Peter Riddell

Events, dear boy

The new Whitehall heads face change and disruption on a huge  scale. Will they be able to cope? Read more

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Dash for cash, by Peter Riddell

Spending cuts are overshadowing public sector reform as ministers try to agree departmental budgets with the Treasury in advance of October’s CSR Read more...

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Pay now, pay later, by Peter Riddell

George Osborne has made a social, political and economic calculation with his first Budget. He is gambling on the benefits appearing by the next election Read more...

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Coalition of the willing, by Peter Riddell

The Tory–LibDem government will bring advantages, problems and a whole new way of working in Whitehall. So what can we expect from this political experiment? Read more...

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Cuts from the same cloth, by Peter Riddell

Labour and Conservative spending plans are not too different in reality, but the success of their respective policies can be judged only over the longer term Read more...

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Clearing the decks, by Peter Riddell

Parliament faces a tough few months. The party conferences are over and MPs and peers are returning after a near 12-week recess. But some familiar problems are about to reappear. The expenses row, which has been largely dormant since July, is set to reignite, threatening not only the future of many MPs but also to dominate the period running up to the general election. Read more...

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On a West Wing and a prayer, by Peter Riddell

The Tories have been consulting on how to avoid the over–centralisation of the Blair/Brown years. But how do they keep government strong yet slim? Read more...

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No expenses spared

Who would be an elected politician? The mood at Westminster among MPs is one of despair and — at least among the shrewder ones — of shame. Read more

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Whitehall’s warning of woe

The media is full of gloomy stories about budget cutbacks and redundancies as the economy worsens. Read more

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The state of things to come

Is big government on the way back? Next to the length and depth of the recession, the central question in British politics this year will be about the role of the state.  Read more

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