In this week’s episode of the IEA Podcast, Callum Price (Director of Communications), Tom Clougherty (Executive Director) and Kristian Niemietz (Editorial Director) analyse Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's recent "Plan for Change" speech.

The speech set out Labour's vision for growth and public services. Whilst the speech contained some positive ambitions, such as building 1.5 million homes, it lacked a clear theory of change for how these goals can actually be achieved in practice. We explore how the planning system remains a fundamental barrier to progress across multiple policy areas.

The conversation then turns to Labour's pledge for 13,000 new community police officers. While increased community policing is welcome, we examine how centralised government control over police hiring creates unintended consequences that reduce effectiveness. The panel also discusses the ongoing prisons crisis and how infrastructure challenges continue to hamper the criminal justice system.

Finally, we tackle the latest immigration statistics showing net migration of over 900,000 last year. Our experts debate whether the traditional free market case for immigration needs updating given current numbers, while warning against throwing out liberal economic arguments entirely. The discussion explores how domestic policy constraints, particularly in housing and public services, shape the immigration debate.

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