Explainers
Our explainers cover key subjects relating to our work, setting out key facts and figures and answering the most important questions about government.
Explore our explainers
Coronavirus: the government’s summer stimulus package
As the UK moved out of the initial Covid lockdown phase in the summer, the government attempted to stimulate demand and speed up economic reopening.
Coronavirus: stimulus policies in other countries after the first shutdown
As governments started to ease public health restrictions, many countries implemented new policies to try to encourage spending.
National security adviser
The national security adviser is the central co-ordinator and adviser to the prime minister and cabinet on security, intelligence, defence, and some f
Coronavirus: local lockdowns
A local lockdown is a partial or full re-imposition of measures to control the spread of the coronavirus in a specific locality.
UK government coronavirus decision making: key phases
As the UK government’s response to coronavirus has evolved, it has made a number of changes to the crisis machinery, forums of science advice, and dec
Cabinet secretary
The cabinet secretary is the most senior civil service adviser to the prime minister and cabinet.
Coronavirus: how different countries supported the unemployed
A comparison of the policies adopted by a collection of advanced economies with different tax and benefit systems.
Government departments’ boards and non-executive directors
Every central government department has a board which provides advice to departments’ leaders and challenges them on their performance.
Personal data and coronavirus
How the UK government is planning to use our data to tackle the coronavirus
UK–EU future relationship negotiations: key flashpoints
We set out four key flashpoints for the future relationship negotiations.