This report from UK think tank the Constitution Unit looks at the challenges for the next Westminster government. Whatever the result of the upcoming general election, a new Westminster government may want to comprehensively reappraise the way that it addresses Northern Ireland issues, a new Constitution Unit report says. The report, which offers an agenda...

This report from UK think tank The Constitution Unit explores different institutional vehicles for developing and delivering proposals for House of Commons reform. Recent years have seen many proposals for reforming the internal procedures of the House of Commons, against a backdrop of clear public dissatisfaction with parliament. Less attention has been given to the...

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum looks at statecraft for the 21st century. 2024 presents a rare opportunity for the UK: a potential change of UK administration could trigger a radical shift in the way government is structured and delivered, and improved outcomes for all. Written by leading missions expert Professor...

This report from UK think tank The Constitution Unit argues that there is an urgent need to rebuild the system for upholding standards in public life. Constitutional watchdogs are the guardians of the system for upholding standards. This project concerns seven constitutional watchdogs which monitor the conduct of the executive: the Advisory Committee on Business...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government sets out how the official opposition should ready itself for power. This report sets out key lessons for how any opposition party should use the final 12 months (or fewer) to prepare for government. In the final months before an election access talks are overdue....

This report from UK think tank Reform sets out a new framework for devolution decisions and the assessment of local systems. At present, a great deal of Whitehall’s time and resources are absorbed by unnecessary centralisation: micromanagement of purely local affairs, management of bid-in pots for local actors, and the development of policy which would...

This report from UK think tank IPPR looks at how power and influence are distributed unequally across our society. If there is one thing that unites people in this country, it is their disdain for Westminster. People have generally had enough of paying for the mistakes of politicians. This deeply held sentiment will not be...

This report from UK think tank Chatham House traces the political dimensions of state capture in Iraq and its consequences for the country’s future stability. The US-led invasion and occupation in 2003 brought Iraq some of the trappings of a liberal democracy, such as competitive multi-party elections and citizen freedoms, but it did not ensure...

This report from UK think tank the Constitution Unit looks at public attitudes and policy responses to democracy in the UK. Over the last three years, the Constitution Unit has conducted detailed research into public attitudes to democracy in the UK. This has comprised two large-scale surveys of the UK population, conducted in summer 2021...

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society looks at a progressive proposal for fiscal devolution and economic development in England. England is generally agreed to be the most centralised nation of its size in the developed world, with central government involved in almost all aspects of how local authorities operate. Despite the extensive...

This report from UK think tank the Constitution Unit provides new insights into who works for MPs. A good deal is known about the 650 MPs who sit in the House of Commons, and they are frequently the focus of research. Far less is known about the over 3,500 people who work for them across...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government concludes an 18-month long Review of the UK Constitution. The UK’s constitution has been tested to its limits and found in urgent need of reform. This report, published jointly by the Institute for Government and Cambridge University’s Bennett Institute for Public Policy, warns that a...

This report from UK think tank IPPR looks at findings from the State of the Union survey. Brexit revealed stark differences in attitudes across the UK. It not only revealed different attitudes within and between the UK’s constituent units towards the European Union but it also revealed the ambivalence of attitudes towards the union of...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the most pressing governance challenges in Northern Ireland today. In Northern Ireland, mention of constitutional change normally means just one thing: United Kingdom versus United Ireland. The ‘constitutional question’ that this juxtaposition connotes – whether or not a majority of the people in...

This report from UK think tank the Constitution Unit looks at diverse views from 1998–2023. The current impasse at Stormont and the political disruption caused by Brexit and the Protocol in recent years point to a continued need to understand the diverse viewpoints that exist on this key document from the Northern Ireland peace process....

As the United Kingdom celebrates its 100th year in its current reconfiguration we asked how power should be shared going forward. Focus on how to embed metro mayors and combined authorities into major public investment decisions By James Heywood (Centre for Policy Studies) The UK is one of the most centralised nations in the developed...