What you need to know about the Spring Statement
In the wake of the Spring Statement, Robert Colvile, Director of the Centre for Policy Studies, picks out the key points: Chancellor right to guard against complacency On the face of it, Philip Hammond had reason to feel “Tiggerish” on delivering his Spring Statement: lower borrowing, continued employment growth, inflation set to fall, real wages… View Article
Labour still aren’t being honest with the public about nationalisation
John McDonnell promised today, in a speech to a Labour conference, that his nationalisation plans would cost the public “absolutely nothing”. It follows a claim on the Today programme that nationalisation would be “cost-free”. Jeremy Corbyn also claimed today that nationalisation of the energy sector is necessary in order to fight climate change. In fact, as a recent… View Article
McDonnell’s dismissal of nationalisation costs is laughable
Daniel Mahoney, CPS Head of Economic Research, responds to SMF study on costs of nationalising the English water industry: “Two weeks ago, John McDonnell was confronted on the Andrew Marr Show about the CPS’s estimate that nationalising the water sector would have an upfront cost of £86bn. McDonnell dismissed this figure as ‘laughable’. Yet the… View Article
Labour’s nationalisation plans to cost £176bn
New research published today by the Centre for Policy Studies estimates that the cost of Labour’s renationalisation plans would be at least £176billion. This would represent around 10 per cent of the national debt, or nearly £6,500 for every household. It would be enough to pay for central government’s contribution to the cost of 2.9… View Article
Lord Bamford joins the board of the CPS
Lord Saatchi, Chairman of the Centre for Policy Studies, has announced the appointment of Lord Bamford to the Board of the Centre for Policy Studies. The move represents the latest strengthening of the 16-strong CPS Board, following the recent appointments of Lord Hill of Oareford, former European Commissioner; Douglas Flint, former Group Chairman of HSBC;… View Article
Promote home ownership by reserving 50% of new-build homes for UK residents, urges report by Conservative MP
A new report by Croydon South MP Chris Philp, published by the Centre for Policy Studies, proposes further reform of the planning system to increase home building and the promotion of home ownership. With the average first time buyer having to save for 10 years to put together a deposit and home ownership rates falling… View Article
Missed opportunities blight a prudent Budget, says CPS
Daniel Mahoney, Head of Economic Research at the CPS, said: “The headline story from this Budget was the dramatic downgrading of Britain’s productivity forecasts – a minute-long section of Philip Hammond’s speech that will add as much to the deficit as the rest of it put together. In 2019, for example, productivity growth will be… View Article
Fixing Britain’s productivity problem is Hammond’s only option
Low productivity is a crippling problem for the British economy. And it shows little sign of improvement: levels have been virtually flat since 2011. Hourly productivity is now 20% below its pre-crisis trend. This week, the Office for Budget Responsibility is set to slash productivity forecasts. If there is no improvement to productivity levels, Philip… View Article
May and Rudd welcome launch of ‘New Generation’
Last night, the Centre for Policy Studies launched its new flagship New Generation project, designed to harness the talent, energy and enthusiasm of a new breed of policy thinkers, led by MPs from the 2015 and 2017 intakes. Speaking at the launch – held at the London offices of M&C Saatchi – Amber Rudd, the… View Article
CPS says Britain needs more robots
Jeremy Corbyn wants companies that profit from replacing humans with robots to pay more tax, believing that automation presents a threat to workers. This proposed “robot tax” is superficially convincing. However, a new report from the Centre for Policy Studies – Why Britain Needs More Robots – argues that it would impede productivity growth, depress wage growth,… View Article
CPS responds to MPC decision to raise interest rates
Daniel Mahoney, Head of Economic Research at the Centre for Policy Studies, said: “Today’s rate increase is a welcome step in addressing the problems associated with an unprecedented period of rock-bottom interest rates. Years of ultra-loose monetary policy have held back UK productivity by encouraging a misallocation of resources, sustaining zombie firms and helping inflate… View Article
Is Nick Clegg’s triple lock behind the rise of Corbyn?
The Liberal Democrats insisted on the triple-lock for state pensions being part of the Coalition Agreement back in 2010, suggested it would only cost £50m per year. 7 years later, it is costing the government over £8bn and ensuring the necessary task of curtailing the UK’s spiraling welfare budget fell mainly on the working age… View Article
Triple lock on pensions drove young voters to Labour
According to Rupert Harrison, George Osborne’s former special adviser, the triple lock on pensions was a Liberal Democrat demand for the Coalition agreement in 2010, which was accepted by the Conservatives on the basis that it would just cost £50m. The triple lock has meant that the state pension has been increased by the highest… View Article
Robert Halfon to call for a ladder of opportunity
Robert Halfon MP, chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee, will call on the Conservative Party to create ‘a ladder of opportunity’ for low-income voters in a speech to the 1900 Club & Centre for Policy Studies on Monday evening, 9 October 2017. He will set out plans to strengthen the Conservative Party’s historic links… View Article
Leadership Change at the Centre for Policy Studies
The Centre for Policy Studies, the leading UK think tank, has announced the departure of Tim Knox as Director and the appointment of Robert Colvile as Acting Director. During his six years as Director, Tim Knox has kept the Centre for Policy Studies at the heart of the British political debate, overseeing pioneering work on… View Article
The Medico-Legal Crisis and How to Solve It
The NHS’ liabilities for medico-legal claims now total £65bn, draining the NHS of much-needed funds and putting patients at risk by driving GPs out of practice concludes Dr Paul Goldsmith, Consultant Neurologist and policy strategist, in his report “The Medico-Legal Crisis and How to Solve It”published Friday 6 October by the Centre for Policy Studies. The… View Article
