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Reports & Insights

Our reports explore what Britain could achieve with Labour in power.


Arguments Nicki Empson Arguments Nicki Empson

A progressive case for state reform

In a new paper by Morgan Wild and Peter Hyman, they argue that for today’s times, a new type of state is needed. One that has more energy and will to get things done rather than slow things down, one that recognises centrally planning the government is as bad as centrally planning the economy, and one which is designed to solve wicked problems rather than manage them. We might call this the dynamic state.

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London Unchained

Rebalancing Britain should be core to Labour’s political project. But that can’t come at the expense of places like London. By giving richer places the tools to pay for their own infrastructure - and occasionally a push to use them - Labour can focus Treasury resources on rebuilding the rest of the country. This paper, by chief economist, James Howat, shows how this could work, using the Bakerloo line extension as a case study.

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Britain’s Bottlenecks

Three major bottlenecks prevent this government from changing Britain: centralised power and wealth in Whitehall and the southeast, unsolved structural pressures on Britain’s public finances, and a rules-bound, incapable state that strangles delivery by itself or others. Any serious political project must have an answer to fixing them.

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Getting Britain off the ground

A runway is a several kilometre length of reinforced pavement. Building Heathrow’s first runway took around a year. It is everything else that now takes time.

This paper tries to answer a simple question: could the government speed up the construction of Heathrow’s third runway to such an extent that flights take off before the next election?

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BritCard: a progressive digital identity for Britain

In government, Labour has committed to reducing migration. Labour Together is supporting this agenda with a series of papers looking at how to create a migration system that puts country first. In October, we published our first proposal, for an Australian-style National Migration Plan. Now, in this paper, we turn to how a mandatory, universal, national identity credential - BritCard - can help Britain control illegal migration and secure its borders.

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Nation Rebalanced: How do we create a country that works for all places?

This report, by Labour Together’s Director of Devolution, JP Spencer, sets out a bold vision for how to rebalance the UK economy and create prosperity in every part of the country. It outlines four key recommendations to drive economic growth, improve infrastructure, and boost regional economies, arguing that there is a moral, economic, and political case for doing so.

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Focusing on our strengths: refining the UK’s critical minerals strategy

The previous government was asleep at the wheel on critical minerals. Its approach was too slow, too general and given too little support. This failure of strategy endangered the UK’s growth, green ambitions and security. The Labour government has an opportunity to fix this in the new critical minerals strategy. This should be closely informed by the upcoming industrial strategy, laser-focused on the UK’s strengths and needs, and supported by the institutions and policy tools to deliver it.

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A migration system that puts country first

Labour has committed to reducing migration. There are various ways this can be achieved. This paper sets out one way an Australian-style National Migration Plan could work. This is the best answer we have seen to the problem of how to reduce numbers while making sure Britain’s economy gets the contributions it needs.

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Making the political case for an industrial strategy

Stability has been central to all calls for an industrial strategy. Academics, businesses, and policy-makers have made their case for an industrial strategy. In an increasingly competitive global market, they want certainty to invest and a coherent approach to economic policy-making.

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Public Service Reform and Devolution

This report, by Sam Freedman, sets out how empowering mayors with greater oversight of the health, education, criminal justice and other public service systems, could help Labour deliver its public services mission. JP Spencer, Director of Devolution Policy at Labour Together, writes a foreword.

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Britain: A nation of MIMBYs

Drawing on a multilevel regression and post-stratification (MRP) of 12,000 people commissioned by Labour Together from YouGov, our analysis of public attitudes reveals that the caucus against housebuilding are smaller than anticipated. In this note, we set out what that means for Labour.

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The Cost-of-Living Crisis is Not Over - and Everyone is Feeling It

“The cost-of-living crisis has ended.” So said Andrea Leadsom, a minister in the Department of Health and Social Care, in late March 2024. Her words may come to haunt her.

In this report, we show how far from the truth that triumphalist statement was. The cost-of-living crisis, far from over, is still painfully real for voters across Britain.

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Migration in the Age of Insecurity

In this paper, we explore three pillars which could underpin an effective and popular migration system, showing where Labour is already addressing them and where there are further opportunities to do so.

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Progressive Realist Peacemaking

This report, by Christopher Thornton, argues that British foreign policy can lead the world in the pursuit of peace and the resolution of conflict. Jonathan Powell, formerly chief of staff to the Prime Minister and chief negotiator during the Northern Ireland peace process, writes a foreword.

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Spotlight: How Labour Won

This is the first part of Labour Together’s review of the 2024 election, which looks at how Labour won.

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Data tables for our polling work can be found in our archive here.