Punching down
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies shows that it will cost businesses £2,367 more to employ a full-time worker on the minimum wage than it did in 2024. This year will be the most expensive on record for businesses who employ workers on the minimum wage, according to new analysis....
Common ground Conservatism
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies finds that there is still a viable electoral coalition available to the Conservatives. How can the Conservative Party recover from electoral catastrophe? A new report from the Centre for Policy Studies, built around an extensive programme of quantitative and qualitative research led by James...
The great grid gamble
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies states that politicians need to be guided by the best available evidence when considering the future of Britain's energy system. Ed Miliband hailed a recent report from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) as vindicating his plan to decarbonise the grid by 2030. But...
Budget briefing: The age of the super-state
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies discusses the age of the super-state. New analysis from the Centre for Policy Studies shows that, as a result of changes announced in this week’s Budget, state spending is set to increase to an astonishing £1.5 trillion by 2029/30. The briefing paper argues that...
The Politics of AI
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies examines the political bias within popular AI-powered Large Language Models (LLMs). ‘The Politics of AI’ is a new report from New Zealand-based academic David Rozado which examines the political bias within popular AI-powered Large Language Models (LLMs). The report found left-leaning political bias displayed...
Capital losses: Why increasing CGT will deter investment, slow growth and reduce revenue
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies highlights the damage that will be done to the economy if the Chancellor uses next week’s Budget to hike capital gains tax (CGT). Despite raising relatively little revenue for the Treasury (1.5% of all revenue), CGT is an incredibly distortive and complex tax, paid...
The UK’s international tax competitiveness 2024 update
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies calls for the Chancellor to focus on fundamental tax reform to stoke economic growth. The UK ranks a dismal 30th out of 38 OECD countries in the 2024 edition of the International Tax Competitiveness Index, published today by the US-based Tax Foundation. This extremely...
Accelerating Infrastructure
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies looks at how to get Britain building more, faster. One of Britain’s most pressing problems, as the new government has acknowledged, is how difficult it is to build the infrastructure we need. Infrastructure in Britain is much harder to build than it was historically...
A cheaper route to Net Zero
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies offers twenty low-cost ideas to cut energy bills and boost investment. Despite international gas prices coming back down in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, British households are still struggling with high energy bills because of outdated regulations pushing up costs. ‘A Cheaper...
Why the EU is not the answer to Britain’s growth challenge
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies calls for any decisions about the UK’s future relationship with the EU to be based on current realities. The Labour government may be seeking a ‘reset’ of relations in the UK-EU relationship but Keir Starmer should resist calls to rejoin the EU, Single Market,...