About this episode

The episode discusses the collapse of Britain's household wealth and the implications of devolution and London's housing crisis.

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, Director of Communications Callum Price is joined by Director General Lord Hannan and Editorial Director Dr Kristian Niemietz for the weekly round up of the week in economics. The conversation covers three topics: Andy Burnham’s speech on devolution and decentralisation, a new report showing Britain has suffered the biggest fall in household wealth in the rich world, and a report on London’s housebuilding crisis. On devolution, Hannan and Niemietz discuss why Britain remains one of the most centralised states in Europe, and what would need to change for genuine decentralisation to work, including a Swiss style model where local areas raise and are responsible for their own spending. They then turn to the fall in British household wealth over the past five years, arguing that the decline is largely a correction following the money printing and house price rises seen during the pandemic. The discussion closes with an examination of London’s housebuilding crisis, drawing on a new report from other think tanks showing housing starts in the capital falling far short of government targets. Hannan and Niemietz set out why this makes London…

More episodes of IEA Podcast

• 8 Things Andy Burnham Could Do In His First 100 Days | IEA Briefing · July 21, 2026 · 21 min
• Gary Stevenson's Wealth Tax Documentary, Fact-Checked | IEA Podcast · July 17, 2026 · 1h 1m
• What Went Wrong After Brexit Won? Lord Elliot | IEA Interview · July 15, 2026 · 56 min
• Is Britain Actually Neoliberal? The