Akash Paun
Programme Director
Akash's recent work
Local elections 2024: Mayor of the West Midlands
On 2 May 2024, voters in Birmingham and six neighbouring local areas elected Richard Parker as the mayor of the West Midlands.
Local elections 2024: Mayor of Greater Manchester
On 2 May 2024, Andy Burnham was elected for the third time as mayor of Greater Manchester
Local elections 2024: Mayor of West Yorkshire
On 2 May 2024, voters elected Tracy Brabin as Mayor of West Yorkshire
All work
Coronavirus and devolution
Major public services affected by the pandemic are the responsibility of the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
David Mundell
David Mundell talks about his time in the Scotland Office and his relationship with the Scottish government during the 2014 independence referendum.
A second independence referendum
Holding a second independence referendum in 2020, as the SNP has demanded, would be a mistake.
The party manifestos provide few answers about the future of devolution and the Union
Neither of the main parties appear to have a clear plan for how to address the devolution challenge.
No Deal Brexit and the Union
A no-deal Brexit would be highly controversial in all three devolved nations and increase risks to the Union itself.
Tony Blair
Tony Blair was interviewed on 24 April 2019 for the Institute for Government's Ministers Reflect project.
Hung parliaments
A hung parliament occurs when no party holds a majority of seats in the House of Commons.
Has Devolution Worked?
The success of devolution to Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, London and the English regions since 1999.
Local government
The local government system varies in many ways between the four nations of the UK. We explain the structure and political balance in each nation.