Publications Happy new tax year 2026 Putting tax and social security changes in the context of rising energy bills 2 April 2026 by Lalitha Try The start of April marks the beginning of the new tax year, meaning households will face a wide range of tax, benefit and utility bill changes. Benefit changes in April… Continue Reading
Publications Bye bye baby Assessing Britain’s falling birth rate since the early 2010s 1 April 2026 by Charlie McCurdy This briefing explores Britain’s recent baby bust and whether it should be a cause for concern for policymakers. Most developed countries are grappling with a falling birth rate, and the… Continue Reading
Events The economic fallout from war in the Middle East Part I Tackling the cost of living crunch UpcomingMonday 13 April 2026 Although the eventual impact of the escalating war in the Middle East is unknowable, the increase in the price of oil and gas means we already know energy and petrol… Continue Reading
Comment A clearer picture of household incomes – but no cause for complacency on poverty The latest Households Below Average Income release uses survey data linked to benefit administration records for the first time – but what does this mean for poverty rates? 27 March 2026 by Alex Clegg The Department for Work and Pensions has published its latest release of Households Below Average Income (HBAI), its flagship data source on household incomes and poverty. This release provides outturn figures for 2024–25. Our focus on the living standards of low and… Continue Reading
Publications Power struggle Assessing the options for supporting families with the rise in the cost of energy 18 March 2026 by Alex Clegg and Ruth Curtice and Zachary Leather and Jonathan Marshall and James Smith and Lalitha Try Conflict in the Middle East has driven oil prices from around $70 to $100 per barrel, with wholesale gas prices also rising by over 60 per cent. The duration and… Continue Reading
Publications Power cut What the Government’s energy bill discount means for households, and what comes next 21 February 2026 by Jonathan Marshall Next week, Ofgem is expected to announce that the Q2 2026 energy price cap will be nearly £120 below current levels. This reduction is overwhelmingly driven by the Government’s energy… Continue Reading
Comment Unsung Britain: working harder, getting nowhere How recent decades have squeezed the households who can least afford it 10 February 2026 by Mike Brewer Britain is not a country at ease. Over the past 18 months, in conversations we’ve had with over a hundred squeezed workers, carers and others in places from Warrington to… Continue Reading
Publications Living Standards Outlook 2026 by Alex Clegg and Louise Murphy and James Smith We present a living standards outlook for non-pensioner families, highlighting strong income growth over 2026-27, driven by benefit changes, but a weak longer-term outlook. It argues that a coherent strategy… Continue Reading
