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* TALKING POINT, WITH STEVE DAVIES
* A QUIET REVOLUTION
* iN THE MEDIA
* IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
* IEA DIGITAL
* THINK 2022!

This June, you will probably be hoping to enjoy the first truly relaxed summer for two years. What to do with this opportunity? One thing you should definitely do is to set aside Saturday, 25 June for the special treat that is the IEA’s THINK Conference, held at the Royal Geographical Society in South Kensington. THINK is a one day conference with a particular focus on innovations, new questions and new ideas. The first one was held in 2015 so it has now reached its seventh year and bids fair to be a permanent feature of the summer.

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THINK is a conference with speakers from academia, politics, business and the media who will present challenging ideas, ones that often do not fit into any orthodoxy but particularly the ones that dominate the media discussion. We explore the phenomenon of innovation and the ways in which it continues to transform our world. Each year has a particular emphasis within that overarching theme – the last two have explored the likely impact of the pandemic, for example. The audience is primarily younger people but is open to everyone.

This year we have an even stronger and more exciting line up of speakers. The speakers will be announced weekly (so stay tuned!) but we can reveal our first speaker is Baroness Claire Fox, Founder of the Institute of Ideas.

As in previous years, this promises to be a stellar event. It will be the first live and in-person event after two years of virtual ones so it should be particularly lively as people renew acquaintance, meet old friends, and make new ones. Please do share the event and come along yourself!

You can find out more about THINK here ([link removed]) and read the THINK 2022 section of the newsletter to find out what Claire Fox will be discussing.

Dr Steve Davies
Head of Education, Institute of Economic Affairs
A QUIET REVOLUTION

On Tuesday, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke MP delivered a keynote address at the Institute of Economic Affairs. In a packed room of journalists, MPs and TV camera crews, Simon Clarke announced that a "quiet revolution" is taking place in the Treasury, "to improve how we spend every penny of taxpayers’ money".

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Clarke warned that government spending is at a "high-water mark", adding that “last Autumn’s Spending Review marks the limit of fiscal expansion". He told the room it was time to control public spending and reverse the expansion of the civil service.

Read the full transcript of the speech here ([link removed]) or watch the announcement on the IEA YouTube Channel here ([link removed]) .

The speech was covered across the media, including in The Times ([link removed]) , Telegraph ([link removed]) , Daily Mail ([link removed]) , Politics.co.uk ([link removed]) and The Spectator ([link removed]-) .

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IEA Director General Mark Littlewood appeared on GB News to give his assessment of the Chief Secretary's statement with presenter Tom Harwood, who described the statement as a "landmark speech".

Mark told viewers he was: "heartened that this is the high-water mark and the direction of travel is now for spending to be capped". Watch the interview here ([link removed]) .
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iN THE MEDIA

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Common ground... This week, Sky News launched a new debate show called 'Common Ground'. The programme challenges two panelists with opposing views to find points of agreement on some of the biggest policy issues of our time.

IEA Director General Mark Littlewood appeared as a guest on the first ever show, alongside Sepi Golzari-Munro of the Climate Intelligence Unit. The pair discussed whether we should put Net Zero targets on hold, in light of soaring energy bills and the rising cost of living.

Mark noted that decarbonisation is essential, but noted that Net Zero is "overly costly and overly specific". Watch the full show here ([link removed]) .

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BBC Politics Live... IEA Director of Communications Annabel Denham appeared on BBC Politics Live on Wednesday to discuss the fallout from the P&O Ferries scandal, Partygate and disruptive climate protests.

On legislation to embolden workers protection after the P&O Ferries scandal, Annabel warned the measures may incentivise companies to register overseas to avoid paying higher costs. More generally, she advised the government to "tread very carefully" when intervening in the labour market for risk of damaging job creation and worker flexibility. Watch here ([link removed]) .

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Biden bites... President Joe Biden has proposed a 'billionaire tax' as part of the White House's new budget. The tax will hit American households worth more than $100m with a new minimum tax of 20 per cent on all of their income, including on unrealised investments.

In her weekly column for The Spectator ([link removed]) , Annabel Denham said the wealth tax could have negative consequences for the economy and investment, by encouraging individuals to move their money abroad. She also attacked 'billionaire bashing' and moralising about taxation, which often overlooks the immense benefits wealth creation brings to wider society. Read here ([link removed]) .

Annabel also commented on the Biden tax plan in The Telegraph ([link removed]) .

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Corporate window dressing?... Writing for The Telegraph Business ([link removed]) , Annabel noted that people of all political stripes are united against 'woke window dressing', and that the majority of consumers simply want quality affordable goods, not ESG slogans.

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Time for clarity... The debate around transgender women in sport has featured heavily in the news after transgender swimmer, Lia Thomas, won America's top trophy in university sports. IEA Head of Media Emily Carver argued that it's no surprise some politicians are finding it so difficult to define what a woman is, considering the incoherence of the legislation surrounding sex and gender identity.

