Institute for Fiscal Studies
UK independent economic research institute providing fiscal analysis and manifesto costings.
Last refreshed: 10 April 2026
Why do parties fear an IFS assessment of their manifesto costings?
Latest on Institute for Fiscal Studies
- Is the IFS independent or does it favour a party?
- The Institute for Fiscal Studies is an independent research institute with charitable status. It assesses all parties equally and has no political affiliation.
- What did the IFS say about the 2026 Scottish manifestos?
- It dismissed Reform UK’s income tax cuts as costing £2-3.7 billion per year with no credible self-funding mechanism, and called the Scottish Conservative pensioner tax cut unlikely to survive contact with reality.
- How does the IFS check whether manifesto promises add up?
- It independently costs policy pledges using Treasury data and economic modelling, then publishes its assessment of whether the numbers are realistic.
Background
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is an independent UK economic research institute founded in 1969. It produces widely respected analysis of tax policy, public spending, and party manifesto costings, and is routinely cited by broadcast media during election campaigns as an authoritative fiscal arbiter.
In April 2026 the IFS published a critique of the Scottish Conservative manifesto 'Get Scotland Moving' and separately assessed Reform UK Senedd spending pledges, finding both sets of commitments either unfunded or arithmetically inconsistent. The assessments landed during the Purdah period before devolved elections, amplifying their political impact.
The IFS does not endorse parties or policies; it publishes independent analysis financed by charitable and research-council funding. Its election-period manifesto unit has assessed every Major UK party's spending plans since 2010, making its verdicts a standard feature of campaign coverage.