Tim Durrant
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timdurrant.bsky.social
Tim Durrant
@timdurrant.bsky.social
5.9K followers 1.8K following 650 posts
Programme Director at the Institute for Government - interested in how government works and how it can work better

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Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Tim Durrant
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Next week! @jimreedbbc.bsky.social is joining us at the IfG to discuss the lessons from the second Covid Inquiry report and what it means for how future governments approach crisis management.

@rebeccamckee.bsky.social @timdurrant.bsky.social

🎟️
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/govern...
November 27, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
cathhaddon.bsky.social
Who were the winners and losers of Reeves’s budget?

How will her measures affect growth?

Has the chancellor finally set a coherent tax strategy?

Feat. @jillongovt.bsky.social @gilesyb.bsky.social @danhaile.bsky.social and @drhannahwhite.bsky.social

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...
Autumn budget 2025: What is Rachel Reeves’ plan for the economy?
Podcast Episode · Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government · 26/11/2025 · 57m
podcasts.apple.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
What are the funding implications of the budget for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

@meganisaac.bsky.social explores on our autumn budget live blog www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/au...
A bar chart from the Institute for Government showing the Barnett consequentials for devolved nations announced in the budget 2025
November 27, 2025 at 11:44 AM
timdurrant.bsky.social
Really looking forward to this event next week - it's going to be a great discussion about what we've learned from the covid inquiry, but also whether the inquiry model is the best way to learn from when things go wrong.

Do join us - all the details below:
November 27, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
njdavies.bsky.social
Pleased to see the govt commitment to using procurement to drive innovation. Procurement accounts for roughly 1 in 3 pounds spent by govt but it's utterly unstrategic about how it uses this

@drbenpaxton.bsky.social and I previously identified the barriers that the task-and-finish needs to remove
The government will leverage its procurement budgets to drive innovation. Each department will appoint a senior Procurement Innovation Champion, responsible for defining and delivering its innovation priorities through procurement. To accelerate access for strategically important innovative firms, the government will launch an Innovation Marketplace and establish a task-and-finish group to remove internal barriers to innovative procurement. Demonstrating a new approach, the government has launched an advance market commitment (AMC) to spur investment in clean concrete technologies, backed by Scottish Water, Ramboll, Derwent London, Atkins Realis UK, and Heathrow. Subject to due diligence, the government will launch another AMC, worth up to £100 million, for novel AI inference chips. Screenshot from IFG report: However, there are several barriers to effectively using public procurement to support the government’s missions and new ‘mission-led’ ways of working, including: • insufficient clarity about the government’s missions, which limits the public sector’s market shaping ability • pervasive aversion to risk and uncertainty • a lack of forward planning, which means there is often not enough time to explore how the market could provide new solutions • commercial professionals being brought into the policy process too late • procurements starting with over-specified solutions rather than outcomes • innovation often being initially available at a small scale • low quality of procurement data • insufficient senior commercial capacity and contract management capability • limited cross-government working between commercial professionals
November 27, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
gilesyb.bsky.social
Five minutes to go for this!
instituteforgovernment.org.uk Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 3d
Sign up for our webinar at 4pm, where a panel of IfG experts will be bringing you analysis of what we've learnt on the government's fiscal rules, changes to the productivity forecasts, the two-child benefit limit, council tax and more.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/autumn...
November 26, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
You can read more from our chief economist @gemmatetlow.bsky.social on this over on our autumn budget live blog www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/au...
November 26, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
njdavies.bsky.social
Proposed changes to spending controls are incredibly positive. As @instituteforgovernment.org.uk has previously noted, the cumulative complexity of controls muddies accountability, makes govt a worse customer, and wastes time and money. We asked govt to review and that's exactly what they've done
More governance can muddy accountability and reduce competition New policies and controls are typically introduced with good intentions – it is right that procurement decisions are properly scrutinised and reflect the changing priorities of the government. However, old policies and controls are often not scrapped when new ones are introduced, leading to layer upon layer of red tape – or, as one roundtable attendee put it, “terms and conditions on top of terms and conditions”. Governance alone, however, does not equal accountability. The cumulative complexity of controls and guidance can make lines of responsibility harder to trace, muddying the waters of accountability, as it can become less, not more, clear who is ultimately responsible for a decision (for example, the departmental commercial team leading a procurement or the central teams that have signed it off and set the guidance it complies with). Suppliers experience the proliferation of policies and controls through additional requirements in contracts. This can risk making the public sector a less attractive customer, putting off providers considering entering public sector markets and reducing market competition. Additional requirements at both tendering and contract management stages tend to impact SMEs, including charities and social enterprises, the greatest, since they usually have less capacity to meet them.
November 26, 2025 at 2:52 PM
timdurrant.bsky.social
Helpful thread - a key part of the budget picture when it comes to cost of living issues
adambell.bsky.social Adam Bell @adambell.bsky.social · 3d
A DESNZ CLEAN SWEEP

A package that saved at least £150 off the average household bill was the minimum this Budget needed to achieve to give Labour at least a fighting chance of getting to their £300 target, given the price rises next year. /1
November 26, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
duncanweldon.bsky.social
Minor point. But this is the OBR saying that the briefing about income tax being dropped because of improved forecasts is bollocks.
November 26, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
cathhaddon.bsky.social
Pretty confident we will also be talking about that OBR leak and whether there is a better way of doing this whole run up to budget thing.....
November 26, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Want instant expert analysis of Rachel Reeves' 2025 autumn budget?

