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
By-elections
How are by-elections triggered?
Northern Ireland Protocol Bill
What does the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill say – and what does it mean?
Caroline Dinenage
Caroline Dinenage discusses the support she received from the civil service and working with three different prime ministers.
Vote of confidence in Boris Johnson
This evening Boris Johnson will face a vote of confidence in his leadership of the Conservative party.
Civil service fast stream
The fast stream is the government’s accelerated development programme for the UK civil service. But how big is it? How many different streams are ther
Royal finances
The British royal family has wealth and receives income from several different sources, some with very long histories.
Windfall taxes
The term ‘windfall tax’ is used to describe a one-off tax levied on companies deemed to have made unreasonably high profits.
‘Benefits of Brexit’: Queen’s Speech 2022
In the 2022 Queen’s Speech, the government laid out what it called a "Brexit bills bonanza".
Local elections 2022
On 5 May, local elections will take place in England, Scotland and Wales.
Northern Ireland assembly
The Northern Ireland assembly, often referred to as Stormont, is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland.