Jill Rutter

@jillongovt.bsky.social

32K followers 360 following 960 posts

Senior Fellow, Institute for Government and still doing bits for UK in a Changing Europe. Cricket fan and (not very good) tennis player.

Videos

Jill Rutter is a former British civil servant. She is a senior research fellow of UK in a Changing Europe, and was previously the programme director at the Institute for Government (IfG) directing the organisation's work on better policy making and Brexit. She has written a number of reports on civil service and the implications of Brexit for Whitehall and Westminster. .. more

Political science 38%

Education 17%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 4h

But maybe being Cabinet Secretary is another "impossible job" nowadays

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 4h

The pretext for going looks bizarre.. but on your tests he is batting 0/5. If they wanted to lose Wormald, a much better pretext was the criticism in the covid report of his failure to warn about the lack of a plan in the department he led.

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Holger Nehring, Jill Rutter , and 1 more Jonathan Portes, Holger Nehring, Jill Rutter, Christina Pagel

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 18h

If everyone apart from the person who appointed them all leaves then that will sort it.

Pippa Crerar @pippacrerar.bsky.social · 18h

EXCL: Chris Wormald, the most senior civil servant in Downing Street, is negotiating his exit as part of a wider shakeup of Keir Starmer’s operation after dramatic day - @kiranstacey.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Top civil servant could become third key No 10 departure in days

Exclusive: Cabinet secretary Chris Wormald is expected to follow Morgan McSweeney and Tim Allan out the door

www.theguardian.com

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 23h

what is interesting about the Goodwin example is that child benefit was introduced as a replacement for child tax allowances, part of the system until the 1970s. Switch benefited low earners/ mothers (this was pre-independent taxation) but CTAs were not regarded as a wild proposal

Polly Mackenzie @pollymackenzie.bsky.social · 1d

No-one thinks about tax and welfare as a set of net transfers between citizens and the state. We respond to a deep story of punishment and reward. If we want to solve our fiscal problems, we need to engage with those deep stories and find new ones.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/tax-is-a-s...

Tax is a story

Shaping the narrative of what we owe one another

howtorunacountry.substack.com

Reposted by Jill Rutter

Polly Mackenzie @pollymackenzie.bsky.social · 1d

Tax is a story

Shaping the narrative of what we owe one another

howtorunacountry.substack.com

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 7d

I think it is harder in the way in which govt seems to be thinking about trying to improve the economy... where they want things that act quickly and offer visible results from their actions..

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 7d

they were - and govt not without some ability to influence -- but much, much harder than other things..

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 7d

am very pro compulsory voting...

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 7d

The next set of mayoral elections will be more like a lottery as voters will have to guess who will make it into the Top Two and who they want/want to stop to be mayor. Lets have proper preferential voting now.

Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 8d

Labour should introduce the alternative vote system for mayoral elections

Multi-party politics makes the AV the best choice, say @akashpaun.bsky.social and @jillongovt.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/mayo...

Labour should introduce the alternative vote system for mayoral elections | Institute for Government

The alternative vote would be fairer and more appropriate than the system the government favours.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 7d

Or a legacy of a more active nation. That depends on huge numbers of other factors, which govt can influence to a degree but also many miles from its "control". Time to confine Barberology to the areas where it has a chance to do some good?

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 7d

But how it functioned was a result of the way people interacted with it - much less control over whether it produced a good result or not (remember rows re Olympic ticketing). Most difficult of all to "deliver" was to use an event to deliver something as distant as East London regeneration.

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 7d

In v early @instituteforgovernment.org.uk days (2012) we used to have a metaphor for doing policy : some things were like building the Olympic stadium - have a decent plan, enough money and competent people, it would get done. Others were like the ticketing system - you could put the system in place

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 7d

I think that the whole Michael Barber "deliverology" and "delivery chains" is to blame for this. That works for some directly provided public services where you buy outputs. But it was a hopeless approach for other more complex things govt tries to influence.

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 7d

"I can actually picture it and that is a problem - any picture that shows something percolating is just not how an economy behaves. You cannot picture the economy like a thing." - terrific piece by @gilesyb.bsky.social:

it is not just that there are no "levers"

language is a huge barrier to understanding

gileswilkes.substack.com

Reposted by Jill Rutter

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 7d

it is not just that there are no "levers"

language is a huge barrier to understanding

gileswilkes.substack.com

Reposted by Jill Rutter

Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 8d

Labour should introduce the alternative vote system for mayoral elections | Institute for Government

The alternative vote would be fairer and more appropriate than the system the government favours.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Kim L. Scheppele, Steve Peers , and 5 more Jonathan Portes, Kim L. Scheppele, Steve Peers, Tim Bale, Ian Hall, Edgar Morgenroth, Jill Rutter, Tarik Abou‐Chadi

Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 8d

Nobody in Britain pays any attention to Australian politics, but One Nation overtaking the Coalition in the polls has distinct parallels with Reform leading the Conservatives. Parties on the radical right are coming for centre right parties across the world...

