Stringent mortgage rules are locking many potential first-timer buyers out of the housing market
‘Resentful Renters’, a new paper by the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) think tank points out that a Bank of England “stress test” can “deny people mortgages that they could perfectly well afford”. The report states that Boris Johnson’s plan to encourage a new generation of long-term, low-deposit mortgages could help up to 1.9 million… View Article
Labour’s four-day week ‘to cost taxpayers £17bn’
Research by the Centre for Policy Studies, a centre-right think tank, has found that reducing the hours of public sector employees, including doctors, nurses, teachers, firefighters and police officers, would impose a significant extra burden on the Treasury because the workforce would have to expand. Read the full Times Article here
Government should abolish or reform ‘eye watering’ stamp duty to boost housing market
Stamp duty is the second most unpopular tax in the UK, after inheritance tax, and sees the average buyer in England pay £2,300 in duty when they purchase a property. A new Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) report pushes for a Conservative pledge to reform stamp duty at the next election, branding it a “tax… View Article
CapX – China’s rise is too big to ignore
“There could hardly be a better time to consider Anglo-Chinese relations”, writes John Ashmore, Deputy Editor of CapX. Reporting from the Centre for Policy Studies flagship Margaret Thatcher Conference on China and Britain, Ashmore highlights the views of keynote speaker Martin Jacques, who believes the UK hasn’t “fully taken heed” of what China’s rise will… View Article
Sajid Javid MP launches CPS Small Business Report
On Thursday, the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) launched a major new report with the Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, calling for the Government to adopt an emblematic policy to champion small and family businesses: the Simple Consolidated Tax. ‘Think Small’, written by Nick King, the CPS’s Head of Business, with a foreword by West Midlands mayor… View Article
Damian Green MP sets out plan to fix social care crisis
Social care is one of the most controversial topics in British politics – but one that urgently needs to be addressed. In a new report for the Centre for Policy Studies, the Rt Hon Damian Green MP – who as First Secretary of State commissioned the Government’s social care green paper – put forward a bold and comprehensive proposal to secure… View Article
CBI: ‘Labour’s re-nationalisation plans will profoundly harm UK’
Labour’s plans for re-nationalisation will “profoundly harm” the UK economy, said Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director-General. Speaking at Liverpool John Moores University, Fairbairn quoted CPS figures from “The Cost of Nationalisation” paper published in 2018 which estimated the cost of Labour’s re-nationalisation plans at over £170bn, or £6,500 per UK household. Fairbairn added that over 8… View Article
Corbyn fails yet again to grasp the magic of competitive markets
“Competition is what has given us civilisational wonders like iPhones and Teslas and the Greggs vegan sausage roll” writes Robert Colvile, CPS Director, in City A.M., 19 March 2019. Unlike Jeremy Corbyn – who believes one company having the monolopy of mail delivery is efficient – Colvile argues competition is driving better services for consumers and we should… View Article
Deal or no deal, let’s make the UK the most attractive place for business
“There is no magic bullet post-Brexit” but Britain needs ideas for how to reassure consumers, promote investment, and keep Britain open to trade and talent in the event of no-deal, writes Robert Colvile, 12 March 2019. That is why the Centre for Policy Studies has published ‘A Budget for No Deal’ which sets out more than a dozen… View Article
The battle for Britain’s future requires some ideological firepower
Christian May, Editor of City A.M., writes his weekly column on the rise of the Centre for Policy Studies and tonight’s Keith Joseph Memorial Lecture which will be delivered by Allister Health, his predecessor as City A.M. editor and current editor of the Sunday Telegraph. May highlights the vital role played by the CPS in bringing… View Article
Is Philip Hammond’s plan to thwart Brexit about to reach fruition?
Instead of embarking on viable no-deal planning, Chancellor Philip Hammond wishes to make no-deal sound like “a terrifying act of national self-harm”, writes Fraser Nelson in The Telegraph, 8 March 2019. Fraser, who sits on the Board of the Centre for Policy Studies, highlights missed opportunities to make the case for strong no-deal planning but writes… View Article
CPS named most influential think tank among Tory MPs
Figures from polling company ComRes have revealed the Centre for Policy Studies is considered the most influential think tank by Conservative MPs. The polling was carried out by ComRes, who spoke to over 150 MPs, and gathered their views on a variety of issues relating to the effectiveness, influence, profile, and perceived partiality of think… View Article
Charities should drop their halos and stick to basics
“When you think of the World Wide Fund for Nature, you think of cuddly pandas…[not] funding paramilitary forces that allegedly “tortured and killed scores of people”” writes Robert Colvile in The Times, Wednesday 6 March. The extraordinary news follows a Buzzfeed News investigation and comes after scores of other charities have been “tainted by scandal”. Often, Robert… View Article
By welcoming top talent, Britain can breed a new generation of unicorns
‘Unicorn visas’ for new tech companies, a comprehensive skills review led by businesses, and a nationwide entrepreneur mentoring programme would all enable Britain to support the next generation of tech companies, writes Eamonn Ives. Eamonn’s piece highlights research which shows Brits are in favour of increasing, or at least maintaining, the number of high-skilled immigrants… View Article
Britain must seize the opportunity to lead the tech talent revolution
Will Shu, Chief Executive of Deliveroo, writes in The Telegraph, Monday 4 March, backing the recommendations of the latest report from the Centre for Policy Studies. ‘Herding Unicorns’ followed conversations and interviews with tech investors, entrepreneurs and staff at existing start-ups and scale-ups and identifies the challenges facing companies seeking to become a ‘unicorn’ – an… View Article
Despite what Corbynistas say, when it comes to tax we’re more of a Sweden than a Singapore
Jeremy Corbyn’s fan club may claim Britain is a tax-cutter’s paradise but “when you actually look at Britain’s tax system, you quickly realise that it isn’t true” writes Tom Clougherty, CPS Head of Tax, in The Telegraph. Corporation tax rates have dropped but receipts have risen, the total tax take is at a 32 year high, and… View Article
