UK Politics Simulator features a fully simulated national economy that evolves throughout your political career and responds to the decisions of whoever holds power.
The game models the full scope of government finances:
Revenue is raised through 15 different tax sources, including income tax, VAT, corporation tax, national insurance, fuel duty, and stamp duty. Each tax affects different parts of the economy and different voter groups.
Spending is allocated across 8 major categories: health, education, defence, welfare, the Home Office, transport, local government, and other services.
The budget updates annually at the start of the fiscal year in April. The Chancellor of the Exchequer controls these decisions. If you hold that office, you'll set tax rates and spending priorities yourself. If you don't, you can put pressure on the Chancellor as a minister or senior MP, but ultimately the budget is their call. Their decisions will reflect their party's ideology: left-leaning Chancellors favour tax rises during a fiscal crisis, while right-leaning ones prefer spending cuts.
The game tracks a range of national indicators that update quarterly:
These indicators interact with each other and respond to both domestic decisions and external events. A global downturn, a trade dispute, or a crisis at home can send shockwaves through the economy that shape the political landscape for years.
Whether you're a backbench MP watching from the sidelines or fighting for the keys to Number 10, the economy is always there. Strong growth gives the government ammunition to defend its record. Rising unemployment hands the opposition a weapon. A debt crisis can bring down a Prime Minister.
As you climb the political ladder, the economy shifts from something that happens to you into something you might one day control. And when you do reach the top, you'll discover that managing the balance between fiscal responsibility and public investment is one of the hardest jobs in politics.