Commentary & Podcasts

Police pay in the UK has declined substantially in real terms since 2000, making the police an outlier among similar occupational roles and among public sector workers more widely. If this were to continue, as Shreya Nanda shows, it would mean a further 4 per cent real-terms decline in by 2027.

The SMF hosted a speech and discussion with Marcus Bokkerink, Chair of the CMA, on 28th February 2023. This is the speech in full, on the importance of competition, misconceptions about it, and on the implications for the CMA's work and for policymakers.

Rishi Sunak’s government has repeatedly committed itself to fiscal responsibility. Yet that rhetoric of discipline is at odds with reports that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is considering the largest unfunded fuel duty cut in British history.

With the cost of living crisis likely to continue, millions of people - including those in paid employment - will be pulled into hardship. Jake Shepherd highlights the pivotal position of employers in helping to tackle working poverty, and says a new business standard could encourage them to do more.

With labour shortages roiling the economy, policymakers are pulling every lever they can to get more people into work. But is MP Jon Ashworth's plan for Jobcentres and over-50s up for the challenge? Aveek Bhattacharya thinks not, exploring why getting the right support to adults at the right time is extremely tricky.

Deprivation is strongly correlated with drug misuse and its consequences. In this blog, SMF Senior Researcher Jake Shepherd, and Jay Jackson, Head of Policy & Public Affairs at drugs policy think tank Volteface, discuss drugs and deprivation in the UK, and how better, bolder drugs policies can help to boost regional equality.