UK 2040 Options was led by Nesta and delivered in partnership with the Behavioural Insights Team.

1. Bring new insights to the policy debate and plans for government on the defining issues facing the UK.
2. Build networks of policymakers (and those who influence them) focused on clear-sighted analysis of trade offs, evidence and outcomes, contributing to a policy environment conducive to learning and innovation.

The UK is in need of a period of stable and open policy making. This means levelling with voters about choices and trade-offs, building consensus on the big policy questions and what it takes to deliver effectively, building momentum and hope.

The project was run by a team based at Nesta and brought together experts from economics, health, education, net zero, power and place, wealth and inequality, technology and tax to assess the policy landscape. We worked with other independent organisations such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Resolution Foundation, Health Foundation and Education Policy Institute, among others, to distil the foundational facts about our policy areas, identify core policy priorities, dig into the policy options the incoming government could pursue and test and interrogate what it would take to deliver.

Our aim was to support policymakers with fresh insights and a pragmatic future focus as they made choices about trade-offs, what to prioritise and how to deliver on ideas that take us beyond immediate crises.  

For each of the core policy areas listed above, we convened experts and emerging voices across the political spectrum to identify policy priorities and dig into policy options that might deliver better outcomes by 2040.

The fundamentals, the choices and the ideas

Our series of reports looked at potential options to address the biggest challenges facing each policy area. First, we assessed the fundamental facts that underpin each of the topics. We then highlighted the big choices that the government faced as a result. The next stage of our work looked at interesting, innovative and potentially impactful policy ideas.

How to make good things happen

Our event series looked at successful policies from around the world that have made good things happen. From the rollout of heat pumps in Sweden to public service leadership and governance in Singapore, we gathered global experts to learn about successful policy interventions that have moved the dial on big social issues and explore how they might be applicable in the UK.