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teodorgrama.bsky.social
Teodor Grama
@teodorgrama.bsky.social
580 followers 300 following 110 posts
learning & development @instituteforgovernment.org.uk, fmr research assistant (civil service & policymaking), he/him
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teodorgrama.bsky.social
Teodor Grama @teodorgrama.bsky.social · Sep 4
NEW @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report just out - on how the fast stream, the civil service’s flagship talent development programme, lost its sense of purpose and how it can get it back

(A quick 🧵)
How to reform the civil service fast stream | Institute for Government
It is time to update the civil service's flagship recruitment programme.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Reposted by Teodor Grama
gilesyb.bsky.social
"Business wanted stability. Reeves has the same plan as she had before. They should not complain."

My very short take on the Budget and Growth has been published. It is obviously the only correct one, so I recommend you read it all the way through

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/au...
LIVE BLOG | Autumn budget 2025: Rachel Reeves announces tax and spend 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 27, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
shaina-sangha.bsky.social
Budget news of international student levy at £925 flat rate, not as % of tuition fees.

This is likely better re. reducing no. coming to UK on student visas to work. Flat rate hits so-called "visa farm" HE providers offering cheaper courses, w. less impact on elite, high-fee institutions. 🧵
November 26, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
Key chart for public services

Govt is back to pencilling in undeliverable plans to hit its fiscal rules

After taking out likely funding for protected areas, other departments will have to absorb 3.3% annual real terms cuts. That includes prisons, courts, and local govt, among others
November 26, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
gemmatetlow.bsky.social
November 26, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
stephenkb.bsky.social
As bad as your day might be, it could be worse, you could be the person who accidentally published the OBR's budget document a couple of hours early: obr.uk/docs/dlm_upl...
obr.uk
November 26, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
njdavies.bsky.social
The Public Services Performance Tracker is regularly described as ‘sobering’ but this is definitely the first time we’ve had ‘almost lyrical’

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
November 26, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
timdurrant.bsky.social
I would say this, but the IfG's budget live blog is already great, even before we get to the main event - where else do you get this kind of content?
An IfG live blog post from Jill Rutter, titled "Keep the chancellor away from the Treasury" What will Rachel Reeves and her officials be doing in the last few hours before the budget? In earlier eras, chancellors could change their minds down to the wire (though the Red Book would be printed over the weekend) and rewrite their speech. That could mean laborious retypes and recollations. That led to an instruction in the Treasury’s own budget day manual to “Keep the chancellor away from the Treasury” after the budget had been presented to the cabinet in the morning. Chancellors would be dispatched to St James’s Park to be photographed feeding the ducks, while Treasury officials frantically compiled printed copies of the budget speech. No indication yet that this is the plan for this morning! But if you see Rachel Reeves heading into the park, you know that another bit of Treasury orthodoxy still rules.
November 26, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
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 3:34 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
shaina-sangha.bsky.social
New paper, 'Ministers reflect on the Treasury' from @paddy-mcalary.bsky.social and me for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk. Pre-budget, we've compiled insights from 10 years of Ministers Reflect interviews, plus rex from the IfG catalogue on HMT. Favourite quotes to follow! 1/🧵 tinyurl.com/38anhkc7
Quote graphic with “#Ministers Reflect” and a statement about the chancellor’s power over money, attributed to Jeremy Hunt — Chancellor of the Exchequer (2022–24), whose portrait appears to the right of the quote. The quote reads: "I think most of your power does revolve around the decisions you can make over money [...as chancellor] that puts you in a very different position to every other cabinet minister, including the prime minister." The Institute for Government logo is in the corner of the image.
November 24, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Five things we learned from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry report on Module II

What does the report tell us about governance and decision making by ministers and the civil service during the pandemic?

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/covi...
Five things we learned from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry report on Module II | Institute for Government
What does the report tell us about governance and decision making by ministers and the civil service during the pandemic?
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 24, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
rosahodgkin.bsky.social
Very excited to see my PhD research referenced in this @newstatesman1913.bsky.social piece

www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Rachel Reeves is trapped by history
Like every chancellor since the Thatcher era, Reeves is refusing to look the public in the eye
www.newstatesman.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
What are the legal implications of Labour’s new asylum reforms?

Former permanent secretary of the Government Legal Department @sirjjkc.bsky.social examines some of the main legal implications of the proposals www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/lega...
What are the legal implications of Labour’s new asylum reforms? | Institute for Government
Some of the government’s proposals are thin on details, others are likely to be tested in the courts.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 21, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
shaina-sangha.bsky.social
As the covid inquiry gears up for Module 9 on economic policy, @gemmatetlow.bsky.social and I have a new @ukri.org-funded @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report out on Epi-econ modelling for pandemics. We set out why govt needs to invest now 1/🧵
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
Combined epidemiological and economic modelling | Institute for Government
The pandemic showed the need for government to improve its use of modelling.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 21, 2025 at 9:38 AM
teodorgrama.bsky.social
Excellent write-up from @tevyemarkson.bsky.social at @civilserviceworld.bsky.social on our @instituteforgovernment.org.uk event earlier this week on the fast stream and how it can deliver more for the civil service.

