This report from UK think tank the Adam Smith Institute looks at how the Government can go for growth and cut the cost of living. Britain has been plunged into a cost of living crisis. Inflation, energy prices, stagnant wages and an increasingly heavy tax burden have all combined to put huge pressure on household...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at what the government could do to manage a possible cut-off of gas from Russia. The sanctions imposed on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February have had a devastating impact on its economy. Most severe was the move to reduce the Russian...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the government's plans to redirect its £2.4bn budget away from payments. By setting high expectations for post-Brexit agricultural support, the government risks its reforms being seen as a failure by some (if not all) of farmers, environmentalists, taxpayers and consumers. This report analyses...

This report from UK think tank the IEA looks at principles that public authorities must follow when granting subsidies. The Subsidy Control Bill (‘the Bill’) could make it easier for public authorities to provide economically damaging subsidies – by moving away from the European Union’s state aid process and reducing transparency requirements. The Bill outlines...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at a new statutory role to clarify the civil service's purpose. The civil service urgently needs a new statutory role to clarify its purpose, reinforce its standing, enhance its accountability, and to strengthen the partnership between ministers and civil servants upon which government depends....

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at improving access to pensions advice and guidance. In our latest report, A Guiding Hand, the SMF finds that Brits are woefully unprepared to be able to achieve their desired retirement standard of living. The lack of high-quality support is set to create an...

This report from UK think tank Onward looks at the case for civil service relocation. The Government’s desire to “level up” economic opportunity and govern in the interests of historically left-behind areas is being undermined by slow progress in moving large numbers of civil servants out of Whitehall. Our analysis shows that, despite bold ministerial...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at three key power relationships at the heart of the constitution that are currently under strain. The UK’s constitution has been placed under huge strain by Brexit and the pandemic. This has also created an opportunity to reinvigorate UK democracy, restore trust in the...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how the government dealt with the pandemic alongside long-term policy goals. Major reform is needed for government to respond to crises like the pandemic while simultaneously delivering long-term policy goals. Whitehall Monitor 2022 reveals how the government has been handling the Covid crisis...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government presents the seven steps the government needs to take to maintain momentum on climate change. The government’s response to the energy price crisis right will be critical to preserving political and public support for net zero policies. This report sets out seven steps the government...

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at three ways to ensure efficient use of increased funding for public services. What does 'public service reform' look like in the 2020s? This briefing from the Social Market Foundation considers three ways the Government might seek to ensure increased funding for public services...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at what the Johnson government achieved – and what is left to do. Over half (55%) of the Conservative government’s 2019 manifesto pledges are completed or on track – but 41 pledges are at risk of failure or have been delayed, suspended or abandoned....

This report from UK think tank Civitas looks if we are moving parliamentary democracy to the regulatory state. At the forefront of Britain’s response to Covid-19 is the emergence of a new phase in the growth of the regulatory state. Many of the features of our pandemic response reflected the ongoing transformation of the state....

This report from UK think tank HEPI looks at spreading opportunity, reducing division and building community at university. In a Debate Paper from the Higher Education Policy Institute, Richard Brabner, Director of the UPP Foundation, says universities and the Government should adopt the famous political idea of One Nation to reshape universities in England. Writing...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the levelling up white paper and the devolution deals with county areas. The long-awaited levelling up white paper should include a framework for how the government will negotiate devolution deals with county areas, what powers it is willing to devolve and what conditions...