Future of Britain depends on closing the generation gap, warns CPS
The gap between young and old has become the defining political and economic issue of our time, argues a new essay collection from the Centre for Policy Studies ‘Justice for the Young’ sets out the staggering extent of the challenge facing the country in paying for an ageing population while delivering a better life for… View Article
CPS responds to the King’s Speech
Responding to the King’s Speech, Robert Colvile, Centre for Policy Studies Director, said: ‘It was welcome to see the Government adopting many of the policies recommended by the Centre for Policy Studies – tackling low-quality degrees, introducing minimum service requirements during strikes, supporting domestic energy production, confirming Britain’s membership of the CPTPP trading pact and… View Article
Corporation tax increases hammer UK tax competitiveness
The UK ranks 30th out of 38 OECD countries in the 2023 edition of the International Tax Competitiveness Index, published annually by the US-based Tax Foundation. This is down three places from 2022. The UK ranks second for its cross-border tax rules, but comes 26th for individual taxes, 28th for corporate tax, and 35th for… View Article
Unleash power of ownership to boost security and wellbeing, says Redwood
Ownership is at the heart of conservatism but the country is at risk of forgetting lessons learned after the Second World War ‘The Power of Ownership’ by Sir John Redwood MP warns that the UK is at risk of slipping back into nationalised industry, government-directed companies, and reliance on Whitehall to generate solutions Instead, politicians… View Article
Nutrient neutrality reforms ‘badly needed’ says CPS Director
Responding to the government’s announcement on planned reforms to nutrient neutrality laws, Robert Colvile, Director of the Centre for Policy Studies, said: ‘These reforms are badly needed. As we and others have repeatedly warned, the crude and unworkable interpretation of the original ECJ ruling on nutrient neutrality has blocked and delayed a huge number of… View Article
Energy Price Cap fall ‘does not disguise the need for change’
Responding to a fall in the Energy Price Cap, Dillon Smith, CPS Energy and Environment Researcher and author of ‘The Case Against the Energy Price Cap’, said: ‘While a fall in the energy price cap is welcome, today’s announcement does not disguise the need for change. The cap was designed for yesterday’s market and is… View Article
Energy price cap costing consumers money and driving inflation, says new report
Although introduced with the best intentions, the Energy Price Cap (EPC) has gone far beyond its intended purpose and is actively harming competition The EPC was originally brought in as a time-limited intervention to protect a specific group of customers from price-gouging The recent energy crisis has meant it now functions not as a price… View Article
Families unfairly penalised by British tax system, says new report
A new report from the Centre for Policy Studies and Conservative Growth Group warns that the British tax system is increasingly unfair towards families Couples with the same overall income can end up paying dramatically different amounts of tax depending on how earnings are divided between them. A couple earning £60,000 with two children will… View Article
Inflation hammering value of cash savings worth more than £2 trillion
Britons like to save – but too many of us are saving in cash, despite the more attractive returns which might be available through investing in shares There is £1.8 trillion of cash in savings accounts – roughly equivalent to the entire market capitalisation of the FTSE 100 – and approximately £300m in National Savings… View Article
Government must accelerate academies programme, warns former adviser
The growth of academies and multi-academy trusts has changed the face of English schools for the better From only 203 in May 2010, academies now make up more than 10,000 of the country’s 22,000 state schools The growth in ‘multi-academy trusts’ (MATs) has allowed leaders to push up quality and standards for children across multiple… View Article
‘Unregulated Regulator’ undermines tech superpower ambition, warns CPS report
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Bill, currently progressing through the House of Commons, would give the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) new, extensive and unchecked powers to reshape digital markets and regulate outcomes across the economy As currently drafted, the Bill undermines parliamentary sovereignty and removes democratic accountability by handing such expansive ‘quasi-legislative’… View Article
CPS responds to Labour’s mortgage plans
Responding to Labour’s plans to ease the mortgage crisis, CPS Research Director Tom Clougherty said: ‘Labour’s plan mostly “requires” lenders to do a variety of things they will already be doing voluntarily, because they understand the pressures their customers are facing and don’t want people to lose their homes unavoidably. ‘But direct intervention of this… View Article
Does Britain care about freedom? New survey reveals sharp, deep political divides
We are all obsessed with which party is getting what share of the vote – both now and at the next UK election – but what are the fundamental values driving British public opinion? In a major new survey Dr Frank Luntz, the world’s leading expert on political language and communication, has worked with the… View Article
CPS responds to net migration figures
Responding to the ONS’ net migration figures, Karl Williams, Deputy Research Director at the Centre for Policy Studies, said: ‘Today’s figures for net migration were lower than expected – but this reflects changes in the Office for National Statistics’ methodology and understanding. Even with these changes, and with the inclusion of refugees from Ukraine and… View Article
Britain needs a fairer system of motoring taxation, says CPS report
Britain is a nation of drivers, with 88% of the miles travelled in 2021 being via car, van, or taxi. But current policy is letting drivers down. Road transport in Britain generates too much congestion and air pollution. Motoring has also been treated as a cash cow, with drivers paying far more through taxation than… View Article
UK right to not engage in semiconductor ‘subsidy war’ says CPS
Responding to the publication of government’s National Semiconductor Strategy, CPS Business Researcher Gerard B. Lyons said: ‘The National Semiconductor Strategy is welcome, after an unnecessarily long period of delays and uncertainty. The Government is right to acknowledge that the UK simply cannot afford to compete in the global subsidy war being played out by other… View Article