State crafting: Changes and challenges for managing the public finances

Tax and spend are at the heart of every general election – understandably as they represent the most significant choices made by most governments. The size and shape of the state has changed substantially since 2010. Despite spending cuts and tax rises, public debt levels are up. Whoever wins the next election will have to wrestle with the same forces, as Britain looks to deliver public services for an ageing population, in a less peaceful world, and with the public finances already under considerable strain.

How has the size and shape of the state changed since 2010? Why are taxes and debt levels up? What are the biggest challenges and opportunities going into the next parliament? How have the main parties responded so far to these questions? And what will their plans mean for the public finances, and public services, in the years ahead?

To kick off a series of over a dozen timely, topic-based General Election 2024 briefings, supported by the Nuffield Foundation, the Resolution Foundation hosted an in-person and interactive webinar to debate and answer questions about the changing size and shape of the state. Following a presentation of the key highlights from new research on this topic, we heard from leading experts on the challenges for the next parliament.

Read the report: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/debt-dramas/ 

View the event slides: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/state-crafting/