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.
Boris Johnson’s speech: looking to the future if not the present
Bronwen Maddox gives her snap verdict on the prime minister's virtual conference speech
Is judicial review “abused to conduct politics by another means”?
Before solving the problem with judicial review, the panel is going to have to work out what it is
The government must refresh its approach to decision making for a second coronavirus wave
As coronavirus cases rise, Sarah Nickson sets out what ministers should do differently ahead of a second wave
Boris Johnson’s phone call with Ursula von der Leyen won’t end the Brexit drama just yet
Signs of a Brexit compromise are no guarantee that the talks will end with a deal
Coronavirus rules must be published before they come into force
Hannah White argues the government should go further to enable MPs to scrutinise its response to the pandemic properly
The case for a Brexit state aid compromise
Alex Stojanovic sets out a route to a compromise on state aid
The point of industrial strategy is not to build a massive tech champion
The government's aspiration to drive Britain's creation of a trillion dollar tech company is deeply problematic
The government should delay the spending review as well as the budget
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has sensibly announced he will not present a budget this autumn.
Rishi Sunak’s shift in approach could place ‘viable’ jobs at risk
The chancellor has taken on a riskier approach to job support by focusing only on ‘viable’ jobs
Rishi Sunak's cash influx can’t protect public services from a second coronavirus wave
While extra funding has helped, the chancellor's package of financial support can’t reverse a decade of budget pressures