Remaking the State: Annual Conference 2026

Britain has endured a decade of disruption. With ongoing global tensions and deep uncertainty this era of crisis looks set to continue. Add to this the profound demographic and technological change already reshaping the nation, and it is clear that securing our future prosperity will require a fundamental rethink. The State requires more than incremental improvement; it demands a rethinking of how it is organised, how it exercises power, and how it delivers long-term national prosperity. Continuing to tweak a broken system, hoping for radically different outcomes, won’t work.

Remaking the State means overhauling the centre; dismantling top-down bureaucracies and building local capabilities; rethinking outdated institutions; and challenging existing funding models. Reform of the centre, new approaches to funding and delivery, and a clearer focus on long-term outcomes are all essential to creating a State fit for today and the decades ahead.

This flagship one-day conference examined what it means to remake the State for a new era. It explored the scale of change required, the trade-offs involved, and the practical reforms needed to build a more capable, adaptive and resilient government. Bringing together senior decision-makers, practitioners and experts from across sectors, the conference focused on how the Government can redesign institutions fit to govern in a more volatile, complex and contested world.

Re:State was delighted to welcome The Rt Hon Darren Jones MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister; The Rt Hon Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government; Nick Timothy MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Shadow Lord Chancellor; Danny Kruger MP, Head of Preparing for Government, Reform UK; Satvir Kaur MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office; Ali Whiteley, Chief Executive, London Councils; Gareth Davies CB, Permanent Secretary, Home Office; Dr Jo Farrar CB OBE, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice; Emily Middleton, Interim Director General for Digital Transformation, Government Digital Service; Kirsty Innes, Director, Centre for AI-Driven Innovation, Imperial College London; Tom Newby, Head of Office for Quantum at UK Government; Justin Galliford, CEO, Norse Group; Colin Bannon, Chief Technology Officer, BT Business and BT International; James Taylor, Global Government & Public Services, Digital and AI Growth Leader, Deloitte. With more speakers to be announced.

The Rt Hon Darren Jones MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and The Rt Hon Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government delivered keynote addresses.

Transcripts of their speeches can be found here:

• Keynote speech by The Rt Hon Darren Jones MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, 1 July 2026, Re:State Annual Conference
• Keynote speech by The Rt Hon Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government,1 July, 2026, Re:State Annual Conference

Nick Timothy MP and Danny Kruger MP participated in a keynote 'in conversation'.

Alongside this, Re:State hosted three panels focusing on:

• ‘The technological State’, kindly sponsored by BT
• ‘The delivery State’, kindly sponsored by Deloitte
• ‘The decentralised State’, kindly sponsored by Norse Group