Then tune in live at 16:00 to hear from @danhaile.bsky.social @jillongovt.bsky.social @gilesyb.bsky.social @drhannahwhite.bsky.social 📺 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/autumn...
An image for an IfG webinar. Autumn budget 2025: What is Rachel Reeves’ plan for the economy? Wednesday 26 November 2025, 16:00 — 17:00 (GMT) An expert line up featuring Dan Haile, Jill Rutter, and Giles Wilkes. The webinar will be chaired by Dr Hannah White.
November 26, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
nickmacpherson.bsky.social
I commend this review which I carried out in 2013. The recommendations remain relevant today. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7f09...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
November 26, 2025 at 12:24 PM
timdurrant.bsky.social
Just been reading Simon Hart's diaries and he says of Jeremy Hunt's last budget: "As ever with budgets, if it unravels it will be tomorrow"

Little did he know...
November 26, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
aliceolilly.bsky.social
The Budget (whether details are published when expected or, erm, somewhat early) is obviously a moment of huge political theatre but it is ALSO the start of a parliamentary process, which we touch on on the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk liveblog
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.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 12:12 PM
timdurrant.bsky.social
this is the approach we take to eurovision - what's the budget equivalent of the mad eastern European banger two thirds of the way through?
youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 3d
I don't think we should know even one thing about the Budget until the chancellor gets to the despatch box on the day, surprise us
November 26, 2025 at 10:39 AM
timdurrant.bsky.social
It's Budget Day - follow my fantastic @instituteforgovernment.org.uk colleagues @gemmatetlow.bsky.social, @danhaile.bsky.social, @drbenpaxton.bsky.social, @philipnye.bsky.social, @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social and others for all the latest!

And check out their live blog here for in-depth analysis:
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.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 8:35 AM
timdurrant.bsky.social
Follow my fantastic colleagues for everything you need to know about the budget tomorrow:
instituteforgovernment.org.uk Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 4d
LIVE BLOG | Autumn budget 2025 🚨

As Rachel Reeves prepares to announce tax measures, what formal announcements have we had so far and what can we expect in the next 24 hours?

Follow our live blog for our analysis of the chancellor's plans
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/au...
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.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 25, 2025 at 4:25 PM
timdurrant.bsky.social
Looking into the camera challenge (impossible)

Despite that, this was a great conversation with some great colleagues - check it out!
instituteforgovernment.org.uk Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 4d
Our Programme Director, Tim Durrant, examines the implications for organisational culture and decision-making, and highlights the lessons the Covid Inquiry offers for the current government.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/covid-...
November 25, 2025 at 2:31 PM
timdurrant.bsky.social
After the covid inquiry report on Thursday, I'm really looking forward to this discussion next week - is this the best way for government to learn lessons?
instituteforgovernment.org.uk Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 4d
EVENT | Are public inquiries a good way for government to learn lessons?

Join us to discuss the lessons from the second Covid Inquiry report and what it means for how future governments approach crisis management.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/govern...
November 25, 2025 at 2:13 PM
timdurrant.bsky.social
Must-read ahead of the Budget tomorrow - what do ministers really think about the Treasury?
November 25, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
shaina-sangha.bsky.social
Pleased to have written an op-ed for @civilserviceworld.bsky.social outlining some of the lessons from our new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report, Ministers Reflect on the Treasury.
www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
Ministers’ own words are instructive on what has to change in the Treasury
HMT is a big beast in need of some housetraining but ministers outside the department also need to learn how to make the Treasury work for them
www.civilserviceworld.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Reposted by Tim Durrant
jillongovt.bsky.social
Thanks to Ed Balls and George Osborne for giving such interesting and different answers to my #Budget question on this week's @polcurrency.bsky.social pod (and for shoutouts to @instituteforgovernment.org.uk open.spotify.com/episode/6MC7... Hope Rachel was listening..
EMQs: Is it time for a Tory/Labour truce?
open.spotify.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:51 PM
timdurrant.bsky.social
Great new job going at IfG - check out all the details below!
instituteforgovernment.org.uk Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 5d
Work with us! 🚨 We are looking for a Partnerships Manager to lead the business function within our partnerships team.

⏰ Applications close on Monday 8 December at 11:00.

Find out more about the role and how to apply www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/about-us/car...
A job advert. Partnerships Manager Join our team and help us make government more effective! Permanent position starting as soon as notice period allows. Salary: £48,000 to £52,000, depending on skills and experience Deadline: Monday 8 December, 11:00am www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/current-vacancies/ partnerships-manager
November 25, 2025 at 8:04 AM
timdurrant.bsky.social
Fairly wide-ranging Urgent Question debate about the ministerial code - Labour MPs saying how well it's all going, Conservatives saying ministers can't be trusted. But an interesting theme of a couple of Conservatives thinking the code should be more closely overseen by parliament, not government...
November 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM