Work· Living Wage Calculating the Real Living Wage for London and the rest of the UK 2026 15 October 2026 by Nye Cominetti and Louise Murphy and Cillian Sheehan This briefing note sets out the method through which the real Living Wage rates (a voluntary hourly pay rate based on what families need to get by) in London and the rest of the UK are calculated by the Resolution Foundation, and overseen by the Living Wage Commission on behalf of the Living Wage Foundation. … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Public finances Hitting the buffers Previewing the key decisions for Autumn Budget 2026 in the context of another rise in the cost of living 13 October 2026 by Hannah Aldridge and Matthew Cavanagh and Nye Cominetti and Ruth Curtice and Zachary Leather and Jonathan Marshall and Cillian Sheehan and James Smith Conflict in the Middle East has pushed up energy bills and borrowing costs, halving the Chancellor’s headroom. This briefing note sets out how Autumn Budget 2026 can target help at struggling families while rebuilding the buffer to at least £20 billion. READ MORE
Public services· Public finances The great escape Why Britain is stuck in a fiscal funk and how we can break free 16 July 2026 by Simon Pittaway and Cillian Sheehan and James Smith and Andy King This report is the first in a series on the size and shape of the state, and how the public finances can be better managed in an era of low growth and high uncertainty. It diagnoses how Britain fell into its seemingly endless fiscal funk and sets out a playbook for escaping it. With a … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Public finances Understatement of the year Putting the 2026 Spring Forecast in context 4 March 2026 by Hannah Aldridge and Mike Brewer and Elliott Christensen and Tom Clark and Alex Clegg and Nye Cominetti and Ruth Curtice and Julia Diniz and Sophie Hale and Lindsay Judge and Zachary Leather and Jonathan Marshall and Charlie McCurdy and Louise Murphy and Simon Pittaway and Cillian Sheehan and Hannah Slaughter and James Smith and Imogen Stone and Jamie Titus-Glover and Lalitha Try The Spring Forecast was billed as a non‑event, but the underlying story is stark: weak growth, rising risks, and only a fleeting improvement in living standards. Our analysis shows why makerspolicy makers can’t rely on good fiscal luck lasting. READ MORE
