Toby Whelton
Senior Researcher
Toby joined IF in 2024 as an economic researcher. His current areas of focus include housing, democracy, and student finance.
Articles by Toby Whelton
What can the UK learn from Australia’s 2026 Budget?
This month saw the release of Australia’s 2026 Federal Budget, framed explicitly around “intergenerational equity”. IF Senior Researcher, Toby Whelton, provides an overview of the Budget and considers the lessons it provides for UK policymakers.
27 May 2026
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What does affordability mean for young people?
“Affordability” has become the political buzzword of the moment. IF Senior Researcher, Toby Whelton, looks at what affordability actually means for young people.
22 Apr 2026
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Young people’s living standards are being held hostage to inflationary fortunes
Geopolitical instability has led to fears of another rise in UK inflation. IF Senior Researcher, Toby Whelton, argues that young people may be the most exposed to rising prices.
30 Mar 2026
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The young vote is there to be won
For years, politicians have been able to ignore young voters with few electoral consequences. IF Senior Researcher, Toby Whelton, asks whether that is about to change.
19 Feb 2026
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The reintroduction of maintenance grants is a farce
The government has announced that maintenance grants will be introduced for university starters from the 2028–29 academic year. IF Senior Researcher, Toby Whelton, examines whether these grants will be enough to fix the broken system of student support.
3 Feb 2026
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The National Youth Strategy is not enough
Toby Whelton, IF Senior Researcher, examines the newly announced National Youth Strategy and analyses the good, the bad, and the ugly.
30 Dec 2025
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The tuition fee rise will cost university starters an additional £15 billion
The government have announced that tuition fees will rise with inflation each year from 2025/26. IF Researcher, Toby Whelton, explains what this will mean for incoming university students.
14 Nov 2025
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Intergenerational fairness and the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
IF researcher, Toby Whelton, explores what the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill could mean for intergenerational fairness.
8 Oct 2025
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Is Britain “beyond repair”? IF researcher, Toby Whelton, questions whether this is truly the case for young people.
Broken Britain? Across the media and politics, there appears to be an on-going narrative that something is fundamentally wrong in Britain. Endless coverage of a “malaise” – whether economic, cultural or political – points to a period of national decline in our living standards, international standing or the public finances.
14 Aug 2025
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Britain will never have high growth as long as it panders to the grey vote
The Labour government was elected on a promise of economic growth but already this vision is faltering. IF researcher, Toby Whelton, argues that a low-growth economy is the inevitable result of a gerontocratic society.
2 Jul 2025
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