by John O’Connell, chief executive and Rory McGregor, chairman Over the course of this year it is clear there is one issue animating taxpayers as much as any: the issue of immigration. Critically the issue of how to deter, detain and deport the tens of thousands of small boat... Read more...
by Mike Denham, former chairman Rachel Reeves is by no means the first Labour Chancellor who’s walked us to the fiscal cliff edge. Fifty years ago in the mid-1970s Chancellor Denis Healey did the same thing, eventually being forced to go cap in hand to the IMF for a... Read more...
by Anne Strickland, intern Oxford Street has gained a new eyesore this week: purple lines painted on the pavement warning pedestrians to “Mind the Grab” This initiative, launched by retailer Currys with Westminster Council and supported by the Metropolitan Police, aims to tackle London’s phone theft epidemic by encouraging... Read more...
The TaxPayers’ Alliance has today released a new map showing how average inheritance tax liabilities have soared across the UK, with some regions seeing increases of over 1000 per cent in just two years. Based on official HMRC data, the map compares average estimated inheritance tax bills in 2020-21 and... Read more...
by Benjamin, Byung Hoon, Ko, political commentator If you want an example of how Britain’s quangos are failing taxpayers, look no further than the Environment Agency (EA). Supposedly it works “to create better places for people and wildlife, and supports sustainable development”. In fact it is doing significant harm.... Read more...
by Callum McGoldrick, researcher Junior doctors are striking again from the 25th through to the 30th July. It marks the twelfth round of strikes since 2023 and brings the total strike days up to 49. It is their first strike action since being given an inflation-shattering 22 per cent... Read more...
by Ted Newson, political commentator with Young Voices UK Labour's rumored retreat on the two-child benefit cap, while cloaked in compassion, would be a move towards financial irresponsibility. Ending the cap risks creating a perverse incentive for families to have more children as a direct route to increased welfare... Read more...
by Mike Denham, former chairman It now looks inevitable that Rachel Reeves will hike taxes yet again in her autumn budget. Labour’s chronic inability to cut or even restrain the growth of public spending, combined with a weakening economy and the bond market’s unwillingness to fund ever larger deficits,... Read more...
by Anne Strickland, intern Traditional authoritarianism has been defined by figures like Hitler, Stalin, and Saddam Hussein. A picture of open repression, jailing dissidents, rigging elections, and brute force. The tyrants of the 20th century ruled through terror that was impossible to ignore. The brown shirts in the streets,... Read more...
by William Yarwood, media campaign manager “Britain is a welfare state with an economy attached.” That’s how Kemi Badenoch opened her speech on welfare reform at the Centre for Social Justice. And it’s a line that should jolt anyone still in denial about the scale of the problem we’re... Read more...
by Jonathan Eida, researcher Before the general election, the government made a clear promise: taxes would not rise for working people. In theory, they’ve kept that pledge. In practice, it’s a very different story. Labour has already tiptoed close to the line with the rise in employer national insurance.... Read more...
by Shimeon Lee, policy analyst This Saturday marks 77 years since the founding of the NHS. Introduced in 1948, it represented a major shift in the organisation of British healthcare. Yet it is important to remember that healthcare did not begin with the NHS. Before 1948, the British healthcare... Read more...
By Simon Cook, data analyst The government knows the welfare system is under pressure. So does the opposition. Voters can feel it too in the form of higher taxes, stretched public services and a growing sense that the state is doing too much, for too many, with too little... Read more...
By Shimeon Lee, policy analyst This was supposed to be a blog defending the prime minister for sticking to his guns on welfare reform despite rebels in his own party. It was supposed to strike a hopeful tone, arguing that Labour’s massive majority in parliament would enable them to... Read more...
by Callum McGoldrick, researcher It has been a feature of recent governments to state one objective and then legislate to achieve the exact opposite. Labour wants to unleash growth in the economy yet raise the tax burden to ever new highs and the Conservatives saw a huge increase in... Read more...
by Elliot Keck, head of campaigns The state doesn’t have many friends at the moment. Everyone has a bone to pick with it. Whether it’s Londoners sick of seeing TfL turn a blind eye to fare-evasion, learners becoming impatient with the lack of driving test availability, elderly patients waiting for... Read more...
by Jonathan Eida, researcher The UK economy desperately needs a growth plan. With debt hovering around 100 per cent of GDP, sluggish productivity, and anaemic private investment, Britain is drifting into decline. One of the easiest wins? Unleashing the full potential of our financial services sector. The financial and insurance... Read more...
by Matthew Bowles, strategic partnerships manager at the Institute of Economic Affairs When I wrote this week in City A.M. about Donald Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’, I wanted to draw attention to the impact a particular provision could have for British investors and businesses. With the Bill edging closer... Read more...
by Darwin Friend, head of research Today's Spending Review should have been an opportunity to set priorities and bring some discipline to the public finances. Instead, it confirmed what taxpayers have long feared. Rather than balancing the books, the government is committed to a reckless approach of funding everything,... Read more...
by Mike Denham, former chairman The Bank of England’s ‘quantitative easing’ (QE) scheme is costing taxpayers billions. The Bank’s most recently published estimate puts the total cost at around £150bn, and the final bill is probably going to be even higher. All of it falls on the shoulders of... Read more...
by Ted Newson, Institute of Economic Affairs intern and politics graduate Government intrusion touches nearly every aspect of life in modern Britain. Even a simple pleasure, like enjoying a pint at the pub on a Friday, is being squeezed by the relentless growth of the tax burden driving prices... Read more...
by Edward Bennett The Labour government announced on 25th May that South Western Railway (SWR) had been nationalised in what they described as a “new dawn for rail”. But if history is any guide, this is anything but a bright new beginning. Past experiences with nationalisation and government run... Read more...
by Jonathan Eida, researcher It wasn’t supposed to be like this. When the Lifetime ISA (LISA) was introduced in 2017, taxpayers were told it would help first-time buyers get a foot on the housing ladder. With a generous 25 per cent government top-up and the promise of tax-free savings,... Read more...
by Jonathan Eida, researcher At a Treasury Committee hearing this week, senior figures from the UK's largest banks -including Ian Stuart, CEO of HSBC UK - urged the government to revisit ring-fencing rules first introduced in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Ring-fencing was designed to protect retail... Read more...