General election 2024: What are the public finance challenges facing the next government?

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Whoever wins the 2024 election is going to inherit substantial fiscal challenges.  

Despite historically large tax increases since 2019, the current government’s plans imply debt continuing to rise for several years and only barely beginning to fall in five years’ time – and then only on the basis of implausible plans for public spending and rises in fuel duty that no government since 2011 has managed to implement.  

Drawing on Ipsos polling, this Institute for Government event discussed: What are the problems that will face a new government? How would the public like the next government to address these issues? How can the next government make progress on delivering its ambitions while maintaining fiscal sustainability?

We were joined by an expert panel, including: 

• Rhys Clyne, Associate Director at the Institute for Government
• Andy King, Specialist Partner at Flint Global 
• Thomas Pope, Deputy Chief Economist at the Institute for Government
• Trinh Tu, Managing Director, Public Affairs at Ipsos UK  

The panel was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.