Here’s a fact that will warm the heart of any Anglophile: Cambridge has more Nobel prizes than the whole of France put together. It’s a remarkable fact given Cambridge is such a small place – a population of just 150,000, with city status conferred only 75 years ago. So why do I mention this? Because […]
The latest GDP figures out today will give Rachel Reeves some cause for relief. The latest estimates from the ONS suggest that the economy expanded at a rate of 0.5% in the three months to February 2026. A welcome change from the doldrums that characterised 2025. But one swallow does not make a summer, and […]
This week the IMF cut its forecast for UK growth by a hefty 0.5 percentage points to 0.8% for 2026, the sharpest downgrade of any G7 economy. The OECD last week went lower still, to 0.7%, leaving the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast of 1.1% looking increasingly optimistic. Britain cannot afford to persist with an […]
In this special edition of Nimby Watch, we’re visiting the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Hang on, are we in the posh bit of London? You never bring me anywhere nice. We are indeed in Chelsea! Right in the heart of zone one, still one of London’s most desirable postcodes, and, of course, with […]
This week, Nimby Watch is… everywhere. Or at least, it’s in ‘nature, parks and green spaces’ across the country. Right then, where are we going this time? Well, for once, it’s not so much about where we’re going as where the Nimbys are headed. That sounds ominous. It is! A coalition called Vote For Nature […]
Businesses across the UK understand the role they play in driving economic growth. It does not happen by accident – it comes from firms investing, creating jobs and backing their local communities. Nowhere is that more true than in construction – a sector built on long-term investment and the confidence to plan ahead, underpinning everything […]
The Green Party has a new plan to solve the housing crisis that is simple: make it worse. With local elections looming, the Greens are set to offer rent controls and various measures against ‘commercial housebuilders’ as part of their local election offer. It is the political equivalent of treating a fever by smashing the […]
Grenfell was a preventable tragedy. The £177 million, seven-year inquiry established as much – fault was found in every corner, from the fire brigade, to the cladding, to the funding of fire safety in the building and how the government regulates building safety. The loss of 72 lives was horrifying, and owed to a confluence […]
Only last week, the Chancellor set out, once again, the Government’s ambition to get the economy moving. The language is familiar: growth, investment, opportunity and, of course, AI. This Government likes talking about growth, while choosing policies that make it harder to achieve. The route to economic growth is not a mystery And it is […]
Nearly three years ago I launched Next Gen Tories (NGT), a pressure group to focus the Conservative Party on winning back voters under the age of 45. For too long, the Conservatives had ignored the growing problem that younger generations weren’t achieving the key milestones that might make someone feel like they have a greater […]
Although it is early days, it does now look as if a cyclical recovery is starting in the UK economy. The best evidence is the recovery in retail sales from its six-year post-Covid slump. Since consumer spending is around 60% of GDP, a consumer recovery is critical to getting GDP rising. The recovery is also […]
How can people without capital be expected to believe in capitalism? This is the challenge of our age, as ‘own nothing and be happy’ hardens into a new dividing line in Western politics. Westminster risks ignoring the emerging political economy of housing, even as public anger grows. Green Party leader Zack Polanski is already courting […]
Britain’s economic debate rests on a dangerous assumption. Debt crises are things that happen elsewhere. Greece, perhaps. Argentina, certainly. But not the United Kingdom – a mature economy with its own currency, deep capital markets and centuries of institutional credibility. History offers little comfort to countries that think this way. Countries rarely enter fiscal crisis […]
Last week, the Government announced its intention to cap ground rent on leaseholds at £250 per year, with the cap falling to a peppercorn rate after 40 years. The main justification for the proposal is that it will reduce the cost of living for many residents – the mean ground rent today being £304 a […]
We’re venturing north of the border in this edition of Nimby Watch, to the area of Port Dundas in the north of Glasgow. Let’s see what awaits… Okay then, what are we looking at this week? Well, for once we seem to have the rest of the media on our side. We’re looking at a […]
Governments generally use Christmas and the New Year to bury bad news, hoping no-one will notice while they’re distracted by paper hats, mince pies and brandy butter. But this year Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook decided to ring the changes by swapping the traditional Scrooge costume for announcing glad tidings of comfort and joy instead. The […]
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