Thomas Pope
Deputy Chief Economist
Fiscal rules in the UK since 1997
Fiscal rules are restrictions on fiscal policy set by a government to constrain its own decisions on spending and taxes.
Austerity postponed? The impact of Labour’s first budget on public services
Rachel Reeves’ budget will see spending increase faster than demand for every public service bar police until 2025/26.
Rachel Reeves’ first budget is a clear break from the recent past
What did we learn about Labour’s strategy from its first fiscal event?
Funding local growth in England
The next government must end "begging bowl culture" of local growth funding.
How the next government should complete the job of English devolution
The next government must extend devolution to 85% of England to deliver meaningful and balanced economic growth.
Where next for levelling up?
This short paper highlights five key challenges that any government seeking to reduce regional inequalities will need to address.
All work
Fiscal rules in the UK since 1997
Fiscal rules are restrictions on fiscal policy set by a government to constrain its own decisions on spending and taxes.
Austerity postponed? The impact of Labour’s first budget on public services
Rachel Reeves’ budget will see spending increase faster than demand for every public service bar police until 2025/26.
Rachel Reeves’ first budget is a clear break from the recent past
What did we learn about Labour’s strategy from its first fiscal event?
Six things to look out for in the autumn budget 2024
What will Rachel Reeves' budget tell us about the government’s priorities?
How can the OBR improve the way it judges the supply-side effects of policy?
Better forecasts will lead to better budgets.
Local growth plans
How government should support a place-based approach to its national growth mission.
Rachel Reeves must ensure increased investment is spent well – here's what she can do
A more stable, consistent and transparent approach to spending decisions and project delivery is needed.
How does the OBR estimate the demand impact of government policies?
The role of fiscal multipliers in economic forecasting.
Seven things we learned from the Labour Party Conference 2024
From policy announcements to political positioning, the Labour conference in Liverpool was followed closely by the IfG team.
How are different measures of public debt forecast to change?
How have different measures of debt evolved over time and how will they evolve in future?