In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, host Callum Price is joined by Editorial Director Kristian Niemietz and, making his first appearance on the podcast, Senior Economist Dr Valentin Boboc. Together they discuss a busy week in British economic policy. The episode opens with Rachel Reeves' Mace lecture, in which the Chancellor set out her theory of growth and the case for an "active and strategic state." The panel assess what she got right on diagnosis, where the contradictions lie, and what the same-day announcement of 50% steel tariffs reveals about the direction of travel.
The conversation then turns to the Green Party leader’s economic speech, which the panel characterise as “karaoke anti-Thatcherism” — a consistent set of arguments, consistently wrong. Topics covered include the claim that private housebuilding cannot solve the housing crisis, the energy supply problem, and the proposal for a wealth tax projected to raise around £15 billion, which Dr. Bok notes is roughly four or five days of current government spending. Kristian also examines the historical record of wealth taxes and why a narrowly targeted version is unlikely to raise the sums being claimed. The episode also addresses the government’s approach to youth unemployment, where measures including the National Insurance rise and the Employment Rights Bill are seen to be working against the very problem a new youth employment hub is supposed to fix.
The final segment covers a piece on supermarket planning restrictions, exploring how the town centre first policy has driven up costs, squeezed out independent retailers and forced supermarkets into buildings never designed for the purpose. The panel argue that the real issue is not supermarket-specific but reflects a broader failure of land use and planning policy — one with consequences across housing, energy, infrastructure and the cost of living.
The Institute of Economic Affairs is a registered educational charity. It does not endorse or give support for any political party in the UK or elsewhere. Our mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems. The views represented here are those of the speakers alone, not those of the Institute, its Managing Trustees, Academic Advisory Council members or senior staff.
Photo: Chris McAndrew / UK Parliament
