How government doubles the cost of a flat

Plus: the wheels come off Net Zero, and why politics should stay out of history

Nov 10, 2026

Why are homes so expensive in London? Well, the eye-watering costs imposed on builders by the Government don’t help.

A new report from Ben Hopkinson, my colleague at the Centre for Policy Studies, shows that more than half the cost of building an inner London flat now comes from tax and red tape. You can see how the burdens mount up – and do your best to prune them back – on this interactive site.

Elsewhere, Kemi Badenoch has been unveiling her latest plan to trim back the welfare bill. Under the proposal, child Disability Living Allowance for behavioural disorders, learning disabilities and ADHD would be limited to the most severe cases. The Tories say it would save £2.8 billion a year, and it’s just one part of a wider package of welfare cuts worth £36 billion annually. But with this year’s deficit already £116bn and counting, Badenoch’s going to need a bigger axe.

Below you’ll find all the latest pieces from CapX, plus what we’re reading from around the web.

Marc Sidwell
Editor, CapX

Today’s Takes

Fresh thinking from CapX

Net Zero is falling apart, one target at a time

Ross Clark

‘Virtually every interim target on the way to the Government’s overall, legally binding 2050 Net Zero target is being abandoned or relaxed, as it flies headlong into reality.’

The Government seems likely to announce a relaxation of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. If the mandate continues on its current trajectory, it could cause serious damage to UK car manufacturing. It’s the latest in a string of Net Zero targets to be dropped or diluted. MPs may not be worried about the 2050 target yet, but that may change sooner than they think. Read More

British history needs celebrating, not rewriting

Mani Basharzad

‘It’s worth remembering how new and fragile the religious tolerance and freedom we have in the West really are.’

British history is under siege from those trying to rewrite or politicise it. The woke Right have joined the woke Left in their attack. Just look at Tucker Carlson trying to get us to question if Churchill was the good guy or the bad guy in the Second World War. Britain has built a free and tolerant society, hard won over centuries. Today we need a better story to celebrate our culture and history. Read More

Stat of the Day

Best of the Web

Hitting Iran’s economy is Trump’s best option

William Hague, The Times 🔒

‘Yet this is the situation that Trump has inadvertently produced. An extended blockade is likely to be his only path out of it, without making things worse with further war or letting Iran off the nuclear hook with a hasty deal.’

Iran is well prepared for another military assault. But it has spent the last few months enjoying the income from selling the 88 million barrels of oil it had at sea, beyond the reach of the US blockade. Now that oil has run out. With a bit of patience, the US has a chance to put a financial squeeze on the Tehran regime. A long blockade is America’s best way out. Read More

Badenoch pledges to crack down on welfare

Noa Hoffman, The Spectator

‘Badenoch argued that circumstances have “got a lot worse” and that what we are seeing now “is a welfare state with an economy attached to it”.’

The Conservatives are proposing to make cuts worth £36 billion to welfare spending. They want to end claims for mild mental health conditions and bring back the two-child benefit cap. For the Tories, welfare spending is a key battleground where they can position themselves in contrast to Labour and Reform UK. Just don’t ask how it got this bad in the first place. Read More