CMA recommendations are “based on fear”, says Victoria Hewson

2 July 2020
Regulation

CMA recommendations are “based on fear”, says Victoria Hewson

"The CMA recommendations are based on fears for possible future harms to innovation and competition. Rather than wait for any such harms to consumers to be proven, they wish to empower a regulator to take preemptive action - which would be a dangerous step, predicated on the idea that expert regulators could know what configuration ... Continue reading
2 July 2020
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The post-Covid world does not need more regulation

17 June 2020
Regulation

The post-Covid world does not need more regulation

Is carbon the new calorie when it comes to product labelling and transparency? Professor Philip Booth, Dean of Faculty (Education, Humanities and Social Sciences) at St Mary's University, Twickenham and Senior Academic Fellow at the IEA, has contributed to a City AM debate. He writes: "Despite decades of talk of 'bonfires of regulation,' politicians are ... Continue reading
17 June 2020
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Recovery from the pandemic will require a single-minded focus on maximising growth

Sinclair Davidson
9 June 2020
Regulation

Recovery from the pandemic will require a single-minded focus on maximising growth

The COVID-19 pandemic will be a global trauma that people talk about – argue about – for decades. Debate is beginning to rage about whether governments made the correct choice to “flatten the curve” and relieve the expected disease burden on public health services. To buy time sounded like a good idea in March. In ... Continue reading
Sinclair Davidson
9 June 2020
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To make banks strong, do away with the regulator

Kevin Dowd
13 May 2020
Regulation

To make banks strong, do away with the regulator

As the UK economy enters the COVID-19 downturn, the Bank of England (BoE) continues to maintain that the UK banks are strongly capitalised. The BoE’s claims are not to be believed. As ex-Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) regulator Dean Buckner and I set out in our new report on the state of the UK banking system, ... Continue reading
Kevin Dowd
13 May 2020
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5 Comments on To make banks strong, do away with the regulator

IEA warns of “mission-creep” in Coronavirus Act

6 May 2020
Regulation

IEA warns of “mission-creep” in Coronavirus Act

Christopher Snowdon quoted in Law Gazette

Unprecedented curbs on civil liberties introduced under the Coronavirus Act must be repealed as soon as the original justification for the measure is met, says the IEA's Head of Lifestyle Economics, Christopher Snowdon. Quoted by Law Gazette magazine, Christopher argues that "civil society and the media should maintain pressure on the government to repeal the ... Continue reading
6 May 2020
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MPs took days to pass Covid-19 restrictions, but it could take years to rescind them

4 May 2020
Regulation

MPs took days to pass Covid-19 restrictions, but it could take years to rescind them

Mark Littlewood writes for The Times

Many are arguing for a swift relaxation of a range of the restrictions we are living under for the sake of the economy. But this is "only one part of the equation." Writing his biweekly column for The Times, IEA Director General Mark Littlewood argues that we need to consider how to "repeal the [Coronavirus ... Continue reading
4 May 2020
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Lift lockdown now or normalise a chilling authoritarianism unprecedented in peacetime

4 May 2020
Regulation

Lift lockdown now or normalise a chilling authoritarianism unprecedented in peacetime

Christopher Snowdon writes for The Telegraph

Whilst the public understands the need for extraordinary measures as a temporary response to Covid-19, "the trampling of civil liberties is so extreme that it is imperative that they be repealed, in full, as soon as possible." Writing for The Telegraph, the IEA's Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon argues that with the rate of ... Continue reading
4 May 2020
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Coronavirus Act risks “normalising illiberalism”, says new IEA paper

4 May 2020
Regulation

Coronavirus Act risks “normalising illiberalism”, says new IEA paper

If a fraction of the restrictions were kept in place after the objective is met it would be a serious blow to civil liberties, according to a new briefing paper from the Institute of Economic Affairs Laws passed in late March 2020 to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic are the greatest restrictions on liberty in ... Continue reading
4 May 2020
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Liberty After The Lockdown

Christopher Snowdon
4 May 2020
Research

Liberty After The Lockdown

Summary Laws passed in late March 2020 to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic are the greatest restrictions on liberty in modern British history. Any benefits that have emerged as a side effect of the restrictions have been far exceeded by the costs to the economy and to civil liberties. Civil society and the media should ... Continue reading
Christopher Snowdon
4 May 2020
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PRESS RELEASE

Financial transaction tax “seriously counterproductive” to economic recovery

26 April 2020
Regulation

Financial transaction tax “seriously counterproductive” to economic recovery

Victoria Hewson quoted in City A.M.

As Angela Merkel sets out Germany's priorities for its presidency of the Council of the European Union, Victoria Hewson said a proposed financial transactions tax would be "seriously counterproductive" to economic recovery. Quoted in City A.M., Victoria, Head of Regulatory Affairs at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said while the tax had been on the ... Continue reading
26 April 2020
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