Afternoon all, Huge changes announced by the Government this week. Complicated but important reforms to Universal Credit to encourage more people into work, plus a massive cut to eligibility for disability benefit that doesn’t have much to do with work at all. We won’t know the full impact until the OBR releases their take, but … Continued

Afternoon all, What a quintessentially Westminster week – a plethora of potential policies aired, but a paucity of concrete proposals to parse. That said, it’s likely we’ll see details on changes to disability and incapacity benefits next week. And we’ll also be contextualising the Chancellor’s upcoming Spring Statement on Monday –  register now to avoid disappointment. … Continued

Afternoon all, I hope you enjoyed your pancakes and/or your iftar this week. We went for an English breakfast in a pancake in my house – recipe available on request. Alongside ongoing geopolitical turbulence, this week has also brought some much-needed clarity on long-awaited employment reforms – catch up on our event* discussing earnings volatility to discover … Continued

Afternoon all, Looks like Starmer found the money for defence down the back of the foreign aid budget – a seismic but not unforeseen development. More on that in Chart of the Week… In domestic news, we’re pleased the conversation has shifted towards child poverty this week. We published our analysis on what it will take to turn … Continued

Afternoon all, Some good news this week – the economy growing…just. Though we should probably worry less about dipping just below/above zero in the past three months, when a five-year fall in GDP *per capita* has spelled disaster for living standards. That said, tipping above or below zero (for fiscal rules) must feel pretty important in the … Continued

Afternoon all, I’m bringing you a newsletter of two halves today – trade wars and Valentine’s Day. Who said diplomacy was dead? While personally I’m more excited about the release of the new Bridget Jones movie (also happening next week) we’ve got the economic low down on the most romantic day of the year for you below. … Continued

Afternoon all, Three big happenings this week. The Chancellor’s speech delivered a few more concrete steps on the road to growth, but here at RF Towers we’re curious to hear more about rebuilding relationships with Europe – or their Euro-vision if you will (¬‿¬). In news close to my heart, the new fiscal rules were enshrined in law by … Continued

Morning all, It’s been quite a week for new leadership! And not the first time my CV seems to coincide with world events. My first day as the Treasury’s fiscal director was Liz Truss’s first day as Prime Minister, and my first day in the Treasury’s financial stability team was the Monday after Lehman Brother’s collapse. … Continued

Afternoon all. Well, it’s been a blast, but all good things come to an end. Next Monday will see two major handovers: Donald Trump takes over in the White House, and, at RF Towers, we will welcome Ruth Curtice to be our new Chief Executive. Obviously what I’ll miss the most is these Friday emails, … Continued

Afternoon all, We’re more than a quarter of the way through the 21st Century and things are getting weird – Hollywood is burning, geopolitical tensions have shifted from the Red Sea to the Labrador Sea, and your local A&E bears an unsettling resemblance to a war zone. Happy new year! In better news, you lot put … Continued

Morning all, I hope that Santa gave you all the presents you asked for. But if you didn’t find the five charts you put on your list under the Christmas tree then fear not! The Foundation’s New Year Outlook for 2025 has you covered. A fuller version will be published on 7 January (alongside our event with … Continued

Morning all, The year certainly appears to be hurrying to its close, with the sun setting – by my reckoning – at about 10.30am through most of this week. We’ve got a couple of treats in store for you, dear readers, in our upcoming editions. I hope you are sharpening your quiz pencils. Until then, … Continued

Afternoon all, This week saw some good news for the children of Scotland. The SNP-led Government in Holyrood announced on Wednesday that they have proposed scrapping the two-child limit on benefits north of the border. It’s a decision that will lift 28,000 children in Scotland out of poverty by the end of the decade. We … Continued

Morning all, If you wanted Westminster to start winding down the drama for Christmas, you’ll have to wait a little longer. This week saw the resignation of a Cabinet Member, the revelation at the CBI conference that businesses don’t want to stump up more for public services, and proposed legislation to Get Britain Working (which points in … Continued

Morning all, Disgruntled farmers are still in the news this week. On the same day that Barbour jackets and Hunter wellies overran SW1, I was speaking on ‘Why Should Economists Care About Equality of Opportunity?’. One of the other speakers used the delightful phrase “opportunity hoarding”… We’ll let you decide how apposite that was. Lots of … Continued

Afternoon all, This week saw a bittersweet moment at RF Towers. We launched our exciting ‘Unsung Britain’ project, hosted by Executive Chair Gavin Kelly for the final time as he’s bowing out after nearly 15 years at the Foundation (he’s off to run the Nuffield Foundation – great hire! unlike below…). Catch up on the event, and read the … Continued

Afternoon all, Well, that will certainly be a 5th of November to remember (and I don’t mean me talking all-things-Budget with the Treasury Select Committee). We’ve decided to take the long view on American democracy for Chart of the Week, but our award for Best Election Chart has to go to John Burn-Murdoch (who else – don’t … Continued

Afternoon all, and happy Budget week to those who observe… This whole TOTC thing looks like fun (apart from anything, that strikethrough shortcut Torsten showed me will finally come in handy be massively overused). Although, I’m not sure how I feel about getting my hands on it the week I’ve decided to go without sleep… So there’s … Continued

Morning all, We thought we’d do something a little different this week, with a special edition for Black History Month. When the question of what historical colonisers owe to the historically colonised has come to the fore, it is important to take a step back and consider the forces and the inheritances which shape our lives. Big thanks … Continued

Morning all, Another week, another row – this time over whether raising employer National Insurance (NI) would breach the Government’s manifesto. This is a silly row – levying NI on employer’s pension contributions (as we’ve proposed) clearly isn’t a breach, and even raising employer NI is not a direct ‘tax on working people’. It’s also … Continued

Morning all, Parliament was back with a bang this week, as we saw the publication of the most significant legislation improving workers rights in a generation (more on that below). Plus, we’ve inched closer to confirming the leader of the opposition, and every day brings us more fevered Budget speculation. We’ll be discussing the opportunities … Continued

Morning all, After a brief respite from the daily machinations of the Commons, parliament will return next week. You know what that means – 26 sleeps till Budget day! Which also means it’s only 26 sleeps until our post-budget event for the valiant members of the RF research team who will be up all night … Continued

Morning all, It’s been a big week for rain, and thus for those who enjoy complaining about the rain. In selfish news, there was too much river for my kayaking course to go ahead – I can’t believe the organisers didn’t let us take advantage of Bedfordshire’s newest water feature – the A421. I encourage those miffed … Continued

Morning all, An eerie calm will descend over RF towers over the next couple of weeks as politicians up sticks and decamp to their respective conferences. Honourable mention to the Lib Dems, who should have already slept off their hangovers. I’ll be manning the fort in SW1, but we’ll be hosting conversations at both the Labour and … Continued

Afternoon all, This week marks a truly momentous moment in the British policy landscape. What do you mean you haven’t noticed? In this moment, your inbox contains no less than the three-hundredth edition of Top of the Charts. A lot has changed since TOTC first started rolling off the RF assembly line in the halcyon … Continued