Ideas for the UK - election economics collection

Prospects for taxes and public services have been central in the election campaign. But the UK faces many other challenges, including housing, skills, climate, inequalities, energy, trade and policies to address the foundational problem of poor productivity. All our election coverage in one place.

Ahead of the UK’s 2024 general election, the Economics Observatory team has published five in-depth newsletters, discussing the ideas that the parties are proposing in their manifestos and presenting relevant data and research evidence to inform voters’ decisions.

Election economics week one

Introducing mandatory national service. Recruiting more police officers. Reducing NHS waiting lists. Protecting pensions. Dealing with the failing water companies.

Election economics week two

Scrapping ‘wasteful’ university degrees. Putting VAT on private school fees and recruiting more teachers. Providing free personal care for older and disabled people.

Election manifesto week

Building more houses. Cutting taxes and welfare. Putting more cash and staff into the NHS.

Election economics international week

Managing immigration. Meeting the UK’s commitments on tackling climate change. Responding to big changes in the world trading environment.

Election economics nations and regions week

Funding public services and designing taxes in the devolved nations. Supporting the steel industry in Wales. Managing the clean energy transition in Scotland. Dealing with trade disruptions for Northern Ireland. Addressing the UK’s long-standing geographical inequalities in productivity and living standards.

The Observatory has also assembled a group of UK economic experts on hand to talk to journalists about policy ideas during and after the election campaign - #GE2024Economists

#ElectionEconomics event

The UK’s economy has waned in recent years: low growth and productivity have been coupled with rising inflation and poverty. How can the country’s economic model be rebuilt to kickstart productivity and tackle the big challenges?

The Observatory’s director, Richard Davies, chaired an election-focused debate at the London School of Economics on 100 days to kickstart Britain: what should the government’s priorities be?

Watch the live LSE debate here. View the topics discussed in 12 charts here.

#ElectionEconomics analysis from the UK’s top research institutions

Manifesto analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS): Responses to proposals from Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru and Reform UK – plus IFS discussion of the big issues politicians haven’t spoken about.
General election 2024: manifesto analysis: Commentary on growth, public spending, tax policy, living standards, housing, education, energy and net zero, environment and farming, health, managed migration, security, the Union and relations with the EU from social scientists association with the UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) research programme.
Economic priorities for the 2024 general election: Commentary on the macroeconomic context, public finances and tax options, climate and the green transition policies, productivity, living standards, levelling up and local authority finance from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR).
Election analysis from the Centre for Economic Performance: CEP briefings on growth and productivity; Brexit and UK trade; spatial disparities in productivity and income; work, wages and inactivity; housing and planning; immigration; schools; further and higher education; wellbeing; and energy and climate change.
A productivity plan for the next UK government: Ten top policies proposed by the Productivity Institute.
Immigration policy tracker: Analysis of party statements from the Migration Observatory.
Trade policy: Analysis of issues and policy proposals from the UK Trade Policy Observatory