Institute of Economic Affairs

22/08/2026

“Are we becoming two nations?”

Lord Hannan on the IEA Podcast asks whether Britain is becoming an “us and them” society with an increasingly protected public sector sustained by an increasingly squeezed private sector.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKBP6RHC0pw

21/08/2026

“There isn’t an endless line of people queuing up to sponsor sport and culture.”

As the Premier League kicks off, Dr Chris Snowdon on the IEA podcast discusses the impact of banning gambling sponsorship and why clubs further down the football pyramid could end up paying the biggest price.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKBP6RHC0pw

21/08/2026

🚨 New podcast out now! 🚨

🔴 Why is public sector pay racing ahead of private sector pay?
🔴 What is net zero really costing you?
🔴 What happens when football clubs ban gambling sponsors?

Lord Hannan speaks with Dr Kristian Niemietz and Dr Christopher Snowdon about the widening pay divide, the price of net zero, and the economics of gambling sponsorship in football. 👇

In this week’s IEA Podcast, Director General Lord Daniel Hannan is ...

21/08/2026

“We shot ourselves in the foot after the financial crisis”

Tom Clougherty in discussion with Daniel Freeman, unpacking the UK’s flawed tax policy following the financial crisis, which he explores in his chapter of the IEA’s forthcoming book, ‘The Great Stagnation’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpmTNx6dalo

21/08/2026

📊 IEA response to the latest public finances, retail sales and PMI data. Julian Jessop, Economics Fellow:

'The latest official data highlight the fragility of the public finances as John Healey prepares his first Budget. Government borrowing was £2.3 billion above forecast in July, and £0.7 billion higher than in the same month a year ago.

'Most worryingly, spending growth - notably on benefits - outpaced revenues despite a bumper month for income tax receipts.

'There is some better news today on the economy. The PMI survey of private sector activity and the GfK measure of consumer confidence both picked up further in August.

"Retail sales dipped in July but this follows two strong months, and the underlying trend still looks good. Nonetheless, the Chancellor will have to tread carefully. Higher inflation will boost public spending more than it boosts revenues, and the cost of government borrowing is already rising again.

"The economy may be benefitting from a 'Burnham bounce', but this is unlikely to survive another bumper tax-and-spend Budget."

20/08/2026

📈 "It is also half a percentage point higher than the G7 average, and it is no longer far below the EU average."

Kristian Niemietz on how Britain's unemployment rate now compares internationally.

https://economicaffairs.co.uk/p/employment-the-revenge-of-the-econ101

20/08/2026

“Our problem is that we keep hiring more and more people to work for the Government, and paying them more and more.”

Lord Hannan writes in The Sun on why Britain’s growing state is making the country poorer.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/40110551/britain-poor-easy-fix-government-blind/

19/08/2026

“The two things that work are workfare and sanctions.”

After Reform unveiled its welfare plans, James Bartholomew joined Lord Hannan on the IEA podcast to argue that sanctions are essential to making the welfare system work - and asked why the word doesn’t appear once in Reform’s 50-page paper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47vFwH7r-aw

19/08/2026

Today’s debate over Net Zero raises a fundamental question - what happens when Britain stops producing the oil and gas it still consumes?

Earlier this week, Lord Hannan spoke to Times Radio about Rosebank and Jackdaw, arguing that blocking domestic production simply means importing energy from overseas instead, at an economic, environmental and geopolitical cost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBRJVX-X76o

19/08/2026

📊 In response to today's ONS inflation data, Julian Jessop, Economics Fellow at the IEA:

"Market forces are helping to keep inflation in check, despite the headline rate jumping to 2.9 per cent.

"As expected, the bulk of the rise was driven by higher household energy bills following the increase in the Ofgem cap. Most other components were little changed, while food price inflation fell again, providing little support for claims that supermarket 'price gouging' is driving up grocery bills.

"It is still too soon to sound the 'all clear'. Inflation could rise further in the coming months as pipeline pressures feed through, and may not return to the Bank of England's 2 per cent target until late next year. But subdued demand, strong competition and yesterday's weak labour market data should reassure the Bank that the risks of second round effects are limited.

"The best way to get inflation down is a combination of sound money and allowing market forces to do their job. Rather than constantly tinkering with individual prices, the government should free up markets to increase the supply of housing, food and energy - and reverse the many policies saddling businesses with additional costs."