![Alex Thomas](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_full_width_desktop/public/2022-12/alex-thomas-326x326.jpg?itok=h977P46U)
Alex Thomas
Programme Director
Alex's recent work
![](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_card_desktop/public/2024-06/michael-gove.jpg?h=58c8a5e7&itok=F7AEMu7V)
What made Michael Gove one of the most consequential ministers of recent times?
The next government should pay close attention to Michael Gove's approach to government.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_card_desktop/public/2024-06/keir-starmer-angela-rayner-labour-manifesto-2XBT8R3-1504x846px.jpg?h=d46ee4cc&itok=MRndlzDO)
How Angela Rayner operates as deputy prime minister is a core question for Labour
Keir Starmer needs to decide what kind of deputy prime minister he might need in government.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_card_desktop/public/2023-10/rishi-sunak-keir-starmer-composite-party-conference-2023-1504x846px.png?h=07e9081f&itok=bKrGZRC6)
The parties should focus on substance as well as sales ahead of the election
Election fever is hotting up in the aftermath of the local elections.
All work
Whitehall Monitor 2024: Part 1
Analysis of how the civil service continued to change in 2023 - including its size, structure, turnover and budgets.
Whitehall Monitor 2024: Foreword
Introducing the analysis in Whitehall Monitor 2024.
Six lessons government should learn from the Post Office scandal
The handling of the Post Office scandal has wider lessons for government.
2024: The IfG’s five resolutions for doing government – and opposition – better
IfG experts set out five key asks for the government and opposition.
IfG response to the Maude review on civil service reform
The Maude review will be an important reference document for whoever lives in No.10.
Simon Case's absence has left a growing gap in government
The government needs to be clearer about how it is organised while the cabinet secretary is on medical leave.
Rishi Sunak has lost the man who would implement Lord Maude’s government reforms
New Cabinet Office minister John Glen should build on his predecessor Jeremy Quin’s approach to government reform.
Rishi Sunak’s first year as prime minister: the IfG verdict
How has Rishi Sunak fared in his first 365 days as the UK’s prime minister? The IfG expert team weigh up the progress he has – or has not – made.
Francis Maude’s review of Whitehall should lead to cross-party agreement on civil service reform
Leaked proposals for a new settlement for ministers and civil servants are mostly to be welcomed.
Five takeaways from Rishi Sunak’s August 2023 ‘mini-reshuffle’
The IfG expert team assess what Rishi Sunak's ministerial changes reveal