Comment

New data shows borrowing for this year running higher than forecast at last October’s Budget.

We borrowed and spent more than other countries to respond to the pandemic and the sharp rise in energy prices two years later.

A submission by IFS researchers Kate Ogden and David Phillips to a government consultation on the principles and objectives of council funding reform.

2025–26 will continue the substantial above-inflation increases in funding for English councils, but their costs have also been outpacing inflation.

Confusion is built into our approach to net zero. We need to be more pragmatic about whether emissions will genuinely be new. 

In-year top-ups mean big increases in Scottish NHS spending this year – but that means plans for 2025–26 now look relatively less generous.

The government spent billions on support to help households with their energy bills in 2022–23. Could a better-designed package have saved money?

How will the latest plans for spending in 2024–25 boost the amount that the Scottish Government has to spend next year and beyond?

How do changes in UK government revenues over time compare with what has been seen in other advanced countries?

It is now 66 for both men and women. Between April 2026 and March 2028 it will rise to 67.

This response to a UK parliamentary inquiry assesses how the Scottish Government is funded, including via the Barnett formula and Fiscal Framework.

"Shifting the performance of an entire economy requires a long-term, consistent and persistent direction." Paul Johnson writes for the Times.

Rising interest rates could put the government on track to miss its fiscal rules. What are the Chancellor’s options? 

Our latest report on education spending in England shows how further education has faced some of the deepest funding cuts across the education system.

If a recent rise in borrowing costs proved persistent, it will make it even harder for the Chancellor to continue to meet her main fiscal rule. 

A government with a big majority should have had the political will to do more than just set up another review.

English councils’ core spending power set to increase 3.8% in real terms next year, but increases will vary hugely across the country.

How can the UK achieve an 80% employment rate? What lessons can we learn from history and other countries?

2025/26 childcare funding rates offer real-terms protection for the early years budget, with a boost to the funding top-up for disadvantaged children

The prime minister’s rhetoric on housebuilding is welcome, but it won’t be enough without a complete overhaul of the planning system.