Conservative voters may not want social democracy

16 May 2022
Government and Institutions

Conservative voters may not want social democracy

Mark Littlewood writes for The Telegraph

Mark Littlewood, IEA Director General, has written for The Telegraph on the Conservative Party's shift towards high state spending and government intervention in an effort to secure 'Red Wall' seats at the next election. Mark argues that this strategy is short-sighted, as it relies on the assumption that vast swathes of the electorate vote Conservative ... Continue reading
16 May 2022
Share

Cutting civil service staff does not go far enough

16 May 2022
Government and Institutions

Cutting civil service staff does not go far enough

Len Shackleton writes for The New Statesman

Len Shackleton, IEA Editorial and Research Fellow, has written for The New Statesman on the government's plan to scrap 91,000 civil service jobs. While this cut will bring a welcome saving of £3.5 billion, Len argues that this pales in comparison to the growth of the state in recent years and that the government should ... Continue reading
16 May 2022
Share

Tinkering with the energy price cap cannot fix it, says IEA analyst

16 May 2022

Tinkering with the energy price cap cannot fix it, says IEA analyst

Commenting on the news Ofgem has proposed to update the energy price cap quarterly rather than every six months, Andy Mayer, Energy Analyst at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: "Tinkering with the energy price cap cannot fix it. This disastrous policy has put 29 energy companies out of business, while doing ... Continue reading
16 May 2022
Share

Economic and political impact of protocol may justify unilateral action, says new IEA briefing

16 May 2022

Economic and political impact of protocol may justify unilateral action, says new IEA briefing

ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL IMPACT OF PROTOCOL MAY JUSTIFY UNILATERAL ACTION, SAYS NEW IEA BRIEFING  Responding to the paper, The Rt Hon Lord Frost CMG said: "If the EU will not negotiate, then the Government will be right to intervene unilaterally to restore stability” The Northern Ireland Protocol is failing to prevent massive disruption in Northern ... Continue reading
16 May 2022
Share

Shell’s shareholder activists are “naive”

13 May 2022
Energy and Environment

Shell’s shareholder activists are “naive”

Andy Mayer comments for City AM

Andy Mayer, IEA Energy Analyst, has commented in City AM on shareholder activist group, Follow This' plan to push Shell into adopting stricter environmental targets. "Follow This is running a naïve campaign to stop further development of the North Sea, on the pretext oil and gas can be easily replaced by renewables. In reality, all ... Continue reading
13 May 2022
Share

Paternalism has become the new normal

13 May 2022
Regulation

Paternalism has become the new normal

Annabel Denham writes for The Spectator

Annabel Denham, IEA Director of Communications, has written for The Spectator commenting on the Bills introduced in the Queen's Speech. Annabel argues that, as demonstrated by the sheer amount of new legislation announced this week, politicians are increasingly using the number of regulations they introduce as their metric for success. "But we now find ourselves ... Continue reading
13 May 2022
Share

Chancellor needs to respond to growing risk of recession, says IEA economist

12 May 2022

Chancellor needs to respond to growing risk of recession, says IEA economist

Commenting on the GDP data, published today by the ONS, Julian Jessop, Economics Fellow at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: "The UK economy ground to a halt in March under the weight of the cost of living crisis. The quarterly growth rate of 0.8 per cent over the first three ... Continue reading
12 May 2022
Share

The Levelling Up Bill threatens property rights

12 May 2022
Housing and Planning

The Levelling Up Bill threatens property rights

Annabel Denham writes for The Telegraph

Annabel Denham, IEA Director of Communications, has written for The Telegraph on the planned Levelling Up Bill announced in the Queen's Speech, which would force commercial landlors to hold rental auctions in properties which have been vacant for upwards of 12 months. Annabel argues that such legislation is ineffective and is in keeping with a ... Continue reading
12 May 2022
Share

The government must start slashing planning regulation

12 May 2022
Housing and Planning

The government must start slashing planning regulation

Emily Carver writes for Conservative Home

Emily Carver, IEA Head of Media, has written for Conservative Home on the need for government to introduce serious planning reform to deal with the rising price of housing. Emily argues that thus far, the government has cowered to NIMBYism by  reversing plans to make housing more affordable. "There is simply no way the Government ... Continue reading
12 May 2022
Share

Government’s U-turn on BOGOF ban is welcome

12 May 2022
Lifestyle Economics

Government’s U-turn on BOGOF ban is welcome

Christopher Snowdon comments for The Express

Christopher Snowdon, IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics, has commented for The Express on the government's decision to reverse their upcoming ban on buy-one-get-one-free deals on junk food. "Banning cheap food deals when inflation is rising to a 40 year high was never going to end well." "Boris Johnson was bounced into this regressive policy by ... Continue reading
12 May 2022
Share