This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the lessons on austerity in public services from the 2010s. The estimated £40bn of departmental savings that Jeremy Hunt needs to find would be much more damaging to public services and harder to deliver than the coalition government’s 2010 austerity programme. Hunt should...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at Parliament and the UK–EU relationship. Liz Truss should reset parliament’s lacklustre arrangements for post-Brexit scrutiny – and if she won’t then senior parliamentarians should pressurise government into making vital changes. This report finds that parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit has been relegated to a...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the case for keeping and improving the government’s performance framework. The prime minister should embrace outcome delivery plans – introduced in 2020 to set out and measure government departments’ plans and performance – if she wants to make progress on her delivery priorities....

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at what the Truss government should learn from other countries. The government should do more to address the UK’s energy efficiency problems - or risk finding itself in an even more difficult position next year over rising energy bills. The report finds that the...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at what awaits Kwasi Kwarteng as he takes over the reins at HM Treasury. New chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng will need to cut spending on public services, raise other taxes or break the government’s fiscal rules if he implements Liz Truss’s promised tax cuts. While...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how to create a predictable and stable business environment. Written by former No.10 adviser Giles Wilkes, this report warns that a failure to stick to a clear direction and fulfil policy promises is very damaging to businesses whose plans are dependent on government...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how to get to grips with departmental budgets. When a new government is formed, or a reshuffle occurs, new secretaries of state usually arrive in their departments with plenty of ideas about what they want to do or achieve. But the departments they...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at a positive example of rapid innovation in the delivery of public services. Oak National Academy stands out as a positive example of rapid innovation in the delivery of public services. This report discusses how the idea for Oak was developed, its launch and...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at changing the model of exam assessment reform. The question of whether exams taken at 16 and 18 in England are effective and proportionate is a vexed one. Secondary assessment in the highly centralised English system is particularly high stakes and multi-purposed – being...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at what the government can do to address rising energy bills. Big increases in energy bills mean that UK households are set to face a very difficult winter. Annualised bills for a typical household are currently £1,971, already 50% higher than in March, but...