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Martha Ford

@martha-ford.bsky.social
220 followers 123 following 12 posts

Research assistant, public finances @instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Reposted by Martha Ford
Stuart Hoddinott @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
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/...
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Megan Bryer @meganbryer.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
John Healey becomes the 19th minister to resign from Keir Starmer's government. Here's a handy recap of all 19 and why they resigned. Read our @instituteforgovernment.org.uk explainer on ministerial resignations for more info! www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/mi...
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Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 29/05/2026
Alan Milburn’s NEET diagnosis must lead to local level solutions Local leaders are best placed to support a “lost generation” of young people not in education or employment, say @drbenpaxton.bsky.social and @martha-ford.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/alan...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Alan Milburn’s NEET diagnosis must lead to local level solutions | Institute for Government
Local leaders are best placed to support a “lost generation” of young people not in education or employment.
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Ben Paxton @drbenpaxton.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
This is just the kind of testing and learning government should be doing to better understand how to support people out of work due to ill health (£) www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
thetimes.com
Sick notes ‘scrapped’ under plans to reduce benefit claimants
Social prescribers will be brought in to help those struggling with their health to stay in work in an attempt to reduce spiralling costs
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
New IfG report recommends devolving employment support. I think the case for this is very strong: if you look at a map of “where sickness related economic inactivity happens”, it is obvious that what you are seeing is primarily a problem of how local economies operate:
ft.com
Novel approach needed for UK’s sick and unemployed
A shift to local initiatives may help more people back into work
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Ben Paxton @drbenpaxton.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
More on all of this in the report. Huge thanks to @martha-ford.bsky.social, @tompope.bsky.social, @rebeccamckee.bsky.social and many other IfG colleagues. And to those who shared their insights from designing, delivering or using employment support www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Designing and delivering employment support | Institute for Government
How can government better support people out of work due to ill health?
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Ben Paxton @drbenpaxton.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Our new IfG report explores what a better system of employment support for people out of work due to ill health could look like. DWP's centralised approach to date has some strengths, but has limited integration with other services and the innovation needed to better understand what works 🧵
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Martha Ford @martha-ford.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Government should devolve greater responsibility for employment support. Our report, published today, sets out how government could better support people out of work due to ill health: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/... Why write this now?
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Designing and delivering employment support | Institute for Government
How can government better support people out of work due to ill health?
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Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
new online paper by @rosahodgkin.bsky.social @danhaile.bsky.social and me on how govt needs to get a grip of the economic consequences of the Iran war. Needs to stand up coordinating machinery - like Gordon Brown's National Economic Council www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Managing the economic consequences of the Iran war | Institute for Government
How should the government respond to the crisis in the Middle East?
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Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
really looking forward to chairing this @instituteforgovernment.org.uk event at 10.00 a.m. previewed by @politico.com - everything you need to know about the energy crisis but were afraid to ask
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Rebecca McKee @rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
A genuinely big announcement on English devolution from Rachel Reeves today! As we at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk alongside others have argued fiscal devolution was a missing piece of the puzzle in the government's devolution white paper.
A Guardian Live blog entry that says: Reeves asks officials to draw up plans for fiscal devolution
Boom! Rachel Reeves then tells her audience that she has asked the Treasury to work with mayors and businesses to develop a roadmap for future fiscal devolution.

This plan will be published at this year’s budget.

It will set out plans to give regional leaders control of a share of some national taxes – which Reeves points out have long been allocated by central governments. It will include income tax, she suggests.

The chancellor says these reforms will begin with places which have the greatest capacity to deliver them and the greatest potential to benefit.

She insists that it is “not about new taxes, and it’s not about higher tax”, promising “I will not ask taxpayers to pay more”.

These reforms will be fiscally neutral, focused on sharing and retaining a portion of existing revenues with the places that generated them, she says.

Reeves promises:

These reforms will represent a permanent transfer of power and resources, not another exercise in local ambition.

Taxpayers will be able to see what is being delivered with their money and hold local leaders to account for the results, she insists.

