Incisive commentary from the IfG’s expert team on issues facing government and key ministerial decisions.
From analysis of key political events such as budgets and party conferences to snap responses to unexpected developments such as government reshuffles, our writers set out their views and analyse what government gets right, what it gets wrong, and what it can do better.
Keir Starmer’s job offer to Sue Gray causes a civil service headache
Sue Gray's move to become Keir Starmer's chief of staff could cause difficulties for the civil service.
Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp leaks should be a wake-up call for government
Matt Hancock’s messages reveal just how embedded WhatsApp is in the functioning of government.
The Windsor Framework improves the protocol – now the UK and EU need to make it work
Putting the Windsor Framework into practice will need the new spirit of cooperation between the UK and EU to continue.
Empty threats will not solve the asylum backlog
The home secretary is right to expedite asylum decision making.
Five ways Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed UK government
A year after Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine, five IfG experts examine the impact of the war on the UK
What do Keir Starmer’s five missions reveal about how Labour would govern?
A team of IfG experts assess whether Starmer’s "five bold missions" stack up
Government redesigns like Rishi Sunak’s would be helped by consistency across Whitehall
One of the reasons ‘machinery of government’ changes are so disruptive is that departmental systems are conflicting and incompatible.
Suella Braverman should notice the Independent Monitoring Authority’s worth
The government should be grateful to the Independent Monitoring Authority for saving it from a fiasco over EU citizens with pre-settled status
David Davis’s frustrations with the civil service overlooks where problems really exist
Ministers who blame civil servants for problems are overlooking their power to shape how they work with officials.
Bird flu is another warning to improve the UK’s resilience
The government must take the new strain of H5N1 extremely seriously.