrastructure, and how can they retain the confidence of all involved?

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

7/8 The conference will bring together government, regulators, industry and civil society. It will explore how the government wants to change regulation and whether the current relationships between regulators, government and the public are set up to work well in uncertain times.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

6/8 The government has identified regulatory reform as an important means of delivering its priorities, including on growth, investment and innovation. But economic constraints, political pressures and international uncertainty all make reform both more pressing and more difficult.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

5/8 Other speakers include former Environment minister Lord Michael Gove, Citizens’ Advice Chief Executive Dame Clare Moriarty DCB, Ofgem Chair Mark McAllister, DBT Director-General Caleb Deeks, economist John Fingleton CBE, and Office for Environmental Protection CEO Natalie Prosser.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

4/8 The conference will begin with a keynote speech by Blair McDougall MP, Minister for Regulation at the Department for Business and Trade.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

3/8 To attend in person, please register here: instituteforgovernment.zohobackstage.eu/Regulationin... To join us online, please register here: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/regula...

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

2/8 While in-person attendance is by invitation only, spaces are currently available – if you’d like to come, please register at the link below and we’ll confirm your place as soon as we can. Alternatively, it is also possible to watch the conference online.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

1/8 Do join us at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk for our half day conference – “Regulation in a changing world: How to meet the needs of the future?” – on the afternoon of Wednesday 15th July.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

This is well worth a look if you're interested in the foundations of public body independence, particularly for scientific bodies providing specialist evidence and expertise. The resource builds on extensive UCL research from last year, also referenced in the thread.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

My latest short piece for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk is part of our series marking 10 years since the Brexit vote. I focus on regulation, but colleagues have written on the economy, civil service, foreign policy, law, policymaking, devolution, parliament and politics itself. Well worth a browse!

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

8/8 ... Fingleton himself was cautious: better to achieve concrete progress in one field than to boil the ocean. Many reviews like this aren't acted on in the end, and he was concerned to keep his review team involved in implementing change. So time will tell.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

6/8 Fourth, project-based regulation doesn’t always achieve best value in terms of outcomes. For example, if an environmental safeguard would cost £x to achieve within a construction project, could more be achieved for the environment by using £x to do something else entirely?

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

5/8 Third, Fingleton reflected that delegation of regulatory decisions can be problematic because more junior people might make expensive decisions that seniors aren’t aware of until it’s too late. So managing delegation well is key to making the right decisions swiftly.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

4/8 Second, many stakeholders are rightly heard in regulatory deliberations but those marginal to a decision may be heard too much. A clear political steer can help in closing down debate – but this is hard to maintain.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

3/8 First, those regulated can often be incentivised to displace risk onto others rather than reducing it (he gave the example of closing parks in high winds so that people walk around the perimeter where the risk of being hit by a tree is in fact higher).

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

2/8 Fingleton spoke at Policy Exchange last week www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWsp... about his review (www.gov.uk/government/p...). The whole discussion is worth your time, but four points points about regulation stood out to me...

youtube.com

Making UK Nuclear Work: A conversation with John Fingleton CBE

YouTube video by PolicyExchangeUK

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

1/8 It's good to see the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) receiving the attention it deserves. This explainer from @howesdaniel.bsky.social @instituteforgovernment.org.uk explains its role ⬇️. But John Fingleton's recent review of ONR raised regulatory issues that go beyond the sector. A thread...

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

3/3 The government still says it will “look to” strengthen the legislation underpinning the existing regulator – the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) – and it should do so without delay. But this is a poor second best, as I argue in the piece.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

2/3 On the contrary, following corporate scandals including Carillion, Patisserie Valerie and others, the ARGA proposal commanded broad consensus as a means of reinforcing the credibility of UK corporate reporting and thereby supporting growth.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

1/3 The government’s reasons for scrapping plans for an Audit and Reporting Governance Authority (ARGA) appear specious. This is a bad example of how to achieve growth by cutting red tape, as I argue in my latest comment for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk...

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

8/8 The practicalities need working out in more detail. This isn’t something regulators can achieve without investment and central co-ordination from government. It would be a major expansion of RIO’s remit to take on all of it, but that may be emerging as one of the most realistic options.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

7/8 But Willetts is surely pushing in the right direction. I offer some more ideas to improve regulatory co-operation here - including streamlining legislation, data and platform sharing, and a more consistent approach to redress: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/regulatory-action-plan.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Regulation and growth | Institute for Government

What is in the government's new action plan?

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

6/8 One could quibble with Willetts. Faster approvals through regulators working in parallel would cost. And emphasising the frustrations of regulation for entrepreneurs can talk past those who value its protections (albeit Willetts is not crude about this).

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

5/8 Cooperation between regulators is a highly technical, politically sensitive and collaborative task. It’s good that this is being recognised – but getting the right people working on it in a sustained way will require ongoing political energy and support.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

4/8 But how to deepen and strengthen that co-operation? Willett’s solution of ministerial involvement in providing cover is part of the answer, but only part – ministers can set direction but this kind of cross-jurisdictional analysis can involve a fiendish level of detail in practice.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

3/8 Appropriately weighing these benefits is important, but regulatory co-operation across fields is really hard, particularly when different types of expertise are needed. Willetts cites the DRCF as an example of where this happens – another example would be the UKRN’s work in economic regulation.

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

2/8 A striking point Willetts makes is that the benefits of new technology might fall outside the purview of the regulator responsible for looking at its risks (Willetts gives the example of drones – regulated by the CAA – being used to survey buildings at height – increasing worker safety).

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Matthew Gill @drmatthewgill.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

1/8 Well worth reading this piece from David Willetts out today: www.kcl.ac.uk/news/lord-wi.... It raises many important questions as well as showcasing RIO’s work. A thread:

kcl.ac.uk

Lord Willetts sets out vision for pro-innovation regulation to boost UK growth | King's College London

The chair of the Regulatory Innovation Office reflects on what works in regulating emerging technologies

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