This article was first published by The Independent. One of the good ideas in yesterday’s Autumn Statement was the scrapping … Continue reading “Autumn Statement: splashing central government money around is not ‘devolution’”

For the third time in a year, tomorrow, George Osborne will take to the despatch box to deliver a budget … Continue reading “This Autumn Statement could significantly change the UK state”

As the United Kingdom looks to reform its policies for dealing with the poor and unemployed, it should take notice … Continue reading “The work-vs-welfare trade-off”

Having won a majority, and with Labour’s new leader polling worse than any in history, one might have expected a … Continue reading “George Osborne’s tax credit reforms are flawed”

Iain Martin argues not just that George Osborne was right to raise the minimum wage but that: “It must feel good to … Continue reading “Iain Martin is wrong on the living wage”

In a recent article on CapX, Adam Memon made the case for the minimum wage to be increased to the … Continue reading “The risks of lifting the minimum wage”

There can be no doubt that spending on working-age benefits is out of control. Over the past decade alone, spending … Continue reading “Chancellor continues his ‘Edward Scissorhands’ approach to cuts”

Most politicians and commentators think the ‘cost of living’ and its inverse ‘low pay’ are areas of serious concern for … Continue reading “What Owen Jones gets wrong (part 2 of 2: tax credits, low pay and a ‘Living Wage’)”

Most arguments in favour of a mandatory living wage, or a large hike in the National Minimum Wage (NMW), are … Continue reading “Is a minimum wage hike really an alternative to high tax credit spending?”