Centre for Policy Studies

A year ago, Starmer promised to cut the burden of regulation on businesses by 25%. Within days that became something far weaker, built around a £22bn figure our research shows was deeply flawed. So what actually happened, and what does it mean for growth? Watch to find out. ⬇️

Great piece from Tony Lodge of @CPSThinkTank on the impact of central planning on the railways - less on-track competition, more empty slots being held for 'strategic reasons' thetimes.com/comment/column…

The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee (@HLIndustryCom) published its report on regulatory reform today, informed partly by our research: publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5901/ldse… Read our full briefing on how the government is understating the cost of regulation, ‘Axing the Admin?’, here: cps.org.uk/wp-content/upl…

The gap between Westminster and the private sector doesn't close itself. The CPS Thatcher Fellowship is the programme for people who want to do something about it. Fellows attend monthly dinners with senior politicians, economists and journalists, work through a curated reading list, and get access to party conferences and media training. We're looking for people from the private sector who want to better understand and engage with policymaking in Britain. If that's you, we'd love to hear from you. ⬇️ fellowship.cps.org.uk

💡 The West has no idea how uncompetitive it's become. @LukeJohnsonRCP, chairman of Gail's, on why Britain's debt, its waste, and its bloated welfare state are a bigger threat than anything we faced in the 1970s.

🔓 What does over-regulation actually cost Britain? Two of the country's most successful entrepreneurs, Greg Jackson of Octopus Energy and Alex Baldock of Currys, make the case for unleashing business at our Margaret Thatcher Conference.

At last week's Margaret Thatcher Conference, Currys CEO Alex Baldock and Octopus Energy founder Greg Jackson made a point that doesn't get said enough: when you design regulation around the worst actors in a sector, you end up hobbling the best ones. Alex: 'Don't restrain the 98% of good businesses who should be unleashed. Maybe there are people who exploitatively use zero-hour contracts. Rein them in. But don't hobble the rest.' Greg: 'We turn away 99% of people who apply to us. And yet I read members of the most regulated parts of the energy industry complaining they can't find employees. Be a great employer, get known for it, train people. It's just not that hard.' Full panel with @jimmym ⬇️ youtube.com/watch?v=mYD_Xn…

The case for economic reform hasn't been lost in front of the British people. It just hasn't been made properly for 30 years. That was the argument from Next CEO Lord Wolfson in his keynote at last week's Margaret Thatcher Conference. From reforming the planning system and replacing it with a regulated market, to road pricing, to why the next government's best work needs to happen now in opposition, it was one of the most substantive cases for supply-side reform you'll hear from a British business leader. Watch the full keynote ⬇️ youtu.be/As6GEtPrwZo?si…

What does it actually take to start a business in Britain today? At this week's Margaret Thatcher Conference, three founders with very different stories tackled that question head-on. Neuroscientist and entrepreneur @neuranne, Addison Lee founder Sir John Griffin, and Seraphine founder Cecile Reinaud joined a panel on what's changed in the UK's startup culture, why so few businesses make it past £1 million, and what government should and shouldn't be doing to help. The conversation ranged from day one rights to why both panellists who moved here from France say they wouldn't have built their businesses anywhere else. Watch the full panel here ⬇️

‘We're a country of eccentrics, tinkerers, garden shed inventors. We don't just make space for those people. We laud them.’ Palantir's @louismosley on why that's one of Britain's biggest advantages in the AI race. Full panel from this week's Margaret Thatcher Conference with @Tom_Westgarth15 of Fractile, chaired by Charlotte Croswell OBE ⬇️

This isn't wrong, though? The green belt is/was explicitly a policy of urban containment, with the quality of the land being completely immaterial in terms of the designation.

If you missed Simon Wolfson's keynote at @CPSThinkTank's annual conference on how to get Britain growing, you can find the transcript here. Cracking stuff capx.co/britain-cannot…

The @CPSThinkTank is hiring summer interns. It's a great opportunity to learn about how think tanks work and contribute to our infrastructure, tax, energy, and housing policy research. You can apply here: cps.org.uk/about/vacancie…

🎙 In 5 minutes, Lord Spencer of Alresford, Chairman of the Centre for Policy Studies, closes the Margaret Thatcher Conference 2026. Watch live ⬇️ twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

🇬🇧 In 5 minutes: Britain as a Global Destination. Why should businesses choose Britain? Chaired by The Telegraph's Jeremy Warner, the panel features Shadow Business Secretary @griffitha MP, Grainger's Helen Gordon and UKHospitality's @allen_m_simpson. Watch live ⬇️ x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

🎙 In 5 minutes, Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise delivers his keynote address. He joined Next as a sales assistant in 1991. He has been Chief Executive since 2001. Since then, Next shares have outperformed the FTSE 100 by more than 500%. Watch live ⬇️ twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

📈 In 5 minutes: Running a Business. What does it really take to grow a company in Britain today? Gymshark's @BenFrancis1992, Small Business Commissioner @emmaljones CBE, Gail's chairman @LukeJohnsonRCP, Obelisk Support's @ddenissmith OBE and Henham Strategy's @nickphking take to the stage. Watch live ⬇️ x.com/i/broadcasts/1…