This report from UK think tank Resolution Foundation assesses the Autumn 2026 Budget. This briefing note assesses the Autumn 2026 Budget, the first from the new Chancellor, delivered against a backdrop of war in the Middle East, a fresh energy price shock and a weaker fiscal outlook. It looks at the economic and fiscal forecasts,...

This report from UK think tank Re:State discusses the findings from their new Alternative People survey. Re:State’s new Alternative People Survey, run with Civil Service World and Public First, asked 1,747 civil servants how Whitehall is really working. The new Government has moved quickly to reorganise the centre, but the Survey suggests that structural change...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government analyses the Government's public services performance in 2026. Despite progress in some areas, Starmer's reform agenda did not live up to expectations and leaves Burnham with difficult choices. The ‘honeymoon period’ enjoyed by Keir Starmer’s Labour Party in the summer of 2024 was possibly the...

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation previews the key decisions for Autumn Budget 2026 in the context of another rise in the cost of living. This briefing note previews the key decisions facing the Chancellor at Autumn Budget 2026. It assesses how the economic backdrop is likely to affect the OBR’s fiscal...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government gives an overview of and makes recommendations for the criminal justice system. When the Starmer government took office in July 2024, it inherited a criminal justice system in England and Wales that was fundamentally unable to cope with the level of demand it faced. Nowhere...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation examines how falling immigration numbers could lead to increasing tensions and divisons over UK immigration. As net migration to the UK falls, the focus of immigration policy and immigration news flow is shifting away from numbers arriving, on to the inside perspective on immigration –...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government states the government should set out a clear long-term vision for the structure of the school system. By the time Andy Burnham entered government earlier this year, an ambitious education agenda was already well under way. Over its two years in office, the Starmer government...

This report from UK think tank Re:State argues that the answer is not another digital strategy, but a fundamental change in how the State operates. In recent years, Government has published digital strategies like clockwork. It has invested in digital services, established standards for how they should be built, and set out ambitious plans for...

This report from UK think tank Re:State proposes changing the rules for public procurement for the public sector with a new National Procurement Policy Statement. Every year the State spends nearly £400 billion buying goods, services and works from the private sector – 35 per cent of public sector budgets, and roughly one eighth of...

This report from UK think tank the Policy Institute finds that memories of New Labour vary sharply across party supporters. Labour supporters today still look back fondly on the New Labour governments of 1997–2010 – but most think Andy Burnham’s government is performing about as well as or better, according to a new study. Among...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government explores how mayors and local leaders can create a shared vision for growth. Devolution will be central to delivering the government’s ambition of good growth in every postcode. The government has already committed to devolving further growth levers to mayors, including employment support, 16–19 education,...

This report from UK think tank Re:State calls for the Government to scrap Jobcentre Plus and create a new model for employment support and benefits administration. Britain’s employment support system is failing the people who need it most. Its backbone – Jobcentre Plus – remains a highly centralised, one-size-fits-all institution, despite the importance of local...

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities shows how the Government can design fiscal devolution for growth and fairness. Centre for Cities’ latest briefing shows how the Government can advance fiscal devolution while maximising growth, protecting those places with smaller tax bases from losing out, and costing nothing additional to the Treasury and...

This report from UK think tank the Coalition for Global Prosperity examines lessons from Giorgia Meloni's plan for Africa. British international development policy has lost public support, and successive governments have responded by cutting the aid budget rather than addressing why. Two-thirds of Britons favoured cutting the budget in 2020, while in 2024 £2.8 billion...

This report from UK think tank RUSI is for defence and security professionals seeking insights into Russia’s evolving military capabilities and strategic adaptations. Russia's war in Ukraine has driven a shift from massed firepower to mass precision strike, reshaping doctrine and future military effectiveness. This paper reveals how Russia’s war in Ukraine has transformed its...

Digital government services must be made truly accessible to reduce inequalities By Josh Abel (Fabian Society) The pandemic has brought the digital divide to the forefront of public policy debate. During lockdown, far too many children were unable to learn from home because they could not access the internet and millions of households faced social isolation because they were...