Govt delivering on 55% of manifesto pledges, says IfG

A new report from the Institute for Government (IfG) has concluded that the government has begun or completed over half of its manifesto pledges.

However it found that 41 of its pledges are at risk of failure or have been delayed, suspended or abandoned.

This report updates the IfG’s manifesto analysis from April 2021.

Since then 19 more commitments have been completed, and work has now started on 23 promises which had yet to start in April. However, the number of pledges at risk has nearly doubled from 17 to 30, while work is yet to begin on a further 24.

The report also says that more thought ought to be given to how manifesto pledges interact with each other. In 2019, the Conservatives promised to fix huge long-term issues – such as reforming social care, improving digital and physical infrastructure, and delivering ‘world class’ public services – while also pledging not to raise the three main taxes or borrow to fund day-to-day spending.

Their manifesto baked in contradictions which would have emerged regardless of the impact of coronavirus, argues the report.

Looking ahead to the remainder of the parliament, the report highlights three areas of substance where the government has the most work to do: health, ‘global Britain’ and net zero.