Explainers
Our explainers cover key subjects relating to our work, setting out key facts and figures and answering the most important questions about government.
Explore our explainers
Leading a ministerial team
As a new secretary of state, how will you lead your ministerial team? Find out how other have done it.
Lord Frost
Lord Frost reflects on his time as minister of state overseeing Brexit.
Police accountability
Several recent high-profile scandals have brought into focus the need for strengthened police accountability.
Energy price cap
Amid soaring energy bills, we explain what the Ofgem price cap is and how it's calculated.
Sugar tax
The soft drinks industry levy (SDIL), or ‘sugar tax’, is a levy applied to UK-produced or imported soft drinks containing added sugar.
Northern Ireland: Functioning of government without ministers
There has been no first minister or deputy first minister since February 2022. So who is running the government?
Maternity leave for ministers
Can ministers take maternity leave?
Register of members’ financial interests
The register of members’ financial interests is a record of anything that might be reasonably considered to influence an MP’s words, actions or votes
Intergovernmental relations
How do officials and ministers across the UK cooperate and resolve disputes?
Sexual orientation in the civil service
What proportion of civil servants are LGB+ – and how does this vary by seniority and department?