Opening the Cabinet

Where some see a Brexit cabinet… we see a Free Enterprise Group (FEG) cabinet!

This week, liberty-lovers witnessed some exciting developments as newly elected Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed possibly the most liberal, free-market oriented cabinet since the days of Margaret Thatcher.

The IEA is delighted to note that no less than 14 cabinet members and cabinet attendees are alumni of IEA initiatives, the ‘Free Enterprise Group’ and 'FREER', both designed to champion ideas of free enterprise and social freedom.

FEG alumni now make up three of the four great offices of state, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, and Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Other FEG alumni include:

Robert Buckland, Justice Secretary

Alun Cairns, Welsh Secretary

James Cleverly, Party Chairman

Matt Hancock, Health and Social Care Secretary

Alister Jack, Scottish Secretary

Andrea Leadsom, Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary

Brandon Lewis, Minister of State for the Home Office

Kwasi Kwarteng, Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Jacob Rees-Mogg, Leader of the House of Commons

Julian Smith, Northern Ireland Secretary

Liz Truss, International Trade Secretary

Learn more about FEG and FREER.

This week, IEA spokespeople were across the media discussing whether the new PM and cabinet will deliver positive pro-market reforms and usher in a competitive and free economic environment.

Our Associate Director Kate Andrews penned several articles, including one for The Telegraph arguing that the PM and International Trade Secretary must hurry up and pursue free trade deals around the world, regardless of a deal or no-deal Brexit.

Kate also wrote for City AM, compelling Boris Johnson to stick to his pledge to restructure social care delivery, looking at pre-funded systems around the world; and for the Times Red Box about how a battle of ideas could play out - the newly established socialists versus the 'libertarian comeback kids'.

Kate also spoke to LBC, CNN, and BBC World Service about the changes in Whitehall.

Meanwhile, our Head of Communications Nerissa Chesterfield appeared on Sky News to discuss the benefits of Brexit, including the ability to strike bilateral trade deals, and for the cabinet to create a more pro-business atmosphere in the UK.

Raising the Roof

On Monday, the IEA published a new report, co-authored by Jacob Rees-Mogg MP and IEA author Radomir Tylecote, that proposes a 4-point programme of free-market reforms to tackle the UK’s housing crisis.

This paper, ‘Raising the Roof: How to solve the United Kingdom’s housing crisis’, also serves as the foreword to a forthcoming collection of essays, taken from our 2018 Richard Koch Breakthrough Prize.

Measures put forward to address the housing crisis come from a range of market-based ideas, which would increase the supply of homes in the UK.

The Sunday Telegraph featured an exclusive preview of the paper, as well as an op-ed from Jacob Rees-Mogg about the paper, where he advocated “freedom” as the fundamental solution to our housing shortage.

The authors argue that, as a result of increased state control in the market, the UK builds too few houses, which are too small, in the wrong places, and are built in a way that is considered undesirable by the majority of British residents.

The paper calls for green belt land to be selectively re-classified where housing is most needed; for tax distortions such as Stamp Duty and Capital Gains Tax to be revised and reversed; and for permitted development rights for individual streets or villages to be introduced, among other reforms.

The paper featured across the media throughout the week, including in The Times, the Daily Express, City AM, The Sun, and City Metric, along with a host of housing publications.

Radomir wrote for CapX on the importance of liberalising the planning system, and Jacob Rees-Mogg discussed the report on Good Morning Britain and LBC.

Download ‘Raising the Roof: How to solve the United Kingdom’s housing crisis’ for free here.

How ideas can change the world

In this week’s podcast, listen to Deirdre McCloskey’s talk at the IEA’s THINK conference on ‘how ideas can change the world’. IEA Digital Manager Darren Grimes introduces Deirdre and asks follow-up questions to her remarks.

Deirdre is a world renowned economist who was the Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) from 2000 to 2015.

Her acclaimed ‘Bourgeois Virtues’ trilogy (2006, 2010, 2016) examines factors in history that led to advancement in human achievement and prosperity.

In this rousing THINK lecture, she discusses how the so-called ‘Great Enrichment’ came from “innovation” rather than capital accumulation as is so frequently argued.

Listen to the podcast here.

And to subscribe to our podcast, IEA Conversations, click here.

Is the capitalist pot calling the socialist kettle black?

On this week’s IEA blog, our Head of Political Economy Kristian Niemietz rebuts a common line of attack by critics of his popular book ‘Socialism: The failed idea that never dies’ - claiming his critiques of socialism as an infeasible ideal are equally applicable to capitalism.

In response, Kristian challenges his detractors to “name a country that free-marketeers used to praise to the skies, and that they now dismiss as “not REAL capitalism.''

He writes that “free-marketeers are consistent to the point of being bores. If there is an economic model that we already praised forty years ago, there is a high chance that we are still praising it today” which is “the exact opposite of the socialist utopia-hopping I describe in the book”.

Read Kristian’s lively piece here.

Job Opportunity!

Interested in working for the UK’s original free-market think tank? This may be your chance!

We are currently recruiting for a new Operations Officer, a full-time entry level position to start in October 2019.

The role will involve manning the reception desk at the IEA and managing all aspects of our front-of-house service, ensuring the IEA’s office environment and operational systems meet a high level of professionalism. It will also entail managing various operational tasks and assisting all aspects of the IEA when necessary.

Applications will be accepted until August 16th. Learn more about the post, and how to apply, here.

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