The people with the purse strings are on the same side as you – here's how to play the government spending game
24 Mar Finance

The people with the purse strings are on the same side as you – here's how to play the government spending game

If you’ve felt that the government spending game is stacked against you trying to do the thing that feels obviously right: it’s not just you
by Andrew Greenway and Kate Tarling
BEIS recovered just 1% of £1.1bn fraud in Covid support loans to small firms
24 Mar Finance
BEIS recovered just 1% of £1.1bn fraud in Covid support loans to small firms
Spring Budget defence and childcare boosts 'mean spending cuts elsewhere'
16 Mar Finance
Spring Budget defence and childcare boosts 'mean spending cuts elsewhere'
DLUHC’s local-audit backlog issues ‘could get worse’, watchdog warns
16 Mar Finance
DLUHC’s local-audit backlog issues ‘could get worse’, watchdog warns
Jeremy Hunt denies return to austerity as spending cuts loom
18 Oct 2022 Finance
Jeremy Hunt denies return to austerity as spending cuts loom
Chancellor says "eye-watering" decisions ahead as he is accused of unveiling "austerity season two"
Treasury warns of new Whole of Government Accounts delays
18 Oct 2022 Finance
Treasury warns of new Whole of Government Accounts delays
Two-thirds of public bodies miss submission deadline as fresh IT woes emerge with OSCAR II database
Departments brace for cuts as Hunt scraps tax measures
17 Oct 2022 Finance
Departments brace for cuts as Hunt scraps tax measures
Chancellor tears apart 'mini-budget' and tells departments to find "efficiency savings"
No meaningful fat to cut from public service budgets, report warns
17 Oct 2022 Finance
No meaningful fat to cut from public service budgets, report warns
Performance tracker slams “lost decade for public services” amid predicted department budget cuts
Liz Truss has promised to 'grow the pie'. But which pie?
17 Oct 2022 Finance
Liz Truss has promised to 'grow the pie'. But which pie?
The government has placed growth at the centre of its plans, but what sort of growth? And who really creates value and wealth? Professor Colin Talbot explores the often-neglected parts of our economy to explain why increasing value is not just about growing GDP
HMRC 'falling short' on efforts to recoup billions of Covid furlough fraud
14 Oct 2022 Finance
HMRC 'falling short' on efforts to recoup billions of Covid furlough fraud
Spending watchdog urges government to allocate sufficient resources to tackle fraud and error
'Difficult decisions needed': Truss walks back on spending cuts pledge
13 Oct 2022 Finance
'Difficult decisions needed': Truss walks back on spending cuts pledge
Departments face uncertainty over their budgets amid economic crisis
Truss insists she won't cut public spending to pay for mini-budget
12 Oct 2022 Finance
Truss insists she won't cut public spending to pay for mini-budget
Government will reduce debt by "making sure we spend public money well", PM says
EXCL: Government to spend up to £62m on lease of second ministerial plane Exclusive
12 Oct 2022 Finance
EXCL: Government to spend up to £62m on lease of second ministerial plane
"Brexit jet" lease extension comes despite expected public-spending squeeze and foreign secretary's insistent that “money’s tight”
Departments could face funding cuts of 15%, IFS warns
11 Oct 2022 Finance
Departments could face funding cuts of 15%, IFS warns
Inflation could mean “hidden” austerity if spending settlements remain unchanged, as think tank predicts £62bn of “fiscal tightening” needed
Bank of England warns of 'material risk to financial stability'
11 Oct 2022 Finance
Bank of England warns of 'material risk to financial stability'
Bank bolsters its emergency bond-buying plan as market turmoil continues
Kwasi Kwarteng brings forward fiscal plan to 31 October
10 Oct 2022 Finance
Kwasi Kwarteng brings forward fiscal plan to 31 October
Chancellor will also publish OBR forecast earlier than planned in U-turn following mini-budget turmoil
DIT's James Bowler named Treasury perm sec
10 Oct 2022 Finance
DIT's James Bowler named Treasury perm sec
He will be joined by second perm secs Cat Little and Beth Russell
Bank of England chief calls mini-budget fallout ‘unprecedented’
07 Oct 2022 Finance
Bank of England chief calls mini-budget fallout ‘unprecedented’
Cabinet Office minister Zahawi apologises for government’s failings in TV debate
Kwarteng refuses to commit to bringing spending plans forward
05 Oct 2022 Finance
Kwarteng refuses to commit to bringing spending plans forward
Confusion follows reports that chancellor's fiscal statement could be moved from 23 November
'Money is tight': Foreign Office must cut spending, Cleverly warns
05 Oct 2022 Finance
'Money is tight': Foreign Office must cut spending, Cleverly warns
Foreign secretary says FCDO must "cut cloth" and deliver "on a tighter budget"
MoD withdraws three-year pay offer that divided unions
05 Oct 2022 Finance
MoD withdraws three-year pay offer that divided unions
FDA says it is "disappointed" for its members who "overwhelming" voted for the deal
MoJ perm sec Antonia Romeo 'lined up for Treasury top job'
03 Oct 2022 Finance
MoJ perm sec Antonia Romeo 'lined up for Treasury top job'
Romeo is Kwasi Kwarteng's favourite to replace Sir Tom Scholar, according to reports
Civil service unions urge Truss to rule out austerity drive
30 Sep 2022 Finance
Civil service unions urge Truss to rule out austerity drive
More spending cuts would be an "act of national vandalism", PCS, Prospect and FDA chiefs say
Departments told to find new efficiencies AND work up growth proposals
29 Sep 2022 Finance
Departments told to find new efficiencies AND work up growth proposals
Chief Treasury secretary insists spending review allocations will not be revised despite financial crisis
Team Truss’s top three themes already twisted into knots
28 Sep 2022 Finance
Team Truss’s top three themes already twisted into knots
The NHS, the energy crisis and the economy were would-be PM Truss's top priorities. But the Plan for Patients is underwhelming
Kwarteng to set out medium-term fiscal plan in November
27 Sep 2022 Finance
Kwarteng to set out medium-term fiscal plan in November
Treasury says chancellor's plan will set out further details on the government’s fiscal rules
Mini-budget fallout has wrecked spending plans, says ex-Treasury chief
27 Sep 2022 Finance
Mini-budget fallout has wrecked spending plans, says ex-Treasury chief
Nick Macpherson says government has ‘broken a cardinal rule’ and flags fears over public sector pay
Civil servants ‘face two-year pay squeeze’ as Truss abandons spending review plans
26 Sep 2022 Finance
Civil servants ‘face two-year pay squeeze’ as Truss abandons spending review plans
Real-terms pay cuts expected as government abandons planned spending review