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.
Coronavirus means the UK (and UN) should delay COP26
Moving the UN climate conference back to spring or summer 2021 offers the only serious hope of the talks’ success
The government’s communications need to reflect the seriousness of the coronavirus crisis
Covid-19 has forced a rapid change of gear in the government, but bad habits still need to be cut out
The Windrush scandal was a failure of law, policy, politics and bureaucracy
The long-awaited Windrush Lessons Learned Review has been published.
The economic consequences of coronavirus go way beyond short-term fixes
The coronavirus outbreak means an immediate economic test for the government, and in the long-term could mean a major re-evaluation in what the public
The government’s consultation on tariffs will give it little guidance
The government is right to consult the public on its post-Brexit plans
The Renewable Heat Incentive report should resonate beyond Northern Ireland
The recommendations of the 'cash for ash' scandal report should be taken seriously on both sides of the Irish sea
Clear objectives will help make relocating civil servants a success
There are good reasons to move the civil service out of London, but the ‘why’ deserves as much attention as the ‘where’
Boris Johnson must be prepared for coronavirus to disrupt his Brexit timetable
Face-to-face negotiations between the UK and EU planned for 16 March have been called off, but UK ministers are sticking to the line that their Brexit
Coronavirus budget bailouts make sense – but are not without risk
Bailing out businesses affected by coronavirus is the right thing to do – but it is an approach that should not be replicated for a no-deal Brexit
Getting Universal Credit to work better: a very modest start
Well below the big headlines in the budget, the government has made a start on getting Universal Credit to work better