4000%: Are payday loans ever in the consumer interest?

4000% Are payday loans ever in the consumer interest? #PaydayLoansFringe. On the back of a recent Office for Fair Trading report on payday loans; the short-term lending sector has come under increased criticism and scrutiny. With some payday lenders exhibiting unethical and unscrupulous behaviour, it is unclear whether payday lending functions as a crucial form […]

A vision and policy Programme for Britain Beyond Brexit

Library of Birmingham Centenary Square, Broad St, Birmingham, United Kingdom

A series of short pitches from the 2020 Conservatives authors of “Britain Beyond Brexit: a programme for national and Conservative Renewal” with a Keynote Address from Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, Secretary of State for International Development and Minister for Women and Equalities. Speakers: Phillip Blond, Director, ResPublica (Chair) George Freeman MP Tom Tugendhat MP […]

Fixed Odds Betting Terminals: The costs of delaying the £2 stake reduction

Library of Birmingham Centenary Square, Broad St, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Discussion Summary: In May 2018, the Government announced the reduction in the maximum stake on Fixed Odd Betting Terminals (FOBT) from £100 to £2. This was an important win for Parliamentarians, local communities, families, individual and industry bodies, who have been campaigning for a stake reduction. However, from the Government’s announcement, it appeared that the implementation […]

Devo London: What policies does London need to succeed?

Library of Birmingham Centenary Square, Broad St, Birmingham, United Kingdom

We are delighted to be joined by a fantastic panel of speakers, including: Phillip Blond, Director, ResPublica (Chair) Cllr Nickie Aiken, Leader, Westminster City Council Paul Scully MP, Conservatives Vice Chair for London Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive, London First Professor Tony Travers, LSE London Join us at the Library of Birmingham from 3:45pm until 5pm on […]

The New and the Lost Conservative Voters: How can the party get a majority?

Library of Birmingham Centenary Square, Broad St, Birmingham, United Kingdom

We are delighted to be joined by a fantastic panel of speakers, including: Katy Balls, Political Correspondent, The Spectator (Chair); Dr Phillip Lee MP Lord Andrew Cooper Phillip Blond, Director, ResPublica Lara Spirit, Co-President, Our Future Our Choice Join us at the Library of Birmingham (Room 101) from 5:45pm until 7pm on Monday 1st October Register […]

Knife, acid and scooter crime: What can be done?

Library of Birmingham Centenary Square, Broad St, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Discussion Summary: More than 40,000 knife crimes were recorded in England and Wales for the year to March 2018 — up 16% on the previous year - the highest number since records began in 2011. Alongside this, the number of reported acid attacks in London rose six-fold between 2012 and 2017, while the number of […]

The North is on the rise: What more does it need?

Library of Birmingham Centenary Square, Broad St, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Discussion Summary: With considerable anger still being voiced in The North because of recent chaos caused by changes to train timetables and following Northern leaders coming together and speaking with a single voice at the first Convention of the North, we seek to explore where the challenges and opportunities lie and what decisive action is […]

Who’s in charge? Regulating English football for the good of the game

Library of Birmingham Centenary Square, Broad St, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Discussion Summary: There have been many interventions by multiple agencies to reorganise English football. This has resulted in a number of incremental improvements, although not the kind of radical reforms which many have advocated. The problems are most evident when it comes to the regulation of professional football clubs. There continues to be a flow […]

What do automation and AI mean for the future of work?

Library of Birmingham Centenary Square, Broad St, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Discussion Summary: Automation and the evolution of artificial intelligence have created considerable public apprehension, with research predicting that almost 30% of jobs could be at high-risk of being replaced by 2030. But, when utilised effectively, AI and automation can boost productivity (very much needed in the UK), open-up new work opportunities (with two jobs created […]

Backing Beauty: What should our towns and cities look like in the future?

Library of Birmingham Centenary Square, Broad St, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Discussion Summary: In ResPublica’s 2015 report ‘A Community Right to Beauty’ we made policy recommendations with the aim of provoking fresh thinking about the planning and design of the built environment. We proposed a range of new powers and incentives to support the democratic discernment of what makes a neighbourhood beautiful, and communities’ ability to […]