The Institute opened its doors in 2003. Since that time, we have witnessed ten changes of administration for the UK Government. Five of them have arisen following General Elections in 2005, 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019. A further four have occurred when successively, Gordon Brown, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss took over mid-term. Rishi Sunak becomes the fifth.

On each occasion, we have published or promoted the idea that the new regime should consult meaningfully, and usually, been able to make a strong case that the mood of the moment required significant public engagement. When David Cameron formed the Coalition in 2010, and despite a hastily-crafted Programme for Government, the need to compromise between Conservative and Liberal Democrat Ministers suggested the need for extensive consultation. Instead, the previous Government’s demanding 2008 Consultation Code of Practice was swiftly jettisoned by an over-eager Oliver Letwin and replaced with an amateurish set of loosely-worded principles which had to be improved some years later.