Watch the full event here: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/civil-...
How can the Fast Stream get better?
Ex-Fast Stream boss and other experts discuss how the programme can be improved and efforts that are already under way
www.civilserviceworld.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
amberdellar.bsky.social
New data shows 40% of 19 to 21 year-old care leavers were not in employment, education or training in March this year (15,000 young people).

For all 19 to 21 year-olds, that figure is estimated at 15%.
A column chart from the Institute for Government of 19 to 21 year-old care leavers by activity, 2025 showing that 40% were not in education, training or employment.
November 20, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
sophiemetcalfe.bsky.social
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/...
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.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 20, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
hannahkeenan.bsky.social
Gov just published a new list cabinet committees. In short, looks like (1) big vote of confidence in Darren Jones from the PM, (2) existing missions + immigration are top of the government's agenda, (3) PM wants things to happen faster, and (4) Rayner's priorities perhaps no longer front of mind?🧵
List of Cabinet Committees and their membership
www.gov.uk
November 19, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
With a week to go until the budget, here is the IfG's view on what to watch

On public services, we'll be looking to see:
- How the inflation forecast changes real terms spending
- More details on govt's reform agenda
- Further efficiency drives

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/rach...
Rachel Reeves’s budget 2025: The IfG’s six things to look out for | Institute for Government
What can we expect from the chancellor’s second budget?
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 19, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
njdavies.bsky.social
Lack of planning has hit Labour’s efforts to fix public services, says thinktank.

Great summary of @instituteforgovernment.org.uk's analysis by @kiranstacey.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Lack of planning has hit Labour’s efforts to fix public services, says thinktank
Keir Starmer accused of failing to adequately strategise while in opposition, leading to uncoordinated policymaking
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
njdavies.bsky.social
NEW: Labour inherited public services in crisis. Performance had fallen, investment had been cut + spending plans were undeliverable.

It's made some progress, providing stability and positive long-term plans. But it has been undermined by poor prep in opposition and lack of co-ordination in govt 🧵
RAG table showing ratings for 9 public services. It includes the following summaries for progress since the 2024 election: General practice - Progress on salaried GPs, but no steps taken to make partnership more attractive Hospitals - Government has set out high-level ambitions and reduced competing priorities, but no detail of implementation Adult social care - Largely ignored. Ending the care visa route without a workable solution for Fair Pay Agreements could cause workforce shortages Children's social care - Government has set out a clear and ambitious vision for reform and has backed it with relatively generous funding Homelessness - Early signs are encouraging, but government has yet to set out its homelessness strategy Schools - Government's plan to reduce inequalities in schools and tackle teacher shortages are unclear, and the crisis in SEND services casts a long shadow Police - Government has made limited progress in increasing neighbourhood officer numbers and has yet to announce details of planned reforms Criminal Courts - Increasing court sitting days was welcome, if done too late, but the government has yet to announce a longer-term plan Prisons - Rapid action addressed the immediate population crisis, but there has been limited progress towards a longer-term solution
November 19, 2025 at 7:03 AM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
shaina-sangha.bsky.social
This is really part of a longer story about the ONS, and the picture we have (or don't) of the state and society. The move from International Passenger Surveys to DWP data should improve our understanding of what Brits are doing at least.
jburnmurdoch.ft.com John Burn-Murdoch @jburnmurdoch.ft.com · 9d
Worth noting:
• Upward revision applies to entire 2021-2024 series — the *trend* in emigration is *roughly* flat
• As infuriating as big revisions are, they mean data is getting better
• BUT wild that we ever used a survey to gauge movements into and out of the country instead of counting people!
November 18, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
TODAY | How can the fast stream deliver more for the civil service?

Join us at 18:00 as we explore what's next for the civil service's flagship talent development programme, with @teodorgrama.bsky.social presenting the key findings from our report www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/civil-...
November 17, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Reposted by Teodor Grama
stuarthoddinott.bsky.social
NEW REPORT: the govt has been running the NHS in England for 16 months

So how are they doing?

Tl;dr there are some signs of progress, but the overall approach to reforming the service has been chaotic, with little coherence between policies

🧵👇

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
Performance Tracker 2025: NHS | Institute for Government
NHS performance is improving, but a complex and haphazardly planned reform package might slow progress.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 16, 2025 at 2:47 PM
teodorgrama.bsky.social
The fast stream saw record application volumes in the last recruitment cycle. But different categories of applicants had different odds of getting on the scheme - with success rates for non-Russell Group candidates several times lower than those for Oxbridge applicants (0.4% to 4.7%).
A table from the Institute for Government showing civil service fast stream success rates by demographic characteristics, 2025, where the success rate for all applicants is 1.0% but varies significantly depending on demographics, ranging from 4.7% for Oxbridge applicants to 0.4% for non-Russell Group applicants.
November 12, 2025 at 4:20 PM
teodorgrama.bsky.social
Come join us next Monday for a conversation about all things fast stream!
instituteforgovernment.org.uk Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 16d
Are you interested in the fast stream’s role in the wider civil service recruitment ecosystem, and what the future fast stream reform efforts focus on?

Join us next Monday for our event How can the fast stream deliver more for the civil service?

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/civil-...
November 11, 2025 at 2:45 PM