On 25 April, Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf ended the Bute House Agreement – a co-operation deal between the SNP and Scottish Greens. Relations had broken down the previous week when the Scottish government dropped its 2030 commitment to reduce …
Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda Act is finally on the statute book, and the prime minister has promised that – “no ifs, no buts” – flights will be taking off by the summer. So how much of a triumph is his for Sunak – and what legal challenges could still …
The NHS is front and centre of a general election campaign. Rishi Sunak has placed the NHS at the heart of the five pledges he wants to voters to judge him on, while Keir Starmer has made NHS reform one of the five missions which he says would drive a …
The UK’s new post-Brexit regulatory responsibilities and powers are not matched by adequate levels of parliamentary scrutiny – with almost a third of UK regulators not scrutinised by parliament since the 2019 general election. This report says a focus on …
The role of regulators will not feature prominently on the doorstep at the general election. People are more concerned about issues such as energy bills, sewage and policing. But regulators, like Ofgem, Ofwat and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, play an …
In the face of growing global threats, Rishi Sunak has committed that a Conservative government would raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, higher than the 2% NATO target that the UK has so far adhered to. While the decision to prioritise defence is …
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill has now been passed by both Houses of Parliament and will become an Act once it receives Royal Assent. Although the House of Lords held out for several rounds of ping-pong, in the end the only concessions …
From attacking opposition policies to rebutting opposition attacks, selling key messages to voters and shaping media narratives, general election campaigns can be won or lost on the success of a communications strategy. So how do the parties design and …
Shadow ministers are members of the official opposition party who act as a ‘government in waiting’, scrutinising the work of their counterparts in government and developing policies that they would take forward if elected. We look at who shadow ministers …
We analyse how governments can deliver on missions, bold and difficult objectives that have proven difficult to solve in the past. This includes how to better design policy with implementation in mind, the organisation of the centre of government, funding …
Liz Truss is back, with her new book providing journalists with all sorts of extraordinary insights into her retrospective arguments about why her premiership collapsed. But what legacy has Truss left the Conservatives in the polls and what does this tell …
Following the Elections Act 2022, metro mayors and PCCs will be elected using the first past the post system (FPTP) for the first time. Previously, these roles were elected under the supplementary vote (SV) system in which voters could express two …
‘Stopping the boats’ was one of Rishi Sunak’s five priorities at the start of 2023. The numbers, and the visuals, of small boats arriving on the UK’s southern coast is an issue long seized upon by Nigel Farage and the Reform Party that has, to some extent, …
Measured productivity fell dramatically during 2020 as the pandemic changed how public services operated and led to a reduced quantity of ‘normal’ activity. This was most clear in health care, where almost all non-emergency procedures were put on hold and …
On top of the 100 MPs who are standing down, a further 23 have already departed during the parliament, some for other jobs and some in disgrace. This means around a fifth of the 650 MPs elected in 2019 will have left parliament before a single vote is cast …
On Thursday 2 May 2024, voters across England and Wales will head to the polls in a major set of local and mayoral elections. The highest-profile contests will be the election of 10 influential metro mayors – including in Greater London and across the …
Liz Truss’s claim that her micro-premiership was undermined by the “deep state” actors working as “barriers to our plans” might seem too obviously off-beam to need a response. But it does raise an interesting question about why a section of the …
Where are elections taking place? Scheduled elections are being held in 107 of England’s 317 councils on Thursday 2 May. All seats will be contested in: Four unitary authorities Three metropolitan boroughs 20 district councils A third of seats will be …
Relationships between the government and civil service unions have been strained in recent years. There was series of strikes over pay in 2022 and the first half of 2023, and unions have been critical of the government’s efforts to require civil servants …
Is the Foreign Office still a department built to deliver the UK’s global priorities in the 21st century or is it out of date in the way it looks and works? Is David Cameron’s comeback as foreign secretary turning out to be a surprise success and what has …
