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

Morning all, Well, the new parliamentary session has certainly delivered a serious dose of reality after August’s silly season – and I expect both the stark conclusions of the Grenfell Inquiry and the political row over Winter Fuel Payments are likely to keep rattling around for a while to come. Keep an eye out for … Continued

Afternoon all, It’s time to steel yourself for the end of recess, the return to politics, and the slow run in to what will be a deeply consequential budget. But not just yet. Distract yourself from the imminent hubbub with our mixed bag of reads – ranging from the irritation of online advertising, to the … Continued

Morning all, If the sheer quantity of OoO emails I’ve received this week is any indication, the dog days of summer are in full swing. I think I just spotted an actual tumble weed rolling through the RF offices… But, fear not: this is just the calm before the end-of-recess, and those of us still in RF … Continued

Morning all, Well, from a living standards perspective, this week’s economic data has been confusing. Slower wage growth doesn’t sound great for workers, but it’s probably a good thing if it lets the Bank of England cut interest rates. Rising inflation also seems bad, but it rose by less than expected – and services inflation … Continued

Morning all, Well, after the friendly détente of the opening of parliament last week, politics came roaring back on Monday with the Chancellor’s review of her spending inheritance (tl;dr: she was distinctly unimpressed with her predecessor). Just in time for parliamentary recess! James, one of our Research Directors, has everything you need to know about … Continued

Morning all, If last week was all about the ONS’s data releases, this week the National Audit Office was centre stage. A stream of (mostly) damning reports into the state of public services were published this week. That’s where all the headlines you’ve been seeing about the state of HS2, the NHS, homelessness and potholes have come from. … Continued

Morning all, This week has been full of ups and downs. The football was coming home, then it didn’t. The weather was miserable, then we got a surprise heat wave. A King’s speech in July? It feels like we’re about to go back to school for the new year, not hurtling towards parliamentary recess and … Continued

Morning all, Let’s face it, there’s been some pretty disappointing performances during the election campaign. But the weather at least has finally stepped up to the plate to provide an appropriate backdrop to the SUMMER election. Still, it always pays to have a brolly at hand. While the sun is still out the summer vibes … Continued

Afternoon all, And breathe. The manifestos are out; the serious wonk business can begin. If you have digested the fine detail of the parties’ manifestos – good for you. If you haven’t, then I am shocked and appalled by this dereliction of your democratic duty. Luckily for you, we have. So today’s TOTC special on the … Continued

Morning all, They say a week is a long time in politics. Let me tell you – it can be a long time in think-tanks too. TOTC readers will be familiar with Torsten’s tirades against anti-politics over the years, and those sentiments have followed their logical conclusion as he seeks elected office. We wish him … Continued