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.
The Queen’s Speech fails to address undelivered manifesto promises
Passing the legislation flagged in the Queen’s Speech will move many manifesto commitments from the government's ‘to do’ to the ‘done’ list
If Boris Johnson is serious about ‘levelling up’, he needs to define what it means
"Levelling up" has been a useful slogan that can mean all things to all people
The Queen’s Speech suggests a major overhaul of judicial review is unlikely
Sir Jonathan Jones argues that the Queen’s Speech plans for reform of the courts may be less drastic than the rhetoric suggests
The Queen’s Speech kicks the tricky decisions away
Giles Wilkes is unimpressed by a Queen’s Speech that relied heavily on the government’s ill-defined promise to "level up"
The government can be judged against the promises of this Queen's Speech
The hefty spending commitments in the Queen’s Speech show that Boris Johnson is winning the battle of ideas with his chancellor
The new Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit needs prime ministerial authority and attention
The resurrected Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit will only succeed if Boris Johnson gives it his full support and a focused remit
Three victories that strain the union
The strength of the SNP and Welsh Labour shows the scale of the task in holding the union together – now the prime minister’s biggest challenge
Johnson can block a Scottish independence referendum – but that will not secure the long-term future of the UK
Akash Paun warns the road to a Scottish independence referendum will not be easy
Elections 2021: what did we learn?
On 6 May 2021, also known as ‘Super Thursday’, elections took place across England, Scotland and Wales.
End of an era: Simon Stevens steps down as boss of NHS England
Simon Stevens was a successful tactician, strategist and a better politician than the politicians during his seven years running NHS England