Moving into 2026, the government faces a critical period of delivery. After 18 months in power and several major fiscal events behind them, the focus is shifting from setting policy to seeing it through. However, with unemployment reaching 5.1% and a series of high-stakes reviews underway, the road ahead remains complex.

In this episode, we are joined by Christine Farquharson and Tom Waters to examine the economic landscape for the year ahead. We look at the rising pressures on the public purse, from health-related benefits to the "national conversation" on SEND, and ask what the upcoming fiscal events might reveal about the government’s long-term strategy. We also look at what could shift the outlook, for better or worse, from public sector productivity to the economic impact of new technologies like AI and GLP-1 drugs.

Become a member: https://ifs.org.uk/individual-membership

Find out more: https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As ever the big-picture choices in the Budget dominated media coverage - but some of the most interesting changes were buried in the detail. From electric vehicles to tourist tax, how much do these quieter tax shifts really matter?

In this episode, we dig into the lesser-noticed policies: why the government is offering upfront EV grants while planning a per-mile tax, how tweaks to salary sacrifice and cash ISAs could shape saving behaviour, and what the changes to EIS and EMI mean for investment and entrepreneurship.

Joining Helen are Stuart Adam and Ben Zaranko from the IFS to break down what’s changed, why it matters, and what the “devil in the detail” tells us about the government’s tax strategy.

Become a member: https://ifs.org.uk/individual-membership

Find out more: https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on IFS Zooms In, host Helen Miller is joined by IFS economists Ben Zaranko and Christine Farquharson to unpack one of the biggest Autumn Budgets in years. With seventy-five policy measures, major tax and spending changes, and a striking shift in the economic forecasts, this was a Budget that surprised almost everyone.

Helen, Ben and Christine break down:

• Why the expected “fiscal repair job” never arrived
• How a “lucky” surge in forecast tax receipts reshaped the Chancellor’s options
• The major spending stories: abolishing the two-child limit, rising welfare pressures, SEND funding reform, and tighter departmental plans
• The government’s tax decisions - from threshold freezes to the new ‘mansion tax’
• Whether any of this adds up to a credible long-term strategy for growth

Become a member: https://ifs.org.uk/individual-membership

Find out more: https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.