Brits are bracing for the worst as Trump’s tariffs bite April 8, 2025 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 [...]
Labour now has the same talking points as the Tories, but fewer ideas December 12, 2024 Labour came into office mocking Tory complains about the civil service, but are now coming up against the reality of an unwieldy bureaucracy unresponsive to their demands, says Matthew Lesh “Dominic Cummings was right“ is not a phrase you would expect to hear from a senior Labour official. But, in less than a few hundred days, [...]
Let’s be honest… public health grinches want to steal Christmas November 28, 2024 Calorie counts on menus have been proven not to work, but nanny-state Scrooges are marching on regardless, says Matthew Lesh The holiday season has begun. Christmas trees are already everywhere. The cities’ shopping thoroughfares are sparkling with decorations. Slow-walking tourists are getting in the way even more than usual. Yet one group simply refuses to [...]
