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 article 16 vaccine row is over – but the damage has been done
Both the EU and the UK must learn from the EU’s blunder over article 16 if they want the Northern Ireland protocol to survive long-term
EU vaccine debate highlights UK success – and need for diplomacy
The UK’s vaccine rollout shows the government has learned from earlier mistakes in the crisis
The UK’s coronavirus quarantine policy risks being the worst of both worlds
Restricting quarantine to a few high-risk countries won’t stop new variants entering the country and will still be costly and disruptive
Boris Johnson needs answers for the challenges he faces in each part of the UK
Jess Sargeant sets the scene for a year which may well be the UK government’s last chance to hold together the four nations of the United Kingdom
Universal Credit’s £20-a-week increase: a looming headache for the chancellor
Nicholas Timmins warns that Rishi Sunak is by no means the first chancellor to find giving far easier than taking away when it comes to benefits
Three ways that the coronavirus crisis has changed government
The new Whitehall Monitor 2021 report sets out the immediate impact of the pandemic across government, writes Alice Lilly
The prime minister is wrong to say that coronavirus lessons can wait
The coronavirus crisis is far from over, but the government is wrong to say that it is too early to learn from the mistakes it has made
Refusing diplomatic status to the EU’s London delegation is a counterproductive insult
The EU is so different from any other international organisation that to treat it as such is absurd and will only disadvantage the UK
The centre of government should do more to help the prime minister
Sir Michael Barber should prioritise strengthening No.10 and the Cabinet Office
Australian-style quarantine is not an easy coronavirus fix for the UK
Lessons from the latest proposed policy import from Australia must not be lost in translation, Sarah Nickson argues