Lively debate upstairs @instituteforgovernment.org.uk on whether this was a fiscal event or not (splitting wonkland now). The fiscal eventers (as per @ruthcurtice.bsky.social) argue that there was a big spending figure on SEND, accommodated by a significant revision to the fiscal forecast.

🎧 Essential listening this week as Sir Alex Younger - former MI6 chief - joins the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk podcast to talk Trump, Iran, Starmer, law, war and much more. Plus: The IfG verdict of Rachel Reeves’s spring forecast www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

Rachel Reeves has resisted the temptation to use today's spring forecast to tinker with the tax system. @jillongovt.bsky.social says the chancellor has made the right choice. Keep an eye on our spring forecast 2026 page for more analysis soon www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/spring-forec...

"...sticking to one major fiscal event a year gives the government more time and space to make better policy decisions." @danhaile.bsky.social, IfG senior economist, reacts to today's 'low-key' spring forecast. More analysis to follow soon www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/spring-forec...

The government will publish the Office for Budget Responsibility's latest economic and fiscal forecast today. On Inside Briefing we were joined by Rupert Harrison - former chief of staff to George Osborne - to discuss the forecast. Listen here: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

Five reasons why today's Spring Forecast should not be a fiscal event, building on what my IfG colleagues wrote last week www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/rach...

Everyone is analysing the implications of the byelection for Keir Starmer and Labour but the most important lessons are for democracy - my latest for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/gort...

Westminster is dangerously underprepared for a multi-party future. Brilliant from @drhannahwhite.bsky.social for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk on the real lesson from the Gorton and Denton by-election.

The new cabinet secretary has a daunting set of tasks ahead, including forging a strong working relationship with the prime minister. But Antonia Romeo can hit the ground running by taking quick decisive action on civil service reform. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/anto...

The @instituteforgovernment.org.uk set five tasks for Chris Wormald when he became cabinet secretary Here’s our verdict (And what his successor should do differently)

Really enjoyed this week’s @instituteforgovernment.org.uk podcast with man-of-the-moment @pickardje.bsky.social and @drhannahwhite.bsky.social Listen to hear Jim’s inside account of how he got such a series of mega-scoops podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

Lack of planning has hit Labour’s efforts to fix public services, says thinktank. Great summary of @instituteforgovernment.org.uk's analysis by @kiranstacey.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

The first chapters of the report (on local government) were published a month ago. The NHS chapters were published today. The Guardian article is an exclusive

Latest fascinating & comprehensive analysis from the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk team of Labour’s public services performance… www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

This new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report gives our verdict of NHS performance since Labour won the general election. And in a week that Wes Streeting found himself in the news too. Well worth checking out

Big pre-budget @financialtimes.com story... Read it... And then listen again to last week's @instituteforgovernment.org.uk budget about chancellors and the art of pitch-rolling their budget announcements. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

Has Rachel Reeves rolled the budget pitch? And how did former chancellors manage expectations? Fascinating @instituteforgovernment.org.uk podcast with @stewartwood.bsky.social Giles Winn @gemmatetlow.bsky.social @jillongovt.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/rach...

Cross-party agreement can create political space for tax reform It is time to take the political heat out of attempts to reform the tax system, says @gemmatetlow.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/cros...

NEW: the latest in our @instituteforgovernment.org.uk Performance Tracker series is out today And ace colleague @amberdellar.bsky.social has been looking at school performance The data is.. worrying @laurahughesft.bsky.social at the @financialtimes.com has the story www.ft.com/content/9be6...

New from me and @aliceolilly.bsky.social 👇

The monarch, the royal family and parliament (and people no longer called Prince) Here’s a very timely and very useful new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk explainer from top colleagues @aliceolilly.bsky.social and @rebeccamckee.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/mo...

NEW: Home Office truths The Home Secretary says Home Office is not fit for purpose So what’s the problem/solution? 🎧Today’s @instituteforgovernment.org.uk podcast with @drhannahwhite.bsky.social @alexgathomas.bsky.social & ex spad Hannah Guerin www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

Well this is a particularly depressing illustration of what a collapsing justice system looks like. 262 people were released from prison by mistake in 2024/25 — more than twice the previous year and almost 4.5x 2014/15 www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

🎧NEW @instituteforgovernment.org.uk podcast - Royal trouble - Inquiry woe - Prisons crisis @dannyshaw.bsky.social joins @cathhaddon.bsky.social @cassiarowland.bsky.social & @alexgathomas.bsky.social to make sense of it all www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/pris...

Some - cautious - good news on the govt’s civil service gagging rules Nick Thomas-Symonds has written to us rowing back on the worst aspects: “it is important for civil servants to speak in public about matters for which they have responsibility” www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/welc...

NEW REPORT Criminal justice is coming apart at the seams. Police, criminal courts & prisons can’t cope with the level of demand and performance keeps spiralling downwards. Early positive steps from the government won't be enough to turn things around www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Great @mattdathan.bsky.social @thetimes.com write up of today’s fantastic new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report by @cassiarowland.bsky.social on the state of the criminal justice system. Which is again/still in a state of ‘slow-motion collapse’ www.thetimes.com/article/3319...

Kicking off this year’s Performance Tracker 2025, Part 1 from the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk looks at how local government, social care and homelessness services are performing. Great job @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social & @amberdellar.bsky.social!

🎧Tinker, Tailor, Starmer, Spies? Latest @instituteforgovernment.org.uk podcast is out now! @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social @theguardian.com joins @drhannahwhite.bsky.social @amberdellar.bsky.social @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social & @timdurrant.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

This is @instituteforgovernment.org.uk equivalent of a 19th century novel with cliffhangers as each part comes out.. prepare for weeks of near unremitting gloom on the state of public services (I assume). by our stellar #performancetracker team

What have the different political parties announced on immigration and asylum? Our latest explainer by @shaina-sangha.bsky.social sets out the positions of Labour, the Conservatives, Reform, the Lib Dems, and the Green Party www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/im...

[NEW] How does the quality of local government services vary across the country – and what is driving performance? The first instalment of our Public Services Performance Tracker 2025 with @nuffieldfoundation.org is out now🚨👇 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Great thread by Nick on this eye-opening new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report 👇

EXC: English councils will still be poorer in 2029 than they were in 2010, according to the IfG. Report finds councils are increasingly providing social care and little else. Libraries, youth services, parks, all falling by the wayside. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

PSA: We have a new (and long) @instituteforgovernment.org.uk explainer out on the immigration and asylum policies of the major parties (of England...) following a flurry of announcements all year and around conference season, in particular. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/im...

NEW: Part 1 of the brilliant @instituteforgovernment.org.uk Performance Tracker @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social & @amberdellar.bsky.social have dug deep into local government services & finances It’s.. gloomy As @theguardian.com @kiranstacey.bsky.social reports www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Lots of politicians setting out lots of pledges/promises/polices on immigration & asylum And this brilliant new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk explainer is the best summary out there Read now (And then bookmark it & read it again for the inevitable updates… sorry @shaina-sangha.bsky.social ..)

The party membership ballot for the 2025 Labour Party deputy leadership contest is open until 12pm on 23 October. Read our explainer to find out more about the process for electing Angela Rayner's successor www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/20...

I would say this… But this podcast is a must-listen to understand what happened at Conservative Party conference and whether Kemi Badenoch’s stamp duty plan adds up Properly insightful analysis from ace @instituteforgovernment.org.uk colleagues and @patrick-pme.bsky.social @yougov.co.uk

I’ve written more here. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/keir...

Flagged in this morning’s Politico Playbook, here’s @tompope.bsky.social’s excellent new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk blog on Kemi Badenoch’s stamp duty plan - and why the sums don’t quite add up. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/kemi...

My instant reaction to Badenoch's stamp duty announcement for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk Stamp duty is a bad tax. But abolishing it without a broader reform of property taxes would be a missed opportunity and hard to afford. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/kemi...

You can hear more about that and everything else at Conservative Party conference in our podcast, out now! bsky.app/profile/samm...

And here's a new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk explainer by @jillongovt.bsky.social on how stamp duty works (and whether Kemi Badenoch's plan to abolish it is sensible..) www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/st...

Kemi Badenoch's promise to abolish stamp duty is going to make headlines, but do the sums add up? Brilliant stuff from our deputy chief economist @tompope.bsky.social on today's big announcement 👇

🎧NEW: Lessons in Kemistry.. Brilliant Conservative Party conference (& stamp duty) analysis on @instituteforgovernment.org.uk podcast @drhannahwhite.bsky.social @alexgathomas.bsky.social @tompope.bsky.social and Patrick English of @yougov.co.uk www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

A the end of last month @instituteforgovernment.org.uk headed to Bournemouth for the Liberal Democrat Party Conference 2025 We held an event in partnership with @uniofsurrey.bsky.social exploring how local places can ensure devolution delivers economic growth, chaired by @tompope.bsky.social

We're about to start our final #CPC25 event. Join us and Onward in Central 5 at 15:30 to hear us discuss how governments should rewire the state to get things done. With Jesse Norman MP, @drhannahwhite.bsky.social @alexgathomas.bsky.social zurl.co/Ywwx0

Look out for a #CPC25 Inside Briefing special podcast - the IfG team @drhannahwhite.bsky.social @alexgathomas.bsky.social @tompope.bsky.social are joined by guest @patrick-pme.bsky.social. Landing in your podcast feeds tomorrow. 🎧👀

NEW: Mel Stride’s civil service savings are more signal than substance @alexgathomas.bsky.social & @jackworlidge.bsky.social give the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk verdict on Mel Stride's civil service savings (& yes, it's a fantasy numbers game) www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/mel-...