• Research Briefing

    Did devolved elections prefigure GE2017 results?

    In between the 2015 and 2017 General Elections, there were devolved Parliamentary and Assembly elections in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Did the results of these prefigure any of the results, trends and changes seen in the 2017 General Election? Wales The 2017 General Election saw Labour gain 3 seats from the Conservatives, and Plaid

  • Research Briefing

    Brexit and borders: migration and asylum

    A major consequence of Brexit is that EU free movement laws will no longer apply to the UK. Before free movement is brought to an end, the Government must answer three significant questions: What is to be the immigration status of EU citizens currently resident in the UK and what rights will they have? What

  • Research Briefing

    Cyber crime and security

    We are critically dependent on the internet, yet anything connected to it is vulnerable to cyber-attack. The global May 2017 ransomware cyber-attack, which affected some 150 countries, highlights the vulnerability of computer networks and the need for strengthened cyber-security. Can the Government keep pace with this evolving threat? The average cost of a cyber-security breach

  • Research Briefing

    The 2017 French parliamentary elections

    What next for President Macron's government after his party's emphatic victory in the 2017 parliamentary elections? What will be the impact on the other major parties and France's relations with the UK? This paper looks at the results of the National Assembly elections, how these work and the functioning of the party system in the Assembly. It also looks to the future, including the challenge's for President Macron's government and the other major parties.

  • Research Briefing

    The public finances

    The deficit has come down significantly since it peaked at 10% of national income in 2009-10. In 2016-17 it was 2.5% of national income, similar to the level it was prior to the 2007-2008 financial crisis. But this is still higher than the historical average. Since the crisis, large deficits have led to a significant

  • Research Briefing

    The Great Repeal Bill

    Leaving the EU will require major changes to the UK’s constitutional framework and to the statute book. At the same time, repealing all EU law on the day of exit would leave “black holes” in the law governing how we live and work. The ‘Great Repeal Bill’, which had been expected early in the 2017/18

  • Research Briefing

    Metro-mayors and devolution deals

    The first elections for six elected mayors of combined authorities (known as ‘metro-mayors’) took place on 4 May 2017. They were held under the Supplementary Vote system. The Conservatives won four of the contests and Labour won two. The mayoral election for the Sheffield city region has been postponed to May 2018. Devolution deals This

  • Research Briefing

    Clean air in our cities

    The UK’s continuing failure to meet air quality targets, which led to Government court battles with NGOs in the last Parliament, has raised public awareness of and concerns about the harm to our health from air pollution. These concerns were exacerbated after the ‘dieselgate’ scandal, the decision about airport capacity expansion in the South East,

  • Research Briefing

    English votes for English laws

    This House of Commons Library briefing paper outlines the effect of changes made to Standing Orders on 22 October 2015 to implement the Government's plans for English votes for English laws. This paper outlines the effect of the new Standing Orders on Government bills. It also provides some background on the debate on and scrutiny of the proposals.

  • Research Briefing

    The challenges of countering extremism

    In recent years, Government policy has increasingly sought to confront the underlying causes of terrorist behaviour, including extremist ideologies. However, the Government’s approach to countering extremism has been criticised as divisive, counterproductive and ‘Orwellian’. In particular, the definition of extremism has been widely criticised as unworkable and there is no consensus as to what legal

  • Research Briefing

    The NHS at 70

    As we approach the 70th anniversary of the founding of the NHS on July 5 2018, how is the health service adapting to meet growing demands? Concerns continue to be raised about the future of the NHS. With improvements in medicine, increasing survival rates, and health care costs rising sharply as we age, the NHS

  • Research Briefing

    Brexit and the economy

    The UK’s decision to leave the European Union will affect the UK economy for decades to come. In the short term, it led to the pound falling sharply, but didn’t affect the immediate growth performance of the economy. In the longer term, the country’s new trade arrangements with the EU and the rest of the

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