Michael Burton has spent over 30 years as a commentator, editor and author working for a private company covering the public sector. He is the author of The Politics of Public Sector Reform from Thatcher to the Coalition (2013) The Politics of Austerity: A Recent History (2016) and From Broke to Brexit: Britain’s Lost Decade (2022). He was for 20 years editor of The MJ (Municipal Journal) the market-leading weekly title for UK local government and a board director of The MJ’s parent publishing and events company.