Political situation
Boris Johnson is current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party, he came to power following the resignation of Prime Minister Theresa May in July 2019.
The composition of the House of Commons is shown in the table below.
Party | Seats |
Conservative | 364 |
Labour | 200 |
Scottish National Party | 47 |
Liberal Democrat | 11 |
Democratic Unionist Party | 8 |
Sinn Fein | 7 |
Independent | 5 |
Plaid Cymru | 3 |
Social Democratic and Labour Party | 2 |
Alliance | 1 |
Green Party | 1 |
Speaker | 1 |
Total number of seats | 650 |
The next general election is due to take place on 5 May 2022 under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011, which sets the interval between general elections at five years.
Economic situation
The UK budget was presented to Parliament on 11 March 2020. It is set in the context of the Government's long-term economic plan, which focuses on economic stability as well as dealing with the short and long term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the official independent fiscal ‘watchdog’ for the United Kingdom of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (UK). It is required by law to produce two economic forecasts each year, which accompany the Budget Statement (usually in late November) and the Spring Statement (usually in March). They incorporate the impact of any tax and spending measures announced in those statements by the Chancellor. The big picture in the OBR’s March 2020 overview of the economic and fiscal outlook is that in addition to its impact on public health, the coronavirus is likely to have a significant adverse effect on the economy and public finances in coming quarters. However, neither the size nor the duration of this effect are possible to predict with any confidence.
GDP expenditure on education
HM Treasury public spending statistics for May 2020 show that GDP expenditure on education in the UK stood at 4.1% in 2018/19 compared to 4.3% in 2017/18 and 4.0% in 1997/98. These changes reflect a mix of demographics and the policy priorities of successive governments.
Educational attainment level of the adult population
1,624,200 learners aged 19 and over participated in government-funded further education in the first three quarters of 2019/20.
- 461,900 participated on English and Maths courses;
- 520,800 on a Level 2 course (175,000 were Full Level 2);
- 382,700 on a Level 3 course (326,600 were Full Level 3);
- 161,600 participated on a Level 4 or above course.
- 713,900 achievements in FE and skills were reported in the first three quarters of 2019/20.
Source: Department for Education, Statistical First Release, July 2020, Further Education and Skills in England (page 4).
Article last reviewed April 2021.