Economics Budget 2016: A sticking-plaster Budget George Osborne and his team will already be looking ahead to the autumn statement. By Spencer Thompson
Economics Britain’s productivity problem is as bad as ever – and George Osborne doesn’t have a plan By Spencer Thompson
Economics Spending Review 2015: Does George Osborne understand the cost of cutting care? By Spencer Thompson
David Cameron’s sums don’t add up – his cuts would hurt, not help, the working poor Cameron's merry-go-round isn't as crazy as it sounds - and his attempts to fix it would deal real damage. By Spencer Thompson
What would real welfare reform look like? Britain's welfare bill can be reduced without eliminating the safety net - but not with a series of crude… By Spencer Thompson
Raising the personal allowance: more expensive than you’d think, and not as progressive as they say One of the announcements from yesterday’s budget was the Chancellor setting the path of income tax bands from 2015/16… By Spencer Thompson
More new jobs, but they’re not as good as the old ones The fundamental labour market problems behind the latest fall in unemployment. By Spencer Thompson
Why raising the personal allowance won’t help people on low incomes As a strategy for tackling low pay, raising the personal allowance ran out of usefulness several years ago. By Spencer Thompson
To solve the living standards crisis, all parties need to go much further on childcare Too many many parents are trapped at home or are only able to work a few hours a week… By Spencer Thompson
The political class is finally waking up to the youth unemployment crisis All the main parties now recognise that what is needed is not just an emergency response, but a more… By Spencer Thompson
The coalition’s childcare figures don’t add up Without greater long-term investment, the relaxation of ratios is extremely unlikely to lead to the savings promised by ministers. By Spencer Thompson