Great British Railways risks ‘repeating the mistakes of British Rail’ says expert
The Government is introducing the biggest shift in how the railways are run since privatisation – a new CPS report from rail expert Tony Lodge warns that the plans risk repeating the mistakes of the past The introduction of Great British Railways (GBR) in its planned form will slash accountability, with most of the independent regulator’s duties… View Article
‘Alarming’ fall in housebuilding in London
Only 2,158 private housing constructions were started in London in the first six months of 2025, a measly 4.9% of the government’s target The second quarter of the year mustered just 731 new starts, half the already paltry figures from Q1 The new figures from consultancy Molior also showed just 3,950 new homes were sold in… View Article
Leaving ECHR may be the only way to avoid politicising judiciary, warns Lord Lilley
A new report by Lord Peter Lilley challenges the conventional wisdom that the ECHR was a British creation enthusiastically adopted by Churchill and Attlee Lord Lilley, who served in Cabinet under both Thatcher and Major, reveals that several Labour and Conservative leaders have considered overriding, ignoring or withdrawing from the ECHR The Strasbourg Court has… View Article
UK housing gap stands at 6.5 million homes, finds CPS
New analysis by the Centre for Policy Studies reveals that the UK has a shortage of 6.5 million homes when compared to similar European countries Britain has just 446 homes per 1,000 people, the second worst rate in Europe. This compares to 560 in France, 516 in Germany, and a European average of 542. England… View Article
Press coverage for CPS government spending briefing
A new briefing from the Centre for Policy Studies reveals that UK public spending is set to reach almost £1.5 trillion by 2028/29, representing a 23% real-terms increase from 2019/20 levels. The analysis by CPS Head of Fiscal and Economic Policy Daniel Herring shows that spending per adult will climb to £24,190 – a £2,830… View Article
Public services to cost 13% more per adult than pre-pandemic, new CPS analysis shows
Despite claims of tough choices in this week’s spending review, government spending in 2025/26 will be the equivalent of £24,095 per adult, nearly two-thirds of the average worker’s annual salary Government spending has shot up since the pandemic. By 2028/29, the figure will be equivalent to £24,189 per adult – a 13% increase on 2019/20… View Article
Reeves embeds age of insecuronomics, warns CPS
Rachel Reeves promised in her Spending Review today to prioritise Britain’s security. But Chancellor’s decisions have left us on a profoundly risky economic path: one of high taxes, high spending, high borrowing, low growth, and huge exposure to global shocks, warns the Centre for Policy Studies. In particular, today’s announcement confirmed that we are due… View Article
New ONS figures show accelerating job losses
Employment statistics released by the Office for National Statistics today show businesses shedding jobs at a faster rate following the Government’s National Insurance hike. The data shows: 274,000 fewer payrolled employees over the last 12 months, a 0.9% decline Monthly job losses worsened from 0.2% in April to 0.4% in May 2025 Employment fell by… View Article
Net migration trending downwards but remains historically high — Government must go further, says CPS
Provisional data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published today shows net migration totalled 431,000 in 2024 Numbers are beginning to trend down thanks to the previous government’s reforms, but remain extraordinarily high by historical standards Net migration between 2021 and 2024 totalled 2.65 million, representing population growth of 3.9% The latest figure of… View Article
Sadiq Khan needs to stop boasting and start building, warns CPS
This week, Sadiq Khan has been promising radical action to fix London’s housing problems. But new figures confirm that London’s affordable housing programme, overseen by the Mayor, continues to fall woefully short of targets. In the year April 2024 to March 2025, a total of 3,661 affordable homes were started under the programme. This is… View Article
Immigration White Paper: right rhetoric, but light on solutions
Responding to the Government’s new Immigration White Paper, CPS Research Director Karl Williams said: ‘The publication of today’s Immigration White Paper shows that the Labour Party has, finally, accepted the arguments put forward by the Centre for Policy Studies and others that migration is not an unmitigated economic good, that various visa routes such as… View Article
Press coverage for CPS welfare briefing
A new briefing from the Centre for Policy Studies highlights areas of oversight, or lack of ambition, in recent proposed changes to the welfare system announced by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall. The briefing by CPS Tax and Fiscal Researcher Daniel Herring argues that despite aiming to make £4.1bn in savings by 2029/30, the… View Article
Labour’s welfare plans neglect key areas, says new CPS briefing
Despite the Government’s planned welfare reforms, health-related benefits are still projected to grow three times faster than the economy as a whole – increasing by an average of 5.3% a year over the remainder of the 2020s, compared with the expected GDP growth rate of 1.6% Labour have correctly acknowledged the scale of the problem… View Article
Press coverage for the CPS’ response to the Spring Statement
CPS Director Robert Colvile said ‘the Chancellor’s Spring Statement was fatally undermined by a failure to acknowledge that her own actions have contributed to Britain’s economic woes, and continue to do.’ (Read the full response here) His comments were picked up by the Daily Express, the Telegraph, and Guido Fawkes, with CPS Research Fellow Dr… View Article
Spring Statement: No more tax rises, but for how long?
Responding to the Spring Statement, CPS Director Robert Colvile said: ‘Given where Rachel Reeves found herself, the Chancellor should be congratulated for not making things worse – in particular, by raising taxes again. ‘It was also welcome to see the Government focusing on reducing the welfare bill, cutting the size of the Civil Service and… View Article
Coverage for MTC25: Remaking Conservatism
Sparking renewed interest in the theme of remaking conservatism, speakers and panels at the Margaret Thatcher Conference 2025 have captured headlines in Britain and beyond. A keynote speech by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, President of the Community of Madrid, achieved a significant amount of coverage in the Spanish press, including the front page of leading Spanish… View Article
