Blog
A Gender Equal Living Income
NEF aims to co-design solutions with people most impacted through women-led policy and action

By
Beti Baraki
05 August 2022

With inflation predicted to hit 10% this year, many people across the country are hurting. Despite the UK being the fifth richest economy in the world, more than one in five people are in poverty and 23.5 million people will be unable to afford the cost of living this year. However, people do not experience poverty equally; NEF analysis finds that single female

Blog
The Jet Zero strategy is an abdication of responsibility to the planet and future generations
Drawing a downward slanting line on a piece of paper and crossing your fingers is not a ‘strategy’

By
Alex Chapman
28 July 2022

This article was originally published on BusinessGreenWhen is a strategy not a strategy? We found out the answer earlier this week when the High Court upheld an NGO challenge to the government’s Net Zero Strategy. The plan was supposed to set the path to cutting our carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. But, as a brutal

Blog
Tax and borrowing: what will we owe our grandchildren?
Borrowing to preserve ecosystems – rather than fund tax cuts – is the fiscally responsible thing to do.

By
Frank van Lerven
26 July 2022

In Monday night’s Conservative leadership debate, former chancellor Rishi Sunak reiterated his earlier claims, accusing his competitor Liz Truss of fiscal irresponsibility. Unfunded tax cuts would simply be ​“racking up bills on the country’s credit card that we pass on to our children and grandchildren”, he said.
Sunak further suggested that Truss’s

Blog
Keeping bills and carbon low – where next for policy?
Options for energy market reform compared

By
Chaitanya Kumar
12 July 2022

The ongoing cost of living crisis has exposed the vulnerabilities of the UK’s welfare system. A decade of austerity and a culling of green policy measures have left us less prepared in the face of this crisis. Now as inflation continues to soar, with an expectation of it reaching almost 11% this year, the Bank of England is dramatically raising interest rates, which as a result is set to drag the country into a

Blog
Will a national care service fix our broken system?
Labour’s proposal might help bring some attention back to social care and the government’s failed reforms

By
Daniel Button
06 July 2022

Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, has said that Labour aims to launch a National Care Service (NCS) inspired by the creation of the NHS. The Fabian Society are to look at how the service would be funded and structured, with the aim of building the foundations of a NCS during Labour’s first term in parliament.
Despite

Blog
Change the rules of green finance
A letter to the government calling for an ambitious green finance strategy to tackle the cost of living crisis

By
Lukasz Krebel
05 July 2022

In anticipation of the new government Green Finance Strategy, the New Economics Foundation and partners have set out five principles for a new vision of green finance that will help tackle the cost-of-living crisis, improve the UK’s energy security, and accelerate the net zero transition.
In a joint letter signed by 75 NGO and academic leaders representing a wide

Blog
Over 10 million households will struggle to meet the cost of living next April
The rising cost of living isn’t going away. So why has is the chancellor’s support package going to expire in the spring?

By
Sam Tims, Lydia Prieg
24 June 2022

No matter what we do for a living or where we live, many of us want pretty similar things: a warm home, knowing that our family and friends are safe, and the assurance that we will be able to cope with whatever life has in store. But as the rising cost of living bites into living

Blog
Our kids need a Great Homes Upgrade
Children have a right to a decent standard of living. Our draughty homes are harming them.

By
Alex Firth
23 June 2022

Alex Firth is a senior children’s rights coordinator at Human Rights Watch.Children sleeping in cold beds, family budgets hammered by spiraling energy costs — this is the reality for many people in the UK. A lot of housing in this country is old and draughty. In fact, the UK’s homes lose heat up to three times faster than the more energy-efficient homes across Europe. The lack of proper

Publications
Click here for care
How the platform economy can impede high-quality childcare

By
Miranda Hall, Duncan McCann, Daniel Button
22 June 2022

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Most of the media and policy attention on gig economy platforms has focused on companies such as Uber and Deliveroo, while those largely represented by women, such as cleaning and caring platforms, get little airtime. Despite the picture that a reference to the gig economy

Publications
Between a rock and a hard place
The case for a tiered reserve monetary policy framework

By
Frank van Lerven, Dominic Caddick
15 June 2022

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As the UK recovers from the economic fallout of the pandemic, we now face a mounting cost of living crisis. Underpinning this crisis is a changing set of macro-economic dynamics giving policymakers a new set of factors that may slow the growth of the economy. After a decade of dangerously low

Blog
‘Who cares if Miami is six metres underwater in 100 years?’
A senior banker’s comments show we can’t rely on banks to respond to the climate crisis