Poll via AFR / RedBridge Accent.

Reposted by Jill Rutter

Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 11d

Labour should introduce the alternative vote system for mayoral elections

AV should have been the system from the start – but political fragmentation now makes it essential, say @akashpaun.bsky.social and @jillongovt.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/mayo...

Labour should introduce the alternative vote system for mayoral elections | Institute for Government

The alternative vote would be fairer and more appropriate than the system the government favours.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Reposted by Jill Rutter

Daniel Howes @howesdaniel.bsky.social · 12d

Ever wondered who's keeping our nuclear power stations from melting down/blowing up? Or who decides where new reactors can and can't go? Or who stops nuclear material getting into the wrong hands?

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/of...

Office for Nuclear Regulation | Institute for Government

The Office for Nuclear Regulation's mission is to protect society by ensuring the safety of all nuclear operations. But how does it regulate?

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Reposted by Jill Rutter

Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 14d

One year on: the impact of Donald Trump on British politics and policy

UK politicians are constantly reacting to – or taking their lead from – the US president. The latest comment by @jillongovt.bsky.social is out

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/trum...

One year on: the impact of Donald Trump on British politics and policy | Institute for Government

UK politicians are constantly reacting to – or taking their lead from – the US president.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 14d

This is my @instituteforgovernment.org.uk blog www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/wasp...

The WASPI pension row has highlighted important lessons for policy makers | Institute for Government

An Ombudsman report into pension age change highlights big lessons for government.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 14d

If the MPs who signed the pro-WASPI letter to @patmcfaddenmp.bsky.social can't think of a better use for taxpayer money, they should not be in Parliament. The Ombudsman recommendation would spend £££ and satisfy noone. Should have taken a harder line 2 years ago.

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 14d

as a start the govt could insist on renaming the campaign - women FOR state pension inequality

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 14d

This is a test of govt for me.. they are right to say no. This is the least good cause going.

Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 16d

Last opportunity to comment on proposals for improving cycling on Bayswater Road cmsbayswaterroad.commonplace.is/en-GB/

Cycle Movement Strategy Phase 3: Bayswater Road

The Bayswater Road Cycle Movement Strategy Phase 3 scheme looks to enhance cycling and pedestrian facilities in both directions along Bayswater Road, from Palace Court to Lancaster Terrace.

cmsbayswaterroad.commonplace.is

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Patrick Dunleavy, Tom Shakespeare , and 1 more Richard S.J. Tol, Patrick Dunleavy, Tom Shakespeare, Jill Rutter

Paul Brand @paulbrand.bsky.social · 18d

A neutral source close to the process in the Lords tells me that the assisted dying bill will run out of time before a vote. At the current rate of debate, that seems likely.

Supporters say the public deserve for the bill to go to a vote, opponents say tough luck, this is due process.

Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 18d

EXC - MPs and peers who backed the assisted dying bill now believe it is “near impossible” for it to pass the House of Lords in time because of procedural obstacles used by opponents.

“It is our system at its absolute most dysfunctional,” one MP said.

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Assisted dying bill backers say it is ‘near impossible’ it will pass House of Lords

Exclusive: Legislation thought unlikely even to be put to vote before timing out after delay tactics by opponents

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Steve Peers, Anand Menon , and 2 more Jonathan Portes, Steve Peers, Anand Menon, Simon Usherwood, Jill Rutter

UK in a Changing Europe @ukandeu.bsky.social · 19d

"It is something of a paradox that, for all this govt.’s talk of closer alignment with the single market, it is doing a better job than its predecessors of delivering divergence from EU rules."

@jreland.bsky.social reflects on UK-EU regulatory divergence under Labour

ukandeu.ac.uk/labour-burni...

Labour burnishes its Brexit credentials - UK in a changing Europe

Based on the most recent edition of the UK-EU Divergence Tracker, Joël Reland argues that, despite rhetoric about aligning more closely with...

ukandeu.ac.uk

Reposted by Anand Menon, Jill Rutter

Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 20d

📸Snapshots | What does Trump mean for relations between the UK and Europe, and the rest of the world?

We were pleased to be joined by Sir Simon Fraser, Fiona Hill and @anandmenon.bsky.social who discussed the impact of Trump's presidency on the UK and Europe with @drhannahwhite.bsky.social

Reposted by Jill Rutter

UK in a Changing Europe @ukandeu.bsky.social · 21d

📣 LATEST DIVERGENCE TRACKER OUT NOW 📣

📈 This report by @jreland.bsky.social clearly outlines how UK and EU rules and regulations have diverged in the period Oct-Dec 2025

🔍 And identifies the key trends driving regulatory alignment and divergence between the UK & EU

🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/reports/uk-e...