Policy area: Politics

Reports

After the fall: Why hasn’t falling immigration changed public attitudes?

This report from UK think tank British Future explores findings from the British Future immigration attitudes tracker. ‘After the fall: Why hasn’t falling immigration changes public attitudes?’ is the 2026 report from the British Future Immigration Attitudes Tracker, which has followed public attitudes to immigration for over a decade since 2015. The new research reveals...

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High housing costs in the private rental sector: The case for action

This report from UK think tank IPPR calls for a new system of rent stabilisation to cap excessive increases, linked to whichever is lower: inflation or wage growth. 45 per cent of all private renters in the UK have unaffordable rents. It's time for the government to act to limit rent increases. In the UK...

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European higher education in the 2020s

This report from UK think tank the Policy Institute brings together essays from leading higher education figures across Europe. Despite taking very different approaches to financing, higher education sectors across major European economies are experiencing the same underlying pressure. Universities have grown enormously since the 1950s, but public funding has not kept pace. The tools...

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Price caps and economic stability: How to manage the Iran war energy shock?

This report from UK think tank IPPR explores how a well-designed intervention that caps energy prices can limit inflation and insure against the worst outcomes. The Iran war energy shock will impose significant costs on the UK economy, even if the government does not offer a universal support package. As it drives up inflation, we...

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Where’s the demos in democracy?

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies demonstrates that democracy delivers development better than other regimes. Democracy is in crisis. Anti-democratic politicians and anti-rights movements are becoming more popular. Simultaneously, growing inequality around the world – a product of neoliberal capitalist societies – has left millions of people feeling left behind...

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Swiss role model? What the UK can learn from how Switzerland rebuilt public trust in its asylum system

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at the Swiss asylum reforms and key takeaways for the UK. The UK is suffering a downward spiral, with collapsing public confidence in the government’s ability to deliver an effective asylum system. This report investigates reforms to the Swiss asylum system designed to address...

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Harm, hardship, and the price of inaction

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation examines the costs of Scotland’s drug crisis. Scotland has a drug problem. The issue is likely to be a key one in the upcoming Scottish elections. Questions of the costs of potential interventions, and how worthwhile they are, will be central to decisions made on...

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Vital institutions 01: Reform and renewal of the Equality and Human Rights Commission

This report from UK think tank the Future Governance Forum calls for the reform of the EHRC to strengthen equality and human rights protection for people living in the UK.  Our recommendations for how the Commission can restore its credibility include: being politically neutral, leading public debates in sensitive areas and making greater use of...

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Essays about the future: Scotland

This report from UK think tank Carnegie UK considers what kind of a country we want Scotland to be two decades from now. Moments of democratic choice provide an important opportunity to pause, look beyond immediate pressures, and reflect on the kind of future we want to build. Ahead of this year’s election, Carnegie UK...

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Apathy and opposition: Understanding the real threats to net zero

This report from UK think tank IPPR examines the threats to climate action. Climate action is under siege from populist and far-right actors. Delivering under that pressure demands fresh confidence and commitment from government. Watering down ambition offers no electoral advantage; a strong, progressive agenda on climate action remains broadly popular with the public. Elite...

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Preparing for populism

This report from UK think tank HEPI encourages universities to engage across the political spectrum, including with parties sceptical of higher education. Prepare for populism: Universities need to rebuild their legitimacy with all major parties and the public as they head into a tougher political era. In Preparing for Populism (HEPI Debate Paper 44), Professor...

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Adapt or die: Why progressives need to deal with extreme weather

This report from UK think tank IPPR makes the case for why progressives need to deal with extreme weather. The impacts of extreme weather are already directly affecting people and communities across the UK. We lack ways to deal with this. Without a serious rethink, we will lose any reputation for competence and leave an...

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Student loan reform: weighing the trade-offs

This report from UK think tank IPPR outlines the pros and cons of various policy options for student loan reform. Millions of graduates are paying more for longer as frozen thresholds and high interest rates bite, leaving ministers with tough choices on how to deliver meaningful, targeted relief. This report outlines the pros and cons...

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Not my priority; how the public sees social care (and what can be done about it)

This report from UK think tank The King's Fund explores why public opinion and attitudes towards social care are a key barrier to change. Without adult social care support, a full life would be impossible for many people. It helps people carry out basic tasks such as washing, dressing and eating but also, for some...

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Assessing potential manifesto commitments on higher education funding in Wales

This report from UK think tank HEPI publishes modelling on proposed higher education funding reforms in the run up to the Senedd elections. The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and London Economics have published modelling on proposed reforms for higher education funding in Wales in the run up to the Senedd elections on 7 May...

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Related Events

2 June 2026

Location: NIESR, 2 Dean Trench Street, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HE

Think tank: National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR)

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2 June 2026

Location: Adam Smith Institute, 23 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3DJ

Think tank: Adam Smith Institute

The Next Generation with Harriet Cross MP

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4 June 2026

Location: Online / Institute for Government, 2 Carlton Gardens, London SW1Y 5AA

Think tank: Institute for Government

Are private members’ bills a good way for MPs to decide on difficult policy issues?

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Location: Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, 1 Victoria Embankment, London SW1A 2LW

Think tank: Future Governance Forum

The inaugural Addison Lecture: Nation-building from the rubble

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Location: Online

Think tank: Bright Blue

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This event hosted by UK think tank Bright Blue discusses 'Is this the end of two-party politics?'. We are delighted to invite you to join our next Ludgate Lecture, a series where we hear from prominent thinkers and decision makers on the biggest issues of our time. For our next event, we will be hosting Professor...

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Location: Online

Think tank: Bright Blue

Ludgate Lecture with Professor Tony Travers

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