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.
Sturgeon’s survival turns attention back to independence – and the SNP’s record
The civil war in the SNP has damaged support and turned a harsher light onto its promises – and its record in office
The Greensill saga is a brutal reminder of the value in tougher financial regulation
The Greensill affair reminds us that when it comes to “FinTech”, the need for tough financial regulation is as important as ever.
The government must step up its support for people told to self-isolate
Inadequate financial support for self-isolation could yet undermine the UK’s path out of the crisis
The government’s integrated review describes but does not resolve foreign policy tensions
In implementing the “integrated review” of security, defence, development and foreign policy, the government will need to resolve tensions
Delaying Brexit border checks solves some problems but creates others
The government’s decision to further delay Brexit border checks risks storing up problems for the future
One month of data offers few clues about the longer-term impact of Brexit on trade
Trade flows between the UK and the EU fell sharply in the first month the UK spent outside the single market
The chancellor needs to confront the costs of net zero
The budget was another missed opportunity to set out a plan for paying for net zero
Gaps in policy, not just operational failings, are the problem with Covid test and trace
However much the government spends on test and trace, the cash cannot make up for gaps in policy
Boris Johnson sets the tone on ministerial standards
It is prime ministers who decide whether ministers’ behaviour meets the standard required to remain in their roles
Harry, Meghan and the Queen: the questions a family feud poses about the monarchy’s future
The bigger fall out in the monarchy may come with the constitutional problems facing the succession