Housing· Social security Saving private renters Why the Government should unfreeze Local Housing Allowance 19 September 2026 by Hannah Aldridge and Mike Brewer and Stephen Hunsaker and Lindsay Judge Local Housing Allowance (LHA), which caps how much support is provided through the social security system to low-income private renters, was last relinked to the 30th percentile of rents in April 2024, and has been frozen in cash terms ever since. But private rents have risen considerably since then. READ MORE
Macroeconomic policy The Macroeconomic Policy Outlook: Q3 2026 24 August 2026 by Stephen Hunsaker and Simon Pittaway On the whole, the 2020s has been a disastrous decade for UK productivity growth. But an under-discussed revival appears to be underway. While the much-maligned Labour Force Survey’s headline number is showing no such pickup, more trustworthy measures of productivity are growing more strongly. Administrative tax data suggests that output per hour grew by 1.1 … Continued READ MORE
Growth· Investment Much ado about PuFins How the UK’s public financial institutions can unlock billions for investment 20 July 2026 by Elliott Christensen and Sophie Hale and Stephen Hunsaker and David Willetts Britain’s public financial institutions – the ‘PuFins’ – have quietly grown into a £200 billion investment arm of the state. This briefing note maps the landscape and shows how the Burnham Government can use them to unlock billions more investment within the fiscal rules. READ MORE
Trade Leaving EU behind How Britain lost its trading edge and whether Brexit is to blame 22 June 2026 by Sophie Hale and Stephen Hunsaker and Simon Pittaway A decade after the Brexit vote, the UK has lost its trading edge in goods faster and more broadly than any G7 peer. This briefing note explores why that has happened, and what the Government must do to turn the tide READ MORE
