Royal Mail pensions plans “a risk too far” says Johnson
Royal Mail plans to offers its employees a Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) pensions scheme risk undermining recently-gained pensions freedoms. ‘A Risk Too Far’, published today by the Centre for Policy Studies, also cautions against CDC schemes because of the system risks creating irreversible intergenerational injustice by overpaying pensioners at the expense of current and future… View Article
Democratic crisis requires urgent action
Laws covering both political campaigning and the structure and transparency of government must be changed to restore public faith in democracy, a new report from the Centre for Policy Studies argues today. With a foreword by the Rt Hon David Lidington, and being launched tonight by the Rt Hon Damian Green MP and Chloe Smith… View Article
New polling shows crisis of faith in democracy
A new report by Matt Warman MP, ‘Who Governs Britain?’, sheds light on the huge disconnect between the public and the political system. With a maximum of only 9% of Britons placing significant faith in any layer of government to do the right thing by them, this is truly a crisis of confidence in our… View Article
NHS pay system not fit for purpose
A new report by the Centre for Policy Studies examining the pay structure of the NHS argues that the current system is failing both staff and patients. The NHS as a whole employs approximately 1.7 million people making it, famously, the fifth biggest employer on the planet. Almost two thirds of its budget goes towards… View Article
Think tank launches drive to save taxpayers billions
Following the launch of ‘New Blue: Ideas for a New Generation’, the Centre for Policy Studies has called on MPs to help the Treasury save taxpayers billions of pounds ahead of the next Budget. Last week, the Government announced £20bn further investment in the NHS by 2023/24. In order to balance the books, cutting wasteful… View Article
CPS hosts major international conference on China-Britain relations
On Tuesday 19th June the Centre for Policy Studies will host their flagship Margaret Thatcher Conference on China and Britain in the prestigious setting of the Guildhall, London. The conference will address the consequences of China’s rise to global prominence and the future relationship between Britain and China. There will be a particular focus on the future of trade between the two nations. The… View Article
Centre for Policy Studies calls on MPs to ensure NHS gets value for money
Following reports that three health think tanks have asked the Prime Minister to commit to real-term funding increases for the NHS of 4% every year, the Director of the Centre for Policy Studies, Robert Colvile, has written to Conservative Members of Parliament to voice the think tank’s significant concern that the discussion around funding has… View Article
CPS analysis shows NHS needs reform, not just cash
The topic of extra funding for the NHS is one of the most important in British politics. Yet new research from the Centre for Policy Studies highlights the neglected importance of how that funding is spent – and how it is paid for. This week, the IPPR and IFS have both called for higher taxes to fund the NHS,… View Article
CPS publishes ‘New Blue: Ideas for a New Generation’
The Centre for Policy Studies today publishes a landmark collection of policy essays, ‘New Blue: Ideas for a New Generation’, from rising stars of the 2015 & 2017 intakes of Tory MPs and other fresh voices. ‘New Blue’, which will be launched this evening by the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP at a reception in Parliament,… View Article
Are young people clamouring for Corbyn? New CPS polling sheds light on the new generation
The 2017 election showed that age has replaced class as the great electoral divide in British politics. In its wake, the question of whether and how the Conservatives can win back young voters has become a topic of intense discussion. Now, new polling by YouGov for the Centre for Policy Studies has provided the best… View Article
Powerful Patients, Paperless Systems – a new report by Alan Mak MP
This year the NHS celebrates its 70th anniversary, and its operating systems are in need of an upgrade. A major new report by Havant MP Alan Mak, published by the Centre for Policy Studies, proposes ambitious reforms to the NHS, shedding paper, pagers and fax machines to create a fully digital NHS that will help… View Article
Labour plans for bus travel are ideological and unfair, says CPS
With cost of living a major concern for under-25s, Labour’s promise of free bus travel seems like a compassionate solution. But as ever with Jeremy Corbyn, the devil is in the detail. The primary aim of this policy is not to help young people – but to push councils to nationalise bus services (either via… View Article
CPS welcomes MPs’ call for pensions reform
The Centre for Policy Studies today welcomed the final report by MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee into pensions freedom and choice. It is heavily influenced by a series of landmark papers on pension reform written by Michael Johnson, Research Fellow at the CPS. Three distinct recommendations stand out: 1. A new “default” pathway… View Article
CPS announces major new policy programme
In November, the Centre for Policy Studies launched its New Generation initiative, to provide a platform for new faces and fresh policy thinking. We are delighted today to announce the launch of a major new effort to support that work. With a year to go until Brexit, we want to develop a new generation of radical policy ideas… View Article
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