She calls it “a genuine break with the past”, calling it:

A generational opportunity for Britain’s regions to make their own future.
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Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
we have an emergency webinar coming up @instituteforgovernment.org.uk - the Chancellor wants to protect households and the public finances. Can she? - great line-up Emma Pinchbeck @thecccuk.bsky.social @acjsissons.bsky.social @nestauk.bsky.social our own @danhaile.bsky.social and Nick Butler
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Martha Ford @martha-ford.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
The Treasury Select Committee's inquiry into student finance will look at the fairness of Plan 2 repayment terms. In our recent explainer, we look at the wider context and explore why Plan 2 loans can be viewed as particularly punitive: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/st...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Student finance | Institute for Government
What financial support does the government offer students in England?
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Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
quick analysis of what @instituteforgovernment.org.uk learned from the spring unfiscal event - top work from @danhaile.bsky.social @benpaxton.bsky.social @martha-ford.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/rach...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Four things we learnt from Rachel Reeves’s spring forecast 2026 | Institute for Government
The chancellor’s spring forecast was short and free of new policy content.
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Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
when the chancellor's economic statement is light relief.
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Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 03/03/2026
PODCAST 🎙️ Trump vs Iran: Is the UK ready for war? Sir Alex Younger, former head of MI6, joins us to discuss what the US strikes on Iran mean for the UK and global security. PLUS: Spring forecast fall-out? We assess the chancellor's plan www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Trump vs Iran: Is the UK ready for war? | Institute for Government
Sir Alex Younger, former head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), joins us to discuss what the US strikes on Iran mean for global security.
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Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 03/03/2026
"...sticking to one major fiscal event a year gives the government more time and space to make better policy decisions." @danhaile.bsky.social, IfG senior economist, reacts to today's 'low-key' spring forecast. More analysis to follow soon www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/spring-forec...
A quote from Dan Haile, Senior Economist at the Institute for Government.

