Burden on business increased in 2010s by at least £6bn a year
Since 2010, successive governments have promised to cut regulation – and even claimed to have succeeded But an in-depth study by the Centre for Policy Studies of the impact assessments attached to 3,528 pieces of legislation between 2010 and 2019 finds that £35 billion in annual regulatory costs were imposed on businesses in today’s money,… View Article
CPS fellow gives verdict on Bernanke review
Comments by economist and CPS Research Fellow Dr Gerard Lyons on the Bernanke review were picked up by the i newspaper and by Bloomberg, following its publication April 12. “Given the fundamental problems [the review] highlights”, Lyons said, “it should not be seen as a one-off”. Read Gerard Lyons’ full comment here, he also wrote… View Article
Bernanke review ‘damning indictment’ of how the Bank of England is run, says Lyons
Responding to Dr Ben Bernanke’s review into the Bank of England’s forecasting processes, CPS Research Fellow Dr Gerard Lyons said: ‘Andrew Bailey may have called the Bernanke review a ‘once in a generation’ review but given the fundamental problems it highlights it should not be seen as a one-off, but more usefully as a catalyst… View Article
CPS Director responds to new CPRE research on rural housing
Responding to new analysis of the rural housing crisis from CPRE, Robert Colvile, CPS Director, said: ‘It is welcome that the CPRE has finally noticed that there is a housing crisis in the British countryside. However, the CPRE has done as much as any organisation to create that crisis, by resolutely opposing any and all… View Article
City figures urge Hunt to axe stamp duty on shares
A new CPS paper leads the front page of City A.M. ‘Sharing the Wealth’, written by Gerard B. Lyons and CPS Director Robert Colvile, calls on the government to abolish stamp duty on shares. The paper, which is endorsed by major city figures, makes the front page of City A.M., with an opinion piece by… View Article
New Home Office data shows pressure from migration unlikely to ease
As Home Office figures show a year-on-year rise in the number of visas issued in 2023, CPS Research Director Karl Williams’ comments were reported in the Daily Mail and Daily Express. Read Karl’s full response here.
Stamp duty on shares is ‘a tax on growth’, new CPS modelling shows
First full analysis since financial crisis shows scrapping stamp duty on shares would result in significant uplift to pensions, savings and investment, at little or no overall cost to the taxpayer Abolition of the tax would increase long-run GDP by 0.2% – 0.7%, increase business investment by FTSE firms by between £2.8bn and £6.8bn, and… View Article
Pressures from record migration ‘show no sign of abating’
Home Office migration data published today and covering the whole of 2023 shows that pressures from unprecedented levels of immigration are not abating. Overall, the number of (non-visitor, non-temporary) visas issued rose only marginally (by 1%) in 2023 compared to 2022 – to a new record of 1.36 million visas. However, the underlying trend is… View Article
Hunt searching for ‘sustainable way’ to run the British state, says CPS Research Director
CPS Research Director Karl Williams has spoken to City A.M., ahead of next week’s Budget, about the role public spending will play in the Chancellor’s decision making. “He’s got to keep the bond markets on side,” Williams told the paper, “but he also wants tax cuts now.” “This is partly why he is so focused… View Article
Young people face ‘tax-and-spend doom loop’, says CPS Research Director
“The gap between the old and the young is one of the defining economic and political challenges of our time”, writes CPS Research Director Karl Williams, in a new piece for ConservativeHome. In the article, Williams outlines the challenges of a low/no-growth economy, combined with rising demand but public services, including the healthcare and pensions… View Article
Land banking is ‘a consequence of a broken planning system’ – CPS Director
Robert Colvile, CPS Director, is quoted alongside other think tanks by Guido Fawkes, responding to a new report from the Competition and Markets Authority. The CMA found, among other things, that the planning system is having a significant impact on the nation’s ability to build. Colvile told the website “So many reviews say the same… View Article
Migration impact of housing hits headlines once again
New ONS figures on projected population growth highlight the UK’s reliance on migration and will exacerbate the housing crisis. CPS Research Director Karl Williams responded to the figures with analysis suggesting that we will need to build at least 5.7 million homes in England over 15 years to meet the demands of a growing population…. View Article
New population figures highlight cavernous housing deficit
Revised population projections released today by the Office for National Statistics show the population of the UK growing by 6.6 million people from 2021 to 2036. Net migration accounts for 6.1 million, or 92%, of this increase Across this 15 year period, net migration is projected to average 405,000 per annum – falling from current… View Article
Dr Gerard Lyons joins CPS as Research Fellow
The Centre for Policy Studies is delighted to announce that respected economist Dr Gerard Lyons has joined the organisation as a Research Fellow. This follows the appointment late last year of Lord Frost and Alex Morton, alongside existing Research Fellows including former special adviser Nick King and transport expert Tony Lodge. Dr Lyons will be… View Article
The Telegraph reports on minister’s comments at CPS event
Comments by Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart MP at an event held by the Centre for Policy Studies have been reported by The Telegraph. Burghart told the event, entitled ‘AI in Whitehall’ and chaired by CPS Head of Tech Matthew Feeney, that AI and over computer programmes could, in future, replace some civil service jobs,… View Article
NatWest chief comments “reflective of the reality”
CPS External Affairs Director Emma Revell was quoted in City A.M. responding to comments from NatWest chairman Sir Howard Davies. Davies had spoken to the BBC about housing, claiming prospective buyers just needed to save the way previous generations had done. Emma told City A.M. “Davies may well feel that NatWest itself does a good… View Article
