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 painful Percy Pig experience is just the start of Brexit border frictions
The reality of the UK’s new trading relationship with the EU is beginning to bite
A full-time COP president helps – but a fully-engaged PM is vital to net zero
Jill Rutter says the key question is whether Alok Sharma can find the time to back up his new full-time COP President
The government should be wary of over-promising on vaccinations
The vaccination programme has started very well, but Tom Sasse says focusing attention on highly ambitious targets creates risks
The UK’s new relationship with the EU will still require parliamentary scrutiny
The government should recognise that parliament still has an important role to play in scrutinising the future UK–EU relationship
Failure to prepare is not a reason for governments to postpone elections
Akash Paun says ministers explore all possible ways to organise the elections safely before putting democracy on hold
Sudden changes of direction continue to define Boris Johnson’s coronavirus leadership
The sudden school closures show that the UK’s Covid response has become inseparable from the prime minister's way of taking decisions
Brexit is not the point any more – there are other difficult questions to answer
The new year should bring an end to the old arguments about Brexit and instead usher in a steadier resolve to answer long-term policy problems
The Brexit deal is the latest case of the government’s disregard for parliamentary scrutiny
The compressed scrutiny of the Brexit deal is the latest example of the government's dismissive approach of parliament
The new year does not mean that Brexit is old news
The Brexit deal takes effect at 11pm tonight but Brexit is far from done
The Brexit deal is about taking back control rather than ‘exact same benefits'
The EU/UK Brexit deal reflects the inevitable consequence of UK priorities running up against EU negotiating strength