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 prime minister’s chief of staff can restore order to the government
Civil servants look to be back in favour as the prime minister appoints a Treasury man as his chief of staff
Croydon council's bankruptcy is a warning for the UK government
Croydon’s bankruptcy shows the problems of delaying decisions on local government funding
Five things we learnt from the 2020 spending review
Before the spending review, we outlined five things to look for in the chancellor’s announcement. We assess what the statement told us about each one.
How Boris Johnson can make Christmas work in the time of Covid
Here are eight steps Boris Johnson should take to make sure the country does not regret lifting curbs for the holiday season
Three reshuffle questions for the prime minister
Tim Durrant sets out the questions Boris Johnson should be asking as he weighs up his options for a ministerial reshuffle
The Independent Monitoring Authority must act quickly to gain credibility
Jill Rutter sets out how the Independent Monitoring Authority can hit the ground running
The handling of the Priti Patel bullying inquiry has fatally undermined the Ministerial Code
The prime minister’s response to the Priti Patel inquiry means an overhaul of the Ministerial Code is now essential
After Boris Johnson’s “disaster” remark, here’s how to judge devolution
The prime minister’s remark that devolution has been a disaster may itself prove to have been a disaster for his campaign to keep the union together
Boris Johnson’s defence budget promises need a battle plan
Boris Johnson has won a tussle within his government with his pledge to raise military spending
In-house government consultants won’t solve underlying civil service problems
Stung by criticism that it is wasting vast sums of money on external consultants, the government wants to build its own readily deployable team