By
Lukasz Krebel
15 June 2022

Stuart Kirk, Global Head of Responsible Investment at HSBC Asset Management, last month asked investors: ​“Who cares if Miami is six metres underwater in 100 years?” His widely-reported comments demonstrate the grave risks of relying on the financial sector to voluntarily report and take action on the climate crisis.
Evidence continues to mount that the currently

Blog
Reversing the decline of social housing
To tackle the housing crisis, we need to reform and replace the policies that underpin it

By
Simon Hill
08 June 2022

The term ​“affordable housing” to most people is about as trustworthy as ​“the cake never left the Tupperware box”. Affordable houses have been springing up across England at a rate to match public apologies. But when a new development rolls into any town, most people who see the shiny billboard know the affordable homes promised will be anything but.

Podcasts
New Economics Podcast: How did the British Empire write the rules of today’s economy?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Dr Kojo Koram

By
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith
30 May 2022

Outside of the frenzied headlines about woke warriors cancelling Jane Austen and stately homes, we’re living in a period of renewed consideration of Britain’s colonial history.
The British Empire began before the English Civil War, and shaped our country for 400 years. At its height, it covered almost a quarter of the entire world’s population. Beyond statues and

Blog
The damaging legacy of right to buy
Boris Johnson wants to extend right to buy to housing associations. But he’s ignoring the grave costs of the policy.

By
Simon Hill
19 May 2022

In tough electoral times, politicians look for policies that galvanise the hearts and minds of a despondent electorate. Boris Johnson proved no different when in last month he announced his intention to extend Thatcher’s flagship right to buy policy to housing association tenants.
Right to buy embedded the notion of a ​‘property owning democracy’ into the British

Podcasts
New Economics Podcast: Who owns the internet?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Dr James Muldoon

By
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith
16 May 2022

What do you get the guy who has everything? A 44 billion dollar social media platform apparently. Elon Musk has already been accused of union busting, shot a car into space, and become the world’s richest man. So what’s next on his to-do list? Buying Twitter of course!
From Mark Zuckerberg to Elon Musk, should we be worried that our online lives are in the hands of a few super-rich men? Will

Videos
A Living Income
A minimum income to ensure you can always afford life’s essentials.

05 May 2022

No matter what we do for a living or where we live, most of us want pretty similar things. A warm home, time with family and friends, a rewarding job. The Living Income means we can all have the peace of mind that we will be able to afford the weekly shop or unexpected costs – even when times are tough.

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Blog
Losing the inflation race
Poorly targeted policy is failing to prevent an income crisis

By
Sam Tims, Dominic Caddick
05 May 2022

The spring statement failed to support low- and middle- income households through the highest level of inflation in a generation. Despite the measures announced on the day, NEF found that 23.5 million people would be unable to afford the cost of living.
In the month since, the situation has worsened. The International Monetary Fund has downgraded its gross domestic product forecast for the UK

Podcasts
New Economics Podcast: What did Covid-19 reveal about how our economy is really run?
Ayeisha is joined by Sahil Dutta and Nick Taylor

By
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith
03 May 2022

In the early months of the pandemic, the government shut down whole sectors of the economy and started paying the wages of a huge proportion of Brits. Some worked from home, juggling homeschooling their kids and figuring out how to use Zoom. Others risked their health to travel to work. Meanwhile Big Tech and outsourcing companies raked in money through government

Blog
Exposed: The collapse of green space provision in England and Wales
Neighbourhood green space provision has declined by one third in 21st-century developments, resulting in 9m fewer trips to green space every year.

By
Alex Chapman
03 May 2022

For 15 years the UK has stumbled from crisis to crisis, from recessions to the pandemic, through numerous political upheavals and scandals. Amongst the noise, little attention has been given to the health of the public parks and green spaces which breathe life into our neighbourhoods. As it became

Blog
On a wing and a prayer
Five ways the government’s irresponsible plans for aviation are putting us all at risk

By
Alex Chapman
25 April 2022

A few weeks back, the government presented its ​“vision and strategic framework for achieving net zero aviation by 2050”. The Department for Transport claims to be able to deliver this while simultaneously increasing the UK’s air capacity by 70%, or 200 million passengers above 2018 levels, by 2050. This would require expanding most of the UK’s major airports.
The strategy is irresponsible and

Blog
Stop airport expansions
Donate now and the Big Give will double your donation

