![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
The Dominic Raab claims expose the trust breakdown in government
Escalating leaks are a disaster for the vital trust between ministers and civil servants.
What Rishi Sunak’s cabinet committees reveal about how he will govern
Sunak’s cabinet committees reflect a preference for small strategy meetings and the power of Jeremy Hunt, but they also show a severe lack of women.
Cutting the civil service
Six steps to cut the civil service with care
The five steps Rishi Sunak should take after becoming prime minister
The steps Rishi Sunak should take to hit the ground running as prime minister.
Five headaches that await the new prime minister
The IfG team picks out the five headaches which await the next PM
Government policies, not a new Treasury permanent secretary, will determine market confidence
It is policy and not personnel that matter for the markets
What the Queen’s reign teaches the civil service
The way the Queen did her duty has lessons for the civil service
Why the next prime minister must fix how government works
The first battle is to persuade leaders that government reform is needed
After Boris Johnson: what now for the civil service?
With the Johnson era coming to a close the civil service’s leaders need to find their voices, assert how best to run the institution, set a clear purp
Simon Case must show he can lead the civil service out of its partygate problems
If the cabinet secretary is to remain in post, he needs to demonstrate he grasps the extent of the civil service problems exposed by Sue Gray