Not too long ago Keir Starmer was banging on about how growth is his ‘number one mission’. Now, with the economy once again faltering – real GDP grew by an anaemic 0.1% in the last quarter of 2025, following an equally disappointing 0.1% in the previous quarter – we are hearing a bit less on […]
NHS abolition was not on my bingo sheet for Keir Starmer’s Government. But here we are. A political earthquake. Kissinger has gone to China. The party most closely associated with Britain’s healthcare system are the ones who finally be replacing it with a much more successful European-style social insurance system. Finally, fewer Britons will die […]
It was the early 2000s. The Y2K panic had been replaced by hope for the new century. The TV show ‘Friends’ was in its prime. The skinny jeans era was on the horizon. A pesky retailer scoured the world, trying to bring the cheapest branded trousers to its customers, wielding a Nokia 3310 and fuelled […]
The Government launched a major review of the water sector this week. This comes amid ongoing anger over sewage outflows, new measures to punish misbehaving industry chiefs with prison time and speculation that the regulator, Ofwat, could itself be dumped. Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron fired back that this isn’t nearly enough. He wants ‘far […]
The Financial Times has steadfastly campaigned for closer ties between Britain and the EU over recent years. It was therefore delightful that the pink pages broke the news that the UK has become the first European country to approve lab-grown meat. ‘The UK start-up’s CEO and co-founder Owen Ensor said getting approval in the UK had […]
Last week, Florida became the first American state to ban cultivated or lab-grown meat. This is because, according to Governor Ron DeSantis, cultivated meat is part of a sinister World Economic Forum (WEF) plot. ‘Today, Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish […]
The release of raw sewage into Britain’s waterways has reached the ‘worst on record’, according to headlines this week. Water companies spent 3.6m hours last year dumping into rivers and coasts across England, a jump from 1.8m hours in 2022. This is superficially true, but far less revealing than it first appears. The foremost reason […]
In a little-noticed statement, Ofcom updated its approach to net neutrality regulation last year. This is an interesting tale of a regulator taking advantage of Brexit freedoms, even when the Government fails to go the whole hog. The issue is a tad technical, but stick with me for a moment. Net neutrality refers to rules that […]
This week’s sky-high migration statistics have provoked the usual uproar. Suella Braverman and the ‘New Conservatives’ are incensed, Number 10 says it is ‘far too high’, and even Labour leader Keir Starmer has called the figures ‘shockingly high’. For many, the inability to cut migration feels like betrayal. The Conservatives have promised to reduce migration […]
A backlash has emerged against the government’s Digital Markets and Competition and Consumers Bill (DMCC). The proposals to give the CMA powers to regulate ‘Big Tech’ are facing increasing criticism over concerns about accountability. Former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland KC has warned that the ‘Bill would grant substantial powers to the new Digital Markets […]
A new academic paper arguing that a declining birth rate may actually boost living standards has grabbed some attention in recent days. Professor David Miles – who happens to be the chief forecaster for the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) – contends that ‘the economic impacts are likely, on balance, to be positive’ from falling populations. Miles argues […]
Factories in developing countries are often framed as the ultimate capitalist evil. It’s not hard to see why. So-called sweatshops conjure a powerful image of the world’s poorest working long hours in gruelling conditions, just to provide textiles, toys and electronics for pampered Westerners. Nor is it surprising that appalling events such as the 2013 […]
Planning reform is the quintessential third rail issue of British politics. Attempts to fix Britain’s burdensome planning system have repeatedly failed and caused significant political damage for those who have tried. Despite the urgency and seriousness, politicians have all but abandoned the issue. That is, at least until this past weekend. ‘I want Labour to […]
The government’s Digital Markets and Competition Bill is expected to be introduced into Parliament in the coming weeks. This innocent-sounding legislation to boost competition in the tech sector could cause significant damage to the British economy. It risks start-ups and entrepreneurs fleeing from the UK while hampering the tech giants’ ability to innovate and improve […]
Newspapers used to have an effective monopoly over access to information. If you wanted investigative journalism, property listings, dating personals, stock prices or weather, you were pretty much forced to purchase a printed copy. Newspapers were also one of the few places for advertisers to reach a mass audience. This is the dynamic that delivered […]
The UK government has been ‘wargaming’ the impact of chip shortages, Bloomberg reported last week. The results were dire, with the risk of a war cutting off supply from Taiwan escalating into prohibitively expensive smartphones, the car industry struggling to survive and endangering medical care. This contingency planning should be commended (even if a similar exercise […]
Over six years ago, the British people chose to leave the European Union. Even now, there is a small but vocal minority who are yet to reconcile themselves with this decision. Some, like Steve Bray, stand outside Parliament screaming day and night. Others, quieter but no less committed, see any divergence from EU law as […]
Social housing has a mythic quality in some quarters. If only the state would build more homes and rent them out at below-market rates, those pesky profiteering landlords would be stopped in their tracks. Even a Conservative-led government is now getting in on the action. Usually social housing landlords, including councils and housing associations, can […]
Owen Jones is glorifying French-style civil disobedience and direct action. Mick Lynch, between echoing Kremlin talking points on Ukraine, has called for the expropriation of North Sea gas. The latest union-led campaign, Enough is Enough, wants a £15 an hour minimum wage, rent caps, and higher taxes on corporations. Everywhere you look, the cost-of-living crisis […]
‘What is more useful–newspapers or television?’ the Soviet joke goes. ‘Newspapers, of course. You can’t wipe your arse with a TV.” Shortages in the Soviet Union, extending from toilet paper to pretty much everything, were driven by the failure of prices to reflect anything meaningful. Prices were set arbitrarily by Gosplan, the central planning agency, […]
