![Dr Catherine Haddon](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_full_width_desktop/public/2022-12/cath-haddon-326x326.jpg?itok=z4FFAIMy)
Catherine Haddon
Programme Director
Cath's recent work
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Winning a general election: what does a new prime minister’s first 72 hours look like?
The first 72 hours as a new prime minister provides an early lesson in how huge the job is and how extensive the demands on their time will be.
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What happens if a prime minister loses their seat in a general election?
At every general election there is a possibility that a party's leader would not be returned to parliament.
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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.
All work
Permanent secretaries
This explainer looks at the role of permanent secretaries, the most senior rank of civil servant.
Coronavirus (Covid-19): government response
The threat of pandemic flu has been a concern for successive governments.
David Gauke
David Gauke reflects on his time at the Treasury, pushing through reforms to the justice system and rebelling against the government in parliament.
Norman Lamb
Norman Lamb reflects on not being offered a ministerial role after the 2010 general election, coalition politics and mental health care reforms.
Government ‘battle-planning’ for coronavirus still means difficult choices for ministers
No amount of 'battle-planning' can fully prepare ministers for taking difficult decisions.
Greg Clark
Greg Clark was interviewed on 27 February 2020 for the Institute for Government’s Ministers Reflect project.
Special advisers
Special advisers (SpAds) are political appointees hired to support ministers.
Protecting special advisers is good for government
SpAds could do their jobs better if they were provided with clearer employment protection and professional support of their own
Boris Johnson government reshuffle - February 2020
Boris Johnson is conducting a reshuffle of his government. Follow the latest developments and analysis from the team at the IfG.
How government reshuffles go wrong – and why it happens so often
Some reshuffles are planned well in advance and some are sudden but they all have the potential to go off-course.