"The chancellor has stuck to her plan for a low-key spring forecast. The UK has been an outlier in chopping and changing fiscal policy so often, but sticking to one major fiscal event a year gives the government more time and space to make better policy decisions."
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Martha Ford @martha-ford.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
SPRING FORECAST - OBR's net migration forecasts have been revised down significantly; net migration forecast for 2030 is now 281k, vs. 340k in November's forecast.
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Ben Paxton @drbenpaxton.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Reeves sits down having announced no real new policy measures at this Spring Forecast (but having made a very political speech) So she did not make this a fiscal event – which is absolutely the right thing for her to do
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Ben Paxton @drbenpaxton.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Five reasons why today's Spring Forecast should not be a fiscal event, building on what my IfG colleagues wrote last week www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/rach...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Will Rachel Reeves’s 2026 spring forecast be as low key as promised? | Institute for Government
The government is right to approach 3 March as a fiscal ‘non-event’.
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Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 27/02/2026
Student loans have been in the news lately. But how does student finance actually work? @martha-ford.bsky.social explains what financial support the government offers students in England www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/st...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Student finance | Institute for Government
What financial support does the government offer students in England?
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Martha Ford @martha-ford.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
New comment from @danhaile.bsky.social, @jillongovt.bsky.social and me on why next Tuesday's spring forecast should ideally be a fiscal "non-event". We don't expect major shifts in the economic outlook, and so shouldn't see the "knee-jerk" policy responses of past spring statements.
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Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 24/02/2026
Follow our spring forecast 2026 page for our key analysis and explainers ahead of next week www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/spring-forec...
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Daniel Howes @howesdaniel.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Antonia Romeo, as well as being the first female cabinet secretary, will also be the fourth person to hold the position in the last 8 years. As the chart shows, such short recent tenures are atypical - and not ideal for enabling a permanent, impartial civil service. 1/
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Megan Isaac @meganisaac.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
1/ With only a few months until the May elections, in this new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk explainer we outline where elections are going ahead, where they aren’t, and what’s at stake🧵👇  www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/lo...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Local elections 2026 | Institute for Government
On Thursday, 7 May 2026, local elections will take place in many parts of England.
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Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 12/01/2026
We are really pleased to announce that our Government 2026 annual conference at the IfG will kick start with a keynote speech by Wes Streeting at 8:30am. He will be in conversation with @drhannahwhite.bsky.social Join us online: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/govern...
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Maria Laura La Corte @marialaura-lacorte.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
In this week’s Week in Public Services, I look at resident doctor strikes, the new child poverty strategy, extra funding for domestic abuse support and what jury trial reforms would really do to court backlogs. Some key takeaways below medium.com/week-in-publ...
medium.com
Week in Public Services: 19th December 2025
This week: Resident doctor strikes, the new child poverty strategy, extra funding for domestic abuse support and analysis showing jury…
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Daniel Howes @howesdaniel.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
1/ The latest ONS data on public sector employment shows that the civil service has grown (again). After 2 consecutive quarters of plateauing growth, the CS grew in Q3 by 3490 (0.6%) to 520440 FTE. This is the highest quarterly increase since Labour came to power. @instituteforgovernment.org.uk
A line chart from the Institute for Government showing the size of the civil service in full-time equivalent terms, from 2009 to 2025. The size decreases from 2009 to 2016, before increasing more or less continuously from then to now.
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Megan Bryer @meganbryer.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Last week at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk, we published a new set of Ministers Reflect interviews with Sajid Javid, Simon Hart and Theresa Villiers. My comment piece below explores the key lessons Starmer's govt can take from these reflections. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/less...
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Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 03/12/2025
The Office for Value for Money has been a success Last week the OVfM published its final reports, which set out a series of welcome improvements to the spending framework. @drbenpaxton.bsky.social looks at what it achieved in its short lifetime www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/offi...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
The Office for Value for Money has been a success | Institute for Government
In its short lifetime the OfVM made valuable proposals for change.
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Gemma Tetlow @gemmatetlow.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
In a new departure, we @instituteforgovernment.org.uk are going to be live blogging the Budget all through tomorrow. The live blog is now live and we will be sharing our pre-Budget thoughts there, followed by responses once we hear the CX's speech www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/au...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
LIVE BLOG | Autumn budget 2025: Rachel Reeves prepares to announce tax measures | Institute for Government
IfG experts analyse Reeves' budget and explore what the chancellor's plans for the economy, tax and spending mean.
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Sophie Metcalfe @sophiemetcalfe.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
NEW: Report from me and @nehaldavison.bsky.social on how and why boys from low-income families get left behind in their early years 🧵⬇️ www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
The opportunity gap facing boys from low-income families at age 5 and beyond | Institute for Government
Early attainment gaps mean some boys don't just start behind, they stay behind.
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Maria Laura La Corte @marialaura-lacorte.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
The NHS section of Performance Tracker 2025 by @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social is live on the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk's website, with new analysis on general practice and hospital performance in England. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Performance Tracker 2025: NHS | Institute for Government
NHS performance is improving, but a complex and haphazardly planned reform package might slow progress.
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Maria Laura La Corte @marialaura-lacorte.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Really pleased to have contributed to the new criminal justice section of Performance Tracker 2025, now live on the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk’s website. It brings together new analysis on police, criminal courts and prisons. Some thoughts below. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Performance Tracker 2025: Criminal justice system | Institute for Government
The government must act to avoid the justice system returning to the crisis point seen when Labour entered office, or worse.
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Ben Paxton @drbenpaxton.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Procurement is massively underrated as an opportunity for improvement, and where a mission-led approach could make a difference. Our NEW REPORT explores why this change is hard, and how procurement should be used to shape markets + drive innovation🧵 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
The role of procurement in delivering mission-led government | Institute for Government
How can the government remove the barriers to its missions?
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Daniel Howes @howesdaniel.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Special Delivery! @emma-conway.bsky.social and I have been thinking about how Keir Starmer and co (especially Darren Jones) can make a success of 'phase two' - which is all about delivering on the government's priorities. Read more here: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/star...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
How Keir Starmer’s government can be built for delivery | Institute for Government
The prime minister can learn from the past to make a success of “phase two” of his government.
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Thomas Pope @tompope.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
New @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report by me, @gemmatetlow.bsky.social and @jillongovt.bsky.social on how Reeves should approach tax this Autumn With tax rises inevitable, Reeves should reject path of least resistance and embrace tax reform 1/3 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
The 2025 budget and beyond: How Rachel Reeves can approach tax reform to help drive growth | Institute for Government
A big autumn approaches for the chancellor.
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