Jill Rutter | Institute for Government

Working to make government more effective

Jill Rutter is a Senior Fellow. She worked at the Institute from 2009 to 2019, leading work on Brexit, policy making and arm’s length bodies. Before joining the Institute she spent most of her career in the civil service, working at HM Treasury, No.10 and most recently at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Jill is a regular commentator on a wide range of issues about government, the civil service and Brexit. She is employed as a Senior Research Fellow at UK in a Changing Europe and Kings College London. She is an adviser to the National Infrastructure Commission on net zero and to Westminster Council’s Energy and Green Transition Commission.

27 JUN 2024 Comment

The major parties are desperate to avoid 2024 being a Brexit election

What do the party manifestos tell us about where Brexit could go next?

17 JUN 2024 Comment

A distracted EU may not have much time to reset relations with the UK

The European parliament elections aren't likely to lead to a willingness to renegotiate the Brexit deal.

03 MAY 2024 Comment

Mayoral accountability hangs on divorcing local vote from national trends

The read-across from local contests to the national polls should be dismissed.

03 JUL 2018 Comment

Six tests for the Prime Minister's Brexit white paper

The long-promised Brexit white paper needs to give UK negotiators a clear mandate for phase two, rather than more options.

21 JUN 2018 Comment

The Home Office offers a fluffy environment for EU citizens in search of settled status

Getting EU citizens' status right would be a big step in restoring confidence that the department can run a new migration system after Brexit.

15 JUN 2018 Comment

The battle for control of Brexit

The pitched battle over the ‘meaningful vote’ amendment is a battle between two Conservative factions to get the Brexit they want.

08 JUN 2018 Report

Preparing Brexit: How ready is Whitehall?

Political divisions over Brexit are creating a culture of secrecy in Whitehall.

20 APR 2018 Comment

The Government cannot avoid Parliament forever on a customs union

The Prime Minister should start to use the UK Parliament to strengthen her bargaining position.

11 APR 2018 Comment

We need proposals – not negotiators – to make progress on Brexit

If the UK does not have detailed ideas of what it wants, there is no point splashing out on Eurostar fares for hundreds of civil servants.

23 MAR 2018 Comment

EU makes clear the high price of trade in its new Brexit guidelines

The EU’s negotiating guidelines show the challenge the Prime Minister faces in achieving her Mansion House vision for post-Brexit trade.

19 MAR 2018 Comment

Both sides prioritise Brexit progress

Necessary Brexit progress is still not sufficient to call off contingency planning.

13 MAR 2018 Comment

Did the Spring Statement live down to expectations?

It is good that the Chancellor stuck to his commitment to make the Spring Statement a very secondary fiscal event.

02 MAR 2018 Comment

May finally tells us what a ‘bespoke’ Brexit deal might look like

The PM used all that detail to argue why it was in the best interests of both the UK and the EU to go where no trade deal had ever gone before.