Let's get serious

Plus: the SNP meet the Laffer Curve, and how to save British fishing

Jul 27, 2026

Watch out: is that applicant you’re interviewing actually a North Korean bot?

It’s been a rollercoaster ride, and it’s only Monday. A story late last night that Andy Burnham was ‘actively looking to scrap council tax and stamp duty’ set Westminster scrambling – and threatened to bring the housing market to a standstill. In a bid for calm, No 10 shot the idea down, at least until the Budget.

But don’t get comfortable. We can expect a flurry of policy announcements this week: on youth unemployment tomorrow; social care on Wednesday; defence on Thursday; and devolution on Friday. That last one will be delivered from No 10 North, natch.

Burnham also used his first big interview to say that Britain needs to ‘get really serious’ about reducing the welfare bill. That’s unlikely to be popular with his backbenchers, but if Burnham’s in the mood for gripping Britain’s big problems, he’s got to get spending under control somehow. Albert Edwards of SocGen coined a particularly… disgusting term today for the state of our public finances. It’s not the kind of global reputation you want.

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

Property rights could save British fishing

James Hodgkinson

‘Britain must grant fishermen a stake in the resources they help to conserve.’

British fishermen were promised a ‘sea of opportunity’ after Brexit. Instead, they were sold out by politicians eager to grease the wheels for an EU reset. But it’s not too late to use our Brexit freedoms to throw the industry a lifeline. Read More

Belgravia’s self-defeating war on hotel rooms

James Ball

‘Sometimes, it’s not just selfish people who don’t want their views ruining. It’s people taking out legitimate frustrations on the wrong target.’

In the latest Nimby Watch, Belgravia’s locals, frustrated at the level of service provided by Thames Water, are trying to prevent the expansion of a hotel – even though its development may be the best way to resolve the very problem they’re worried about. Read More

Stat of the day

Best of the Web

Can democracy deliver?

Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post

‘Democracies must once again prove that they can build housing and infrastructure, modernise public services, manage technological change … and do so with urgency and effectiveness.’

Across the world, democracies are facing furious voters. Economics explains some of it, but the deeper cause is the fear and anxiety that comes with the technological revolution we’re living through. In an age where technology moves at warp speed, democracy’s safeguards can look like paralysis. Free societies can still deliver, but now they need to prove it. Read More

It's time for a new Conservative revolution

Matthew Jeffery, ConservativeHome

‘The first privatisation revolution changed who owned Britain’s industries. The second is about ensuring Britain becomes the best place in the democratic world to build the industries of the future.’

Privatisation was one of the great achievements of modern Conservatism. But after the 1980s, too many Tories lost their reforming zeal. Now Andy Burnham believes the state can run major services better than markets. Conservatives should challenge that argument directly, and build the foundations for the next ownership revolution. Read More