During the ongoing campaign, Labour has made its five missions the centrepiece of its election pitch. Now, with a potential first 100 days fast approaching, the party must rapidly prepare to implement a new model of mission-driven governance from day one in office. Missions provide a huge opportunity for a Starmer government to radically rethink how Britain is governed, as argued in a new report published 30th May 2024 by Professor Mariana Mazzucato.
Mission Critical 01: Statecraft for the 21st century – a report from the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) and FGF argues that given today’s economic and fiscal context, a new government must be ambitious and focused while also humble about its ability to deliver missions alone. Government should seek to lead with purpose and govern in partnership, with the centre of government setting bold, long-term goals and orchestrating actors from across sectors, ministries and tiers of government to work together in a new national partnership for growth and renewal.
The paper builds on the academic theory behind mission-driven government, advanced by Professor Mazzucato’s 2021 book Mission Economy: a moonshot guide to changing capitalism, translating it into a series of practical measures an incoming government can take from day one to lay the foundations for a decade of national renewal.
The report is the product of a partnership between the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) – founded and directed by Prof Mazzucato – and The Future Governance Forum, a new progressive, non-partisan think tank focused on fixing Britain’s broken system of government. Drawing on interviews with former advisers and senior civil servants, including former Deputy Cabinet Secretary Helen MacNamara, former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane and former government advisor Polly MacKenzie, the report sets out a series of practical steps a new government can take to reorient government towards a mission-driven approach from day 1.
An incoming government should:
- Establish missions as the first priority across Whitehall with the personal backing of the Prime Minister and Chancellor
- Take a whole of government approach, with mission delivery driven by a cross-departmental Missions Unit and mission-orientation embedded in the day-to-day work of civil servants, including through the rollout of departmental Mission Delivery Plans
- Establish a national partnership for growth and renewal, orchestrating actors from across sectors, ministries and tiers of government to work together towards a mission-oriented industrial strategy that sets a clear direction for cross-sectoral innovation, investment and growth
- Send clear signals that the government is seeking willing business and union partners to achieve its missions, and design public-private collaboration to share both risks and rewards
- Refresh the Treasury’s mandate and redesign public finance tools and institutions – including budget processes, public procurement and public financial institutions – to align with mission goals
- Invest in the renewal of governing capabilities, building up teams and institutions with the in-house expertise necessary for mission delivery, building on the success of, for example, the Government Digital Service
- Empower communities and devolve more powers, enabling problem solving at the local level
- Prepare to set in motion all recommendations from Day 1, placing missions at the heart of plans for government
Mariana Mazzucato, Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London, Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) and author of Mission Economy: a moonshot guide to changing capitalism, said: “The UK lacks a coherent, long-term plan for growth, is contending with a prolonged cost of living crisis and is falling short of its climate targets. A mission-oriented approach, done well, has the potential to put the country on a path to sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth. This approach requires a new way of governing – one that orients government policies, tools and institutions around clear, bold missions, coordinating action across ministries and levels of government and catalysing investment and innovation across sectors. And it requires investments in state capacity. Well designed and well governed missions bring economic, social and environmental goals into alignment – recognising that both the direction and the rate of growth matter. The UK needs an ambitious reset. Our report sets out specific recommendations on how a mission-oriented approach can achieve this.”
Nathan Yeowell, Director of The Future Governance Forum, said: “Labour have put forward five ambitious missions for government, each with the potential to mobilise actors across government and wider society in order to drive significant change. But as the report reminds us, how missions are implemented is just as important as the missions themselves. On assuming power, there will be temptation to fall back on the traditional Westminster-Whitehall model of government. The challenge for an incoming government will be to move forward, rethinking the model of governance itself.
“This report provides a comprehensive blueprint for turning Labour’s five missions into an actionable programme for government, ensuring an incoming government can hit the ground running from day one and start to make good on its promises.”