By
Alex Chapman
22 April 2022

Update 23/​4/​22: We’ve hit our match-funding target and raised over £20,000! Further donations won’t be matched but you can still donate and help us expand this work.
Despite the urgent need to cut carbon emissions, seven airport expansions are underway in the UK. People living in the shadows of Heathrow, Gatwick, Bristol, Southampton, Stansted, Manston and Luton are giving up their time and energy to try to stop these disastrous

Podcasts
New Economics Podcast: What does the Sunak scandal tell us about our tax system?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Tom Peters

By
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith
19 April 2022

A few weeks ago the chancellor presided over a spring budget which ushered in the fastest drop in living standards on record, as he told us that we ​“can’t protect everyone”. But this week it was revealed that his wife has avoided paying around £20 million in tax, due to her non-dom status.
Accused of ​“rank hypocrisy” by Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak’s popularity has certainly

Publications
Climate roadmap
Next steps for the European Central Bank to support the low-carbon transition

06 April 2022

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Produced by NEF and 16 partner organisations.
In July 2021, the European Central Bank (ECB) concluded its 18-month monetary policy strategy review, the first since 2003. Looking at its mandate as enshrined in the EU Treaties, responding to pressure from civil society and to mounting scientific evidence of the threat posed by climate breakdown, the ECB recognised that it must integrate climate

Blog
9 things we need in the energy security strategy
This is a precious opportunity to wean ourselves off volatile fossil fuels and tackle the cost of living crisis – the government mustn’t squander it.

By
Chaitanya Kumar
04 April 2022

Despite the resolve from Europe to quit its addiction to Russian energy, importing Russian fossil fuels into the EU has put almost £20bn in the Kremlin’s coffers since the invasion of Ukraine began. Through a mix of renewables, energy efficiency and importing more non-Russian fossil fuels, the EU wants to cut

Podcasts
New Economics Podcast: The UK’s response to the refugee crisis
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Bella Sankey

By
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith
04 April 2022

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, over 4 million people have fled the country. Earlier this month Priti Patel announced a visa application centre had been established en route to Calais for Ukrainians trying to come to the UK. But the centre never existed. Days later, the Home Office said it was actually in Lille, but would not reveal where. Officials then claimed that refugees in

Blog
The care crisis won’t be solved with tax cuts
National insurance is due to rise next week, but changes in the spring statement make it less likely that social care will get the funding it needs

By
Daniel Button
01 April 2022

From next week, the health and social care levy is due to kick in, meaning that national insurance contributions (NICs) will rise by 1.25%. But pressure from the government backbenches over a tax rise during a cost-of-living crisis forced the chancellor to amend plans in last week’s spring statement. When he should

Blog
What does the spring statement mean for the Great Homes Upgrade?
The VAT cut on energy-saving materials is a small victory but improving home energy efficiency should be accessible to everyone

By
Aydin Dikerdem
31 March 2022

In the weeks leading up to the springs statement, the New Economics Foundation (NEF) called on the chancellor to commit to a Great Homes Upgrade, a set of measures to improve home energy efficiency across the UK. The cost-of-living scandal and energy crisis have shown how important it is that

Blog
How to save our public farmland
Public land is a public asset. It shouldn’t be sold off to counteract budget cuts.

By
Chris Williams
30 March 2022

We know that public farmland is vital, and that local authorities need to hold onto it. Today, along with the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) and Shared Assets, we are putting forward a vision for how to protect and enhance county farmland by 2040.
Public land is a public asset. It shouldn’t be used for short-term profit seeking, but for the public or common good. Public

Blog
Losing the plot
When we sell-off our public farmland, we miss our chance to use agriculture to benefit everyone.

By
Chris Williams
29 March 2022

Decades of UK government policy on public land has seen 2m hectares – an area 13 times the size of London – move from public to private ownership since the 1970s. Recent sell-offs of public land haven’t benefitted the public much at all, often resulting in land being bought by private housing developers who build poorly designed, unaffordable and car-dependent housing.
Providing affordable housing

Blog
Spring budget: Five asks for Rishi Sunak
With millions struggling to afford life’s essentials, here’s how the chancellor can make a real difference on Wednesday

By
Alfie Stirling
22 March 2022

Not for the first time, the chancellor finds himself relying on a last minute policy response at a spring statement in an attempt to keep up with global events. If the weekend’s press briefings are to be believed, he is planning to respond to the worst real-terms incomes squeeze in 50 years with poorly targeted and expensive tax cuts. If this is all