IEA Featured Media Posts

"The government will come up against powerful vested interests in liberalising planning law, but it has made a promising start" with its recent Planning for the future white paper says Mark Littlewood, IEA Director General. Writing his fortnightly column for The Times newspaper, Mark says "the prime minister’s refrain of “build, build, build” has some ... Continue reading

FT Adviser reports that mortgage advisers are calling for the stamp duty holiday to be made permanent, amid predictions of a drop in activity when the policy ends. Previous comment from IEA Academic and  Research Director Professor Syed Kamall was included in the write-up: “The cut to stamp duty is welcome but why isn’t it ... Continue reading

As John Lewis announces plans to turn nonviable stores into housing, the City A.M. Debate page asks "Is the plan to revitalise John Lewis likely to be a success?" Emma Revell, Head of Communications at the Institute of Economic Affairs, says "YES" arguing "John Lewis is showing the kind of flexibility many businesses and local ... Continue reading

IEA Academic and Research Director  Syed Kamall responded to the temporary cut to stamp duty announced in the Chancellor's summer statement. While he welcomed the move, he questioned "why isn't it permanent?" Quoted in the Yorkshire Post, Syed argued that "making it permanent would get the property market moving and encourage those who want to downsize as ... Continue reading

“The Chancellor’s announcements on housing miss the point", warns the IEA's Head of Poltiical Economy, Dr Kristian Niemietz. Quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post, Kristian advised that "the crucial bottleneck of the housing market is land supply: we are simply not releasing enough land for housing development." Read the full article here.... Continue reading

As economist Friedrich Hayek said, there will always be gaps in our knowledge when making policy. This is why we should always consider the possible consequences of any decision — both intended and unintended. Writing for City AM, the IEA's Academic and Research Director Syed Kamall argues that while "imposing rent controls may make the ... Continue reading

Responding to Sadiq Khan's rent control pledge, the IEA's Head of Political Economy Dr Kristian Niemietz said: “Rent controls have never worked anywhere. They do not just fail to solve the problem they are intended to solve; they also create new ones of their own." Kristian added: “This is one of the very few issues ... Continue reading

Quoted by the Independent, the IEA's Head of Political Economy Dr Kristian Niemietz said: “Rent controls have never worked anywhere. They do not just fail to solve the problem they are intended to solve; they also create new ones of their own. “If Sadiq Khan had any interest in solving London’s housing crisis, he would ... Continue reading