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
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry
What is the UK Covid-19 inquiry? What powers does it have? How long will the Covid Inquiry last and how much will it cost?
Public inquiries
There are 25 ongoing or announced inquiries. But what exactly is a public inquiry?
The Devolution Priority Programme (DPP)
Six areas in England have been selected for the Devolution Priority Programme, putting them on a ‘fast-track’ to mayoral devolution and LGR.
Intergovernmental relations
How do officials and ministers across the UK cooperate and resolve disputes?
What is local government reorganisation?
Unitarisation is a type of local government reorganisation that replaces separate county and district councils with a single tier of local authorities
How big is the Labour government’s majority?
There are 650 seats in parliament. At the general election, the government won 411 of them.
Rules for funding for political parties
How much funding do political parties receive?
How is election spending regulated in the UK?
Party campaign spending is regulated by the Electoral Commission.
Energy resilience
The Middle East crisis has put energy resilience back on the agenda.
Civil service staff numbers
Who exactly are civil servants and how many are there?