Digital sovereignty
Explains ‘digital sovereignty’ as a country’s ability to shape, use and maintain its digital environment, asks how digitally sovereign the UK currently is and whether the UK should seek to increase that sovereignty.
UK policy, filtered.
Everything government, Parliament, the statistical agencies and the major policy institutes published — read, summarised and ranked so you can skim the day in a minute.
485 articles · 25 live sources · updated Just now
Analysis: The two largest reservoirs in the US have hit record-low levels
Reports that the two largest US reservoirs have reached record‑low water heights within days of each other, highlighting acute drought stress and potential implications for water supply and electricity generation in affected regions.
Methodology
Explains the sampling approach using Common Crawl web-archive data—monthly ‘crawls’ of the observable internet—to estimate prevalence of AI-authored content and underpin the study’s webpage sample and analysis.
Sutton Trust response to GCSE Results Day 2026
Sutton Trust analysis and comment on 2026 GCSE results, offering the charity’s interpretation of attainment patterns and implications for social mobility and schools following Results Day.
Analysis: Weaker EV targets could cost UK consumers £3bn a year by 2030
Argues that a proposed UK government move to weaken electric vehicle targets could raise costs for households, potentially costing UK consumers up to £3bn a year by 2030.
Q&A: What does China’s 15th five-year plan for coal mean for climate action?
China’s 15th five‑year plan for coal is analysed in a Q&A, assessing what new coal targets and policies mean for emissions, domestic energy policy and international climate action.
Labour market dashboard
Learning and Work Institute publishes a monthly interactive labour market dashboard, offering detailed, timely analysis of the latest ONS statistics on employment, unemployment and related labour-market indicators.
Chokehold
The Fabian Society examines the dominance of US technology firms across email, social media, payments and workplace software, arguing the ubiquity of US tech has concentrated control over many aspects of daily digital life.
Finding an NHS dentist in England
Explains routes for patients in England to find and book NHS dental appointments, what to expect from NHS dental treatment and the NHS dental charges framework for different banded treatments and patient groups.
PM meeting with Prime Minister Frieden of Luxembourg: 23 August 2026
Covers a meeting on 23 August where the UK Prime Minister spoke with Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden while travelling by train into Kyiv.
PM meeting with President Costa of the European Council: 23 August 2026
Summarises the Prime Minister’s meeting with European Council President António Costa on 23 August, held on the train into Kyiv as leaders travelled to mark Ukrainian Independence Day.
Former waste firm boss banned as director after transferring assets worth millions to connected companies as NHS contracts collapsed
A Scottish businessman has been disqualified from acting as a company director for nine years after transferring assets worth millions to connected companies while NHS contracts collapsed, prompting the ban.
Livestreamed child sexual abuse: Scale, detection and how it can be disrupted
POST explores livestreamed child sexual abuse, assessing its scale in the UK and internationally, available technological detection or disruption tools, and regulatory approaches to prevent and respond to this form of online child exploitation.
Wildfires mean we have to fire all the on-call firefighters
With wildfires becoming more frequent, the National Fire Chiefs Council reported 11 major incidents simultaneously and 43 wildfires in 24 hours, leaving services stretched and prompting calls for increased equipment and staffing.
Outsourcing and competition in the banking sector: the rise of Cloud Service Providers
Staff working paper analysing banks’ increasing outsourcing to cloud service providers and the competition implications for the banking sector, exploring risks, market concentration and how dependence on a few cloud firms could reshape competition and operational resilience.
But what if synthetic natural gas actually works?
Brief argues synthetic natural gas could be a viable, dispatchable low‑carbon option, noting Rivan claims production at below £10/MWh and urging market‑driven solutions such as carbon pricing to deliver diverse climate technologies.
Telegraph updates Covid vaccines article following study retraction
Following a research retraction, the Telegraph has amended an article that previously suggested Covid-19 vaccines might be contributing to a rise in excess deaths; Full Fact reports the story has been updated to reflect the correction.
Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 2: The transition
Episode two of the Institute for Government’s series on mid-term prime ministers, titled ‘The transition’, examines how incoming mid-term leaders manage the handover and early days in office; published 13 August 2026.
Where can prisoners and their families get support and advice?
Lists sources of support and advice available to prisoners and their families, including legal advice, resettlement services, family liaison, charities and statutory routes for complaints and welfare assistance.
Very well done here, vry well done that men
Contends that calls for Andy Burnham to prosecute firms over widespread bogus self‑employment are ironic, while noting a Fabian Society and Joseph Rowntree Foundation report warning that millions—including four million gig workers—miss out on statutory employment rights.
Active disease surveillance: TSE statistics
Statistics are published on active disease surveillance for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), including the Compulsory Scrapie Flock Scheme, covering monitoring and surveillance data for affected animals.
Mortgages: Actions for possession bulletin April to June 2026
Bulletin on mortgage actions for possession heard in the Chancery Division of the Northern Ireland High Court for April to June 2026, detailing possession proceedings in that quarter.
Is the government on course to end rough sleeping?
Checks the claim that Andy Burnham, on his first day as Prime Minister, pledged to end rough sleeping and assesses whether the government is currently on course to achieve that promise.
Level 3 Results day: T Level growth offers encouragement for Burnham’s technical education push – but shows the scale of the challenge, SMF analysis of results’ day data
Social Market Foundation’s analysis of 2026 Level 3 results highlights growth in T Levels, noting this supports Andy Burnham’s push for technical education while emphasising the scale of challenges for university access and skills policy.
This is not a good augury for the water companies
Thirteen water firms have been allowed to raise bills to fund extra projects, prompting political anger and debate that cleaner, greener water systems will require higher charges or public funding regardless of ownership model.
Results of the Semi-Annual FX Turnover Surveys in April 2026
Twenty-five UK-active financial institutions took part in the Bank of England's April 2026 semi‑annual foreign exchange turnover survey for the FX Joint Standing Committee; summary results are published with detailed tables available separately for the reporting period.
Mid-term prime ministers – Episode 3: Adjusting to the role
Third episode in a series on mid-term prime ministers examining how they adjust to the premiership, published 20 August 2026 as analysis of challenges and behaviours facing MPs who take office between elections.
The Cancer Act 1939 doesn’t make it ‘illegal to cure cancer’
A widely shared claim is false: the Cancer Act 1939 does not make it a criminal offence for medical practitioners to advise patients about potential cancer cures, Full Fact finds.
Public opinion of India is mixed across 36 countries
Public opinion of India across 36 countries varies sharply: favourable views range from 79% in Sri Lanka down to just 7% in Pakistan, showing wide international divergence in perceptions of India.
From shared challenges to adaptive cities: Reflections from the UCLG World Congress
Reflections from the UCLG World Congress stress that city governments are increasingly tasked with tackling climate action, equality, care, inclusive public services, paradiplomacy and gender gaps in leadership, drawing on global local-government discussions.