Writing for Conservative Home ([link removed]) , Emily said: "It’s clear that in key areas, women’s and transgender rights are in conflict. It’s time that the Government stop denying biology, admit these problems exist, and commit to resolving them – it may well prove a vote-winner".

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News panel... Emily also appeared on the Times Radio Breakfast Show to discuss the news headlines on Thursday, including the Shrewsbury maternity scandal. Emily noted that public satisfaction with the NHS is at a 25-year low and made the case for alternative healthcare models. Listen here ([link removed]) . (Skip to 3h13m)

IEA Head of Political economy Dr Kristian Niemietz also discussed the nation's waning confidence in the NHS on GB News. He noted that "the NHS has performed worse than most comparable health systems in developed countries in terms of outcomes", and reminded viewers that private health insurance systems, such as in the Netherlands, offer universal care with better outcomes. Watch highlights here ([link removed]) .

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Hotting up... The Chancellor cut the 5 per cent VAT rate on green home improvements at the Spring Statement, including the installation of solar panels, in an effort to boost the uptake of renewables.

IEA Energy Analyst Andy Mayer believed the measures were not enough to make a meaningful dent in rising costs. Commenting in City AM ([link removed]) , Andy said: "The main beneficiaries will be those with larger homes and budgets who can well afford five per cent". Read Andy's IEA blog on the subject here ([link removed]) .

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Get drilling... Andy also commented on the energy price cap rise, which came into effect on Friday. The increase is expected to add an extra £700 to the average household’s annual gas and electricity bills.

Andy argued that the price cap and the government’s "ideological Net Zero agenda" are responsible for the UK's ill preparedness for price shocks. He suggested that the UK should be investing in affordable domestic energy sources such as North Sea and fracking to alleviate high energy costs. Read the full press release here ([link removed]) .

Andy also appeared on GB News, talkRADIO and BBC Radio Surrey to discuss the cost-of-living squeeze.

IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon gave his assessment of the cost of living crisis on GB News, arguing the government should be doing more to lower the cost of childcare, housing and other goods to ease the hit on household finances. Watch here ([link removed]) .
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

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Online Safety Bill Debate... On Thursday, IEA Head of Regulatory Affairs Victoria Hewson took part in a debate hosted by the New Statesman on whether the government's Online Safety Bill will make the internet a safer place.

Victoria spoke against the Bill alongside Ruth Smeeth from Index on Censorship. She said the provisions pose a grave threat to freedom of expression online, and side with government intrusion and vested interest lobbying. Damian Collins MP and BT's director of policy and public affairs Alex Towers spoke in favour.
You can read Victoria's research on regulating online content here ([link removed]) , and the IEA's latest paper on the Online Safety Bill, co-authored by IEA Head of Public Policy Matthew Lesh and Mikołaj Barczentewicz, here ([link removed]) .
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IEA DIGITAL

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The Double Take... This week, the IEA launched a new YouTube series with host IEA Head of Media Emily Carver. The show provides expert opinion on two of the biggest stories of the week.

In this first episode, Emily spoke to IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics Dr Kristian Niemietz about a liberal approach to transgender women in sports, and to Economics Fellow Julian Jessop about how concerned we should be about the national debt - specifically the £83bn we owe in debt interest payments. You can watch here ([link removed]) .

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The Swift Half... In the latest episode of the Swift Half, IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon sat down with Johan Norberg, author and Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute to discuss the future of the liberalism and the challenges ahead.

The Coronavirus pandemic ushered in far-reaching state intervention and we now see liberal principles under attack in Ukraine. With this in mind, is there a case for optimism? Watch here ([link removed]) .
THINK 2022!

As Steve Davies mentioned in his Talking Point, we are delighted to announce that our flagship THINK conference will return for its 8th year on Saturday, 25 June at the Royal Geographical Society.

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This year’s theme is ‘They Meant Well’ and is centred on unintended consequences. Speakers will be announced weekly. Our first speaker is Baroness Claire Fox of Buckley, who will be speaking on ‘The dangers of tit for tat cancel culture’.

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To mark the launch of THINK, we’re selling 50 early-bird tickets at a super-discounted price! You can find out more about the conference and how to buy tickets here ([link removed]) .

CALLING ALL STUDENTS!

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We are excited to launch the Economic Thought Leaders’ Symposium at the University of Buckingham from 7-9 September 2022.

The theme for this year’s programme is The Economics of War and Peace. We will discuss topics like trade not war, international institutions, diplomacy and game theory. To apply, please send a CV and cover letter explaining why you’d like to attend, as well as 500 words on promoting the reconstruction of an economy after a war to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) by 17 June 2022. You can find out more here ([link removed]) .

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We have launched the 2022 Dorian Fisher Essay Competition. Named after the beloved wife of our founder Sir Antony Fisher, this is our biggest essay competition of the year, exclusively for A-Level and IB students.

First prize will receive £500, with a separate prize of £500 for the school with the highest number of entrants. The deadline for this year’s competition is Friday 29 July 2022. You can find out more here ([link removed]) .

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