Incisive commentary from the IfG’s expert team on issues facing government and key ministerial decisions.
From analysis of key political events such as budgets and party conferences to snap responses to unexpected developments such as government reshuffles, our writers set out their views and analyse what government gets right, what it gets wrong, and what it can do better.
Conference pledges leave key questions on health and social care unanswered
Party conferences saw a proliferation of health and social care policies which are full of unanswered questions and skewed priorities.
The four flaws in Boris Johnson’s proposals for a rewritten Brexit deal
The government’s proposals for an alternative to the Irish border backstop are likely to be too problematic to secure the EU’s backing.
Even a Commons majority for an EU withdrawal agreement doesn’t rule out a no-deal Brexit
If Boris Johnson persuades MPs to vote for a Brexit agreement, then the bigger parliamentary challenge could be turning that deal into law.
Forming a caretaker government is far more complicated than just choosing a prime minister
Installing an interim alternative to Boris Johnson would only be the first challenge for opposition parties.
The Supreme Court has fortified Parliament’s “constitutional role” – and its own
The Supreme Court has been the latest battleground in the confrontation between Parliament and the government over Brexit.
MPs should use their extra time wisely and scrutinise the government’s Brexit plans
MPs should not only use the Supreme Court outcome to embarrass the government.
Labour’s public spending plans are mere aspirations unless they are properly funded
John McDonnell’s speech left a worrying impression of retreat from his previous commitments to properly costing and funding policy proposals.
Boris Johnson’s Stormont lock might not unlock a Brexit deal
Proposals to democratise the Irish backstop would give a central role to institutions which have not functioned for two and a half years.
The Treasury must stop the government’s wasteful addiction to one-off funding announcements
The government needs to get a grip on how local areas are impacted by public spending as a whole.
Government must address the causes of repeated outsourcing failures
The government has a chequered record on outsourcing, but bringing services back into government hands by default risks throwing away the successes.