Commentary & Podcasts

The Labour Party is under pressure to commit to universal free school meals for primary school children. This blog by Lee Crawfurd explores the international literature on universal free school meal programs, finding that they are cost-effective and have long-lasting benefits.

Plans for a National Care Service are more than a decade old, but little have come out of them. Meanwhile, demand for adult social care is growing, it is not being matched by nearly enough workers in the sector. Matthew Ball, writes in a personal capacity, setting out how to ensure that social care becomes the respected and desirable profession it ought to be.

The new fraud strategy from the government is a welcome recognition that fraud is a significant problem facing the country, but the details suggest the Government does not fully appreciate the scale of the task ahead, argues Richard Hyde.

The SMF hosted a speech and discussion with Alison McGovern MP, Shadow Minister for Employment on the 27 April 2023. This is the speech in full, with Alison sharing her vision for the years ahead and how to ensure opportunities are spread evenly across the country.

Social mobility is rarely – if ever – measured by looking at the social and cultural divides between the rich and poor. However, as John Asthana Gibson argues, if the government is serious about their social mobility agenda, it should focus on building our children’s social and cultural capital.

Protests against this year's Grand National have drawn sharp attention to the horse racing industry. That the government subsidises the industry by taxing betting profits raises questions about why such a levy isn't in place to use to treat problem gambling.