Research Briefing
The Autumn Budget will take place on 22 November 2017. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)’s official forecasts for the economy and public finances – used in the Budget – will be published on the same day. Here we highlight five things to look out for in their forecasts. 1. Productivity assumption Few, if any,
Research Briefing
The best-paid CEO in the UK, Martin Sorrell of WPP, was paid £48 million in 2016 – 826 times his employees’ average pay. This was down from 1,336 times in 2015. In its consultation on corporate governance reform, the Government argued that: ‘…there is a widespread perception that executive pay has become increasingly disconnected from
Research Briefing
The Autumn Budget 2017 is this Wednesday. How are the economy and public finances performing? Why are we having a budget in autumn? What’s the economic situation? Growth Economic growth has been stable but modest so far in 2017, on the back of a slowdown in consumer spending. Latest quarterly GDP growth of 0.4% in
Research Briefing
Analysis of the latest key UK and international economic indicators.
Research Briefing
This note sets out the background and chronology to various challenges mounted by the public and the Office of Fair Trading against credit card companies and high street banks over their charging policies.
Research Briefing
50 years ago this weekend the Government announced that the pound would be devalued by 14%. This decision – previously politically unthinkable – was taken after fending off a number of earlier currency crises. In an effort to reassure the public, Prime Minister Harold Wilson famously claimed that this did not mean the “pound here
Research Briefing
The briefing sets out the background to Autumn Budget 2017 which will take place on Wednesday 22 November 2017. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will publish revised forecasts for the economy and public finances on the same day.
Research Briefing
This Commons Library briefing paper has been prepared for day 3 of the Committee Stage of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill (the EUW Bill) in the House of Commons.
Research Briefing
This note has been prepared for the Ways and Means resolutions relating to the Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Bill
Research Briefing
Media commentary in early 2017 drew attention to claims of a new development in the world of local government: local authorities buying up substantial portfolios of commercial property. This is a rarely-examined dimension of local government activity, and this post looks at the benefits and risks involved. What are councils doing and why? In the
Research Briefing
A briefing on local authorities' acquisition of multi-million pound commercial property portfolios, the advantages and risks, regulation, and commentary.
Research Briefing
Offenders who plead guilty in court will usually receive a reduced sentence compared to that they would have received had they been convicted following a not guilty plea. The maximum discount is currently one third. This note describes the rationale for reduced sentences for those who plead guilty.
Research Briefing
Universal Credit aims to replace six working-age benefits. The Government is now rolling out the Full Service, under which everyone eligible can claim UC no matter their circumstances. Once the Full Service is launched in an area both the number and range of people claiming UC is likely to grow quickly. At the end of September 2017 there were 101 jobcentres running the Full Service. Between October 2017 and January 2018, 134 more jobcentres will launch the Full Service. That will add 150,000 more people to the UC caseload – a 25% increase, and an overall rise from 8% to 10% of the final 7 million people expected to be eligible.
Research Briefing
This paper provides figures for the number of people claiming unemployment benefits (the “claimant count”) by parliamentary constituency, as well as a summary of the latest labour market statistics for the UK as a whole.
Research Briefing
The House of Commons is scheduled to take all stages of the Northern Ireland Budget Bill 2017-19 on 13 November 2017. This Paper looks at the background surrounding the absence of an Executive in Northern Ireland, and at the Bill itself.
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