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By: Matthew Lesh

Matthew Lesh is Country Manager at Freshwater Strategy and a Public Policy Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs

All 24 Articles
  • Reform is rising rapidly, but voter frustration can only carry Farage so far

    Opinion

    Reform UK is surging ahead of Labour, but voter frustration can only carry Farage so far, writes Matthew Lesh.

  • Let’s be honest, the ever-rising minimum wage is hurting employment

    Opinion

    Rising from £3.60 to £12.21 in just 26 years, the ever-rising national minimum wage isn't actually helping workers, writes Matthew Lesh.

  • Brits are bracing for the worst as Trump’s tariffs bite

    Opinion

    Trump’s tariffs are having a seismic impact on British politics, the economy and even the national mood, the latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll shows, writes Matthew Lesh Last month’s City Am / Freshwater Strategy poll revealed some green shoots for the economy. While far from a glowing overall picture, the trend was towards a more optimistic outlook [...]

  • Voters will punish Labour if rhetoric on welfare doesn’t match reality

    March 20, 2025

    Much like the previous Tory administration, this Labour government’s political downfall risks being driven by a vast gap between its promises and actual delivery, says Matthew Lesh The government has announced reforms aimed at getting the rising number of post-Covid jobless into the workforce and reducing the welfare bill. The Prime Minister presents the initiative [...]

  • Starmer’s defence policy is popular, but voters still don’t rate him

    March 4, 2025

    There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen. This quote — often attributed to history’s other murderous Vladimir, Soviet leader Lenin — could not describe the last week more aptly. The heart-sinking scene of Donald Trump and JD Vance locked in a tense, antagonistic exchange with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the [...]

  • To defeat our enemies, the West must remember how it won the Cold War

    February 20, 2025

    A system that funded defence initiatives while simultaneously delivering prosperity showed up the Soviet Union for what it was. Economic freedom is our most powerful weapon, says Matthew Lesh How did the West win the Cold War? This question loomed over European leaders this week as they met at an emergency summit in Paris to [...]

  • The public isn’t buying Labour’s growth story

    February 13, 2025

    Today’s growth figures will have elicited a sigh of relief across the government. A meagre 0.1 per cent uptick is certainly better than a recession. Though the news is not all good. The economy is smaller on a per capita terms, and when you dig down into the data, private sector activity is shrinking. An [...]

  • CMA boss sacking must signal the end of regulatory overreach

    February 7, 2025

    The CMA has damaged business with its trigger-happy approach to blocking mergers and acquisitions. The appointment of Doug Gurr is a good start, but will a new chairman be enough to turn around an organisation set in its ways? Asks Matthew Lesh In recent years Britain’s competition regulator has enjoyed a surge in taxpayer funding [...]

  • Let’s be honest… Amazon is not to blame for Axel Rudakubana’s crimes

    January 23, 2025

    Focusing on Amazon distracts from the important questions Axel Rudakubana’s horrific murders raise: What was his motive, could he have been stopped and what did the government get wrong? Says Matthew Lesh Axel Rudakubana’s fatal stabbing of three children during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, an act etched in infamy for its harrowing wickedness, led [...]

  • Our polling shows hope of ‘change’ has turned to despair for Labour

    January 7, 2025

    The inaugural City AM / Freshwater Strategy poll makes grim reading for Keir Starmer as almost three-quarters believe the UK is heading in the wrong direction The inaugural City AM / Freshwater Strategy poll makes grim reading for Keir Starmer. As the Prime Minister returns from the Madeira sun to snowy London, he is met [...]

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