Analysis and action on living standards
Labour has returned to power in Westminster for the first time in 14 years. The new Government has a big mandate for change, but faces a momentous task in delivering that change, let alone making it a success.
Our series of general election briefings and events provides the context and backdrop to many of the big economic challenges and opportunities facing the new Government – from public spending decisions and trade-offs, to raising economic growth, social security and health-related benefits, tax, the labour market, housing, and more.
Assessing household incomes since 2010
This briefing note is part of the Resolution Foundation’s ‘Need to Know Election 2024’ series and examines how income growth, poverty and inequality have changed over the last Parliament and since 2010. At the General Election, living standards growth should
The impact of tax and benefit changes on intergenerational fairness ahead of the 2024 general election
In this Spotlight we look at the impact of spending, tax and benefit decisions taken since 2010 through the lens of intergenerational fairness. What stands out in this context is the increase in the generosity of the State Pension, which
Assessing the labour market since 2010 and the challenges for the next government
The record on the labour market since 2010 is mixed – strong employment growth (albeit a partial reversal post-pandemic), alongside a 14-year real wage stagnation. On their plans for the future, the Conservative party would stick with the status quo,
This briefing note is part of the Resolution Foundation’s ‘Need to Know Election 2024’ series and examines how income growth, poverty and inequality have changed over the last Parliament and since 2010.
In this Spotlight we look at the impact of spending, tax and benefit decisions taken since 2010 through the lens of intergenerational fairness.
In this briefing note, we assess the labour market legacy the next government stands to inherit, the likely policy challenges over the rest of the 2020s, and what the two main parties are offering in their manifestos.
We investigate trends in working-age disability and incapacity benefits, asking what really sits behind the numbers that are understandably causing concern in Britain today.
The housing offers from both main parties for the 2024 general election are similar in many respects, suggesting that the ‘penny has dropped’ when it comes to boosting housing supply, supporting would-be homeowners, and improving the energy efficiency of our country’s housing stock.
The manifestos are out; the serious wonk business can begin.
If you haven’t had a chance to digest the fine detail of the parties’ manifestos, you’re in luck. We had a go for you.
In launching its manifesto, the Labour Party put the emphasis on efforts to boost growth.
But more eye-catching were promises of some of the biggest changes to the labour market in a generation, with the aim of improving the quality of work.
Spending on social security as a share of GDP has risen slightly since the financial crisis, but the system in Great Britain has undergone profound change over the same time.
How the social security system has changed over the last fourteen years? And how has this impacted the people that rely on its support?
The strategy here was clear: treble down on National Insurance (NI) rate cuts.
But only a small dose of bad economic news would be required for a future Conservative government to fall foul of the fiscal rules, and need to return to the drawing board.
The UK grew faster than other G7 economies in the first quarter of 2024 but, stepping back, our overall record on GDP growth since 2010 puts us at third in the G7.
Looking forward, with another employment boom not on the cards, the UK will need higher investment to drive growth in productivity and GDP per person.
With the general election campaign in full swing, taxes are a frequent source of debate.
Has the Conservative government raised people’s taxes or lowered them? How different are the parties’ stated policy plans? And what is likely to happen in the next parliament?
Calls for cutting or abolishing Inheritance Tax (IHT) are frequent, given the tax’s unpopularity – despite the fact that only a small minority of people will ever be likely to pay it.
We’ve put such a policy in context by setting out some of the key facts about IHT.
The public finances have already emerged as a key issue in this election.
We’ve taken a step back to ask how we got to where we are today, discuss where the public finances might be heading, and consider what this means for whoever forms the next government.
The Conservative Party has announced that, if re-elected, it intends to increase the personal allowance for pensioners in line with the triple lock – a policy which has been referred to as ‘triple lock plus’, or the ‘quadruple lock’.
We’ve had a look at the costs and impacts of such a policy, and how it sits against the backdrop of the approaches taken to the Income Tax personal allowance under previous Conservative Chancellors.
Over the course of the general election, the leaders of the two main political parties will be setting out their economic arguments for why voters should choose them.
We’ve picked out the six key charts which explain the basis of the arguments that Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer will be making. Take a look and decide which you think is more convincing.
Join us for the launch events for our major election briefings, to be published throughout June.
We’ll be discussing the changes that have taken place over the course of this government, and the challenges that are likely to shape the next.
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