Most contentious issue is retrospective action - unheard of at this scale. We've really only done it (once or twice) on tax and with (ECHR-contravening) Jobseekers 2013 Act. A real genie out of bottle moment, given how far this govt has already gone on immig - future govts will take note.

A genuinely big announcement on English devolution from Rachel Reeves today! As we at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk alongside others have argued fiscal devolution was a missing piece of the puzzle in the government's devolution white paper.

Fantastic to see both of the brilliant @emmanorris.bsky.social and @gemmatetlow.bsky.social recognised in this year's Women in Westminster top 100. Both are incredibly impressive colleagues and I've learnt so much from them. www.politicshome.com/in-focus/wiw...

Shabana Mahmood’s announcement that asylum status will be granted on 30 month basis isn’t unprecedented in west (see Denmark), but still a remarkable break from previous UK policy. ALSO extremely unclear would achieve any govt objectives: see @migobs.bsky.social in the Guardian. shorturl.at/xmu7I

Interesting piece and good to see Sunder reiterate his support for a migration plan, as devised by @instituteforgovernment.org.uk colleagues last year and which received the support of Sunder and directors from Onward, CPS, and IPPR in a letter to the Times. tinyurl.com/4hb8akr4

Great to give @instituteforgovernment.org.uk's take on the feasability of Reform's immigration enforcement plans in an Observer article today, in the venerable company of Prof Alan Manning and Dr Madeleine Sumption. You can read the article here: observer.co.uk/news/politic...

Net migration in all of 2025 (Jan-Dec) will be revealed in May 2026: it is clearly well below net 205k of year to June 2025; and could well be lowest outside pandemic since 2010 (150k in 2012-13) + since 1998 (140k) Ministers still saying net migration is still comparatively high - but it isn't

Great to give @instituteforgovernment.org.uk's take on the feasability of Reform's immigration enforcement plans in an Observer article today, in the venerable company of Prof Alan Manning and Dr Madeleine Sumption. You can read the article here: observer.co.uk/news/politic...

New comment from @danhaile.bsky.social, @jillongovt.bsky.social and me on why next Tuesday's spring forecast should ideally be a fiscal "non-event". We don't expect major shifts in the economic outlook, and so shouldn't see the "knee-jerk" policy responses of past spring statements.

Govt’s proposed SEND reforms contain positive ideas to move the system towards early intervention. But there are tensions the govt has not yet worked through between investing in these changes quickly and ensuring reforms are fully evidenced.

So much of this rings true from experience. One of the most depressing parts of working for an MP is looking at constituents stuck in a kafkaesque casework nightmare where no part of the state is working for them or speaking to each other, knowing that the MP's office is pretty powerless to help.

Major news for local government finance. Great that there's now more certainty - without action it's likely the majority of councils would have faced 'bankruptcy' in 28/29. But unclear (at least to me) where the £5bn is coming from. For context that's about 8% of the core schools funding for 25/26

I have a report out today on the near-perennial question of why UK governments struggle to stick at growth policy in anything like a strategic way. Some hurried points:- 0/ www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

W thanks to @jeremypattison.bsky.social for heads up, int levy could also hit exchange students on student visa. Would make exchange v costly for HE providers, who already take on costs hosting exchange (w no tuition fees). Weird if kept, esp. as we've just rejoined Erasmus. tinyurl.com/4bayx4tn

Today the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk hosts First of Wales, Eluned Morgan MS, to hear thoughts on the future of devolution. Not to be missed - sign up via the link below.

NEW REPORT: the gov’s proposals for judge-only trials will deliver only marginal savings and distract from the real route out of this crisis: reversing recent falls in court productivity.

I spoke at the House of Lords Justice & Home Affairs Committee yesterday, on behalf of @instituteforgovernment.org.uk, on immigration, citizenship and integration. Thanks to @jlowen.bsky.social, @cassiarowland.bsky.social and @hcdunlop.bsky.social for help on prep! Session here: tinyurl.com/372h6jdk

In a couple of hours we'll be hearing from Darren Jones about his plans to 'move fast and fix things' in government - you can watch it here: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/modern...

📢NEW REPORT📢 Every year @instituteforgovernment.org.uk sets out the latest on the civil service - size, professions, pay, morale. You name it, we analyse it. This year's report is out today. If you're interested in state capacity, you should be interested in what's happening in the civil service. 🧵

Delighted that Wes Streeting will be kicking off our Government 2026 conference - bright and early tomorrow ⬇️ Other speakers through the day include Mel Stride, Darren Jones, Louise Casey, Andy Burnham, Michael Gove, Ed Balls, Ayesha Hazarika and many more

There's now data out about the resident doctor strikes last month So how disruptive did they end up being? And what can we say about how the NHS is responding to ongoing strikes? Short 🧵👇

Reform councillors are trying to blame Labour's funding reforms for council tax rises It doesn't stack up. After those reforms, 5/10 Reform councils will receive above average funding increases and none get anywhere near a cut They are raising tax because they failed to deliver promised savings

The latest Covid Inquiry evidence exposes the damage caused by poor government information sharing www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/covi...

The NATO def is also the broadest of the three metrics govt uses to define defence spending. NATO figures inc. e.g. pensions for retired military personnel and contributions to UN peacekeeping missions - not exactly capability building.

The latest Covid Inquiry evidence exposes the damage caused by poor government information sharing Government departments must do more to prepare for the next crisis, says @shaina-sangha.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/covi...

New year, new comment piece, same problems. I've written for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk on what the covid inquiry is revealing about (poor) govt info sharing during the pandemic and what needs to be in place for the next crisis. HMT does not come off well... tinyurl.com/muhtm2r8

This should be a great event... What can govt communicators do when Trump blows up their grid on a daily basis. Have we now normalised ignoring facts and is politics just performance art? Does our system of government have any protections if someone followed populist playbook?

I'm really delighted to announce that- in a restructure of the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk’s senior team - I've appointed @gemmatetlow.bsky.social to the new role of Executive Director of Research & Innovation & @alexgathomas.bsky.social to the new role of Executive Director of Impact & Influence

So we are already back to the levels of migration of the early 2010s and declining faster... let's hope all those new restrictions, based on previous higher numbers, don't make Britain massively unattractive to those migrants the government DOES wish to attract.

Budget news of international student levy at £925 flat rate, not as % of tuition fees. This is likely better re. reducing no. coming to UK on student visas to work. Flat rate hits so-called "visa farm" HE providers offering cheaper courses, w. less impact on elite, high-fee institutions. 🧵

"Either damaging cuts to unprotected services or fictitious spending numbers" Read @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social verdict on today's budget and what it means for public services on our live blog www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/au...

'Little overall sense of what the chancellor wants to achieve with the tax system' @gemmatetlow.bsky.social Read the latest comments from our IfG experts on the Chancellor's budget before our WEBINAR at 4pm! www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/live-blog/au...

Side point, but it can’t be said often enough that so much of today’s political debate is taken up with migration, when it is *plunging* 📉 (from OBR docs):

Pleased to have written an op-ed for @civilserviceworld.bsky.social outlining some of the lessons from our new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report, Ministers Reflect on the Treasury. www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...

It's a really good episode, Jill's question puts them on the spot

Rachel Reeves told the FT how helpful she's found Jeremy Hunt's advice on being chancellor - I wonder if this is one of the things they've discussed? From the great new IfG report from Shaina and Paddy - essential reading ahead of the Budget! www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

New paper, 'Ministers reflect on the Treasury' from @paddy-mcalary.bsky.social and me for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk. Pre-budget, we've compiled insights from 10 years of Ministers Reflect interviews, plus rex from the IfG catalogue on HMT. Favourite quotes to follow! 1/🧵 tinyurl.com/38anhkc7

What are the legal implications of Labour’s new asylum reforms? Former permanent secretary of the Government Legal Department @sirjjkc.bsky.social examines some of the main legal implications of the proposals www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/lega...

Hot on the heels of yesterday's Covid inquiry report on decision making, @shaina-sangha.bsky.social and I have a new report out today looking at how combined epidemiological-economic modelling could help government better prepare for future pandemics www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

As the covid inquiry gears up for Module 9 on economic policy, @gemmatetlow.bsky.social and I have a new @ukri.org-funded @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report out on Epi-econ modelling for pandemics. We set out why govt needs to invest now 1/🧵 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

I know it is much more entertaining - I'm guilty too - to follow the briefing and counter-briefing from No 10 but this is actually news you can use to understand what's going on with govt.

Great report from Sophie and Nehal, as part of our Policymaking for Left-behind groups series, on a group of children that can absolutely be better supported to thrive from an early age. A lot of excellent and surprising data work in there.

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...

Great event from colleagues at the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk as @stephenkb.bsky.social makes the important point that govt won't talk about. NIC rise/min wage/visa changes are an unexploded bomb for the government's public service reform/workforce plans. Prioritisation! Prioritisation!

This is really part of a longer story about the ONS, and the picture we have (or don't) of the state and society. The move from International Passenger Surveys to DWP data should improve our understanding of what Brits are doing at least.

Guardian’s top story is @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social’s analysis of NHS performance, the latest release from Public Service Performance Tracker 2025. There are some positives from past years but these risk being undermined by loss of GP partners, social care failures and chaotic approach to reform

NEW REPORT Labour is struggling to meet its education priorities. It has big ambitions to improve schools, but a budget that falls short of matching them. And with no clear plans to reform the SEND system or tackle workforce shortages, children are being left without the support they need.

Can't pass judgement on most of this, but the estimated savings in the NHS of £11bn are incredibly dubious and the proposed shift to a social insurance model is an infuriating zombie idea that is not supported by evidence Some thoughts on the NHS proposals in this paper...

and a lot of other things messing up the economy - just all seems a bit -- late?