The year ahead: Helping to shape a progressive future

The government closed out 2024 with a pair of interventions on missions and public service reform. Add to this the list of reviews, plans and strategies soon to surface and 2025 is shaping up to be a year where the promises that secured such a decisive victory in last July’s general election are set in motion.

Promoting his new ‘plan for change’ in the first of these announcements, the prime minister unveiled six interim ‘milestones’ to sit underneath the pre-existing missions, designed to monitor the government’s progress ahead of 2029.

At their heart, however, the milestones signal a clear focus on outcomes over inputs. Time-bound, measurable targets are a useful component of the missions approach, but the ongoing challenge will be how the government translates ambition into meaningful action. A much touted lesson from the Biden-Harris experience is that faith in politics, trust in institutions and political success hinges not on ‘deliverism’—the assumption that economic improvements will automatically translate into political support—but on actual delivery. Citizens need to feel change in their everyday lives and, crucially, make a positive connection between that change and decisions taken in Whitehall, town halls and Westminster. 

Exactly ‘how’ the government intends to deliver this change is currently up for grabs. Outlining his own critique of the mid-20s service delivery challenge, scant days after the prime minister’s ‘milestones’ announcement, missions supremo Pat McFadden confessed in public that “I haven’t got this all figured out from beginning to end.” This honesty was a departure from the norms of government communication and, in particular, a far cry from the hubristic tone taken of the Johnson and Truss years.

McFadden also signalled the introduction of mission-driven practices within Whitehall in the shape of a nascent test-and-learn programme for policy development and delivery – starting with a £100 million investment in pilots for family support and temporary accommodation. If McFadden holds his nerve despite the potential for missteps, and if officials are given the political cover to innovate and take risks, this could herald a real shift in how government operates.

Addressing these and similar challenges is why we launched The Future Governance Forum (FGF) in the first place. We’re pleased to see the new government grapple with emerging FGF ideas – from Mission Critical 01‘s missions architecture, published in May with IIPP – to proposals for local growth plans and a framework for economic devolution set out in Impactful Devolution 01 with Metro Dynamics. 

2025 will see us build on this work, looking closer at how the state might work in partnership with other actors to tackle big societal challenges, and how place-building and devolution can be woven into the government’s programme of national renewal.

But as we begin our second full year, we’re also moving into an exciting new phase as an organisation. As well as advancing our three main workstreams – on realising mission-driven government, advancing devolution, and investment and economic renewal – we will also adopt a stronger practical focus, strengthen links between progressive leaders and practitioners, and launch an all-new programme of work.

1. More than a think tank

Those championing new ways of working really ought to practice what they preach. As we move into this new phase, we’re also changing the way we work – by not only developing ideas, but testing and iterating them in practice.

Our approach here will be grounded in collaboration. We will identify and work with people with frontline experience at all levels of government and beyond who share our commitment to doing things differently. 

In large part, these plans will be delivered through:

2. Building new networks across sectors, tiers of government and globally

We identify as a ‘forum’ both in what we do and how we work. A big part of our next phase will be investing in our role as a facilitator, bringing people together – with one another and with politicians and policymakers – to spread best practice, exchange insights and advance mission-driven principles. 

This will include a new platform of engagement and knowledge-sharing between strategic and local authorities across the UK concentrating on mission-driven growth and reform. We are also working on similar networks for cross-sector and potentially even international collaboration. 

3. A new focus on institutional renewal

The challenges of the 21st century are going to require new thinking, new infrastructure and new, or revitalised, institutions. Rethinking how we can rewire the organs of the state to ensure they are fit to meet the demands of the future will therefore be a central plank of our work going forward.

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When we opened our doors to the public in November 2023, we set out plans to shape a new, sustainable operating model for the UK that delivers for everyone. Since then, we have focused on advancing novel, practical approaches to policymaking and delivery, both through our research and our convening power – the forum at the heart of our project. 

By engaging a broader range of voices, expanding the scope of our research, and embedding practice and testing into how we do things, we hope to continue to play our part in shaping this important conversation.

If you’d like to be part of it, please drop me a line – and help us strap in for the year ahead.