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 civil service must speak truth to Boris (and his Cabinet)
As civil servants across Whitehall begin to brief their new secretaries of state, there is a risk that they fetter their potentially unwanted advice.
Sajid Javid must set new fiscal targets to guide tax and spending choices
The new Chancellor must quickly set some fiscal targets to guide the Johnson administration.
Sajid Javid has an immediate spending review headache
Ongoing budgetary uncertainty means Sajid Javid must quickly decide whether to attempt a full spending review this year.
Boris Johnson’s public services promises won’t be easy to achieve
The new Prime Minister has made an early promise to reform a wide range of public services.
Labour’s insourcing policy shows need for better evidence on who delivers services
Labour’s insourcing policy deserves thoughtful engagement – but it also underlines how future governments need to base decisions on better evidence.
The next Prime Minister will need to limit their ambitions beyond Brexit
Both prime ministerial candidates must acknowledge that they face multiple parliamentary challenges to deliver Brexit and other policy commitments.
The new Prime Minister needs some stability in his government
While the temptation of a new prime minister is change for change’s sake, the new PM needs to balance this with a commitment to stability.
More “bobbies on the beat” are unlikely to reduce crime
Reducing crime requires a more nuanced solution than Boris Johnson’s pledge to put more police on the streets.
The latest OBR figures highlight the need to make tax revenues sustainable
The new OBR report echoes the risks to tax revenues highlighted in the Institute for Government’s Taxing Times report.
OBR analysis can only help with no deal Brexit preparations
The OBR analysis of the possible implications of a no deal Brexit show what might lie ahead for the next Prime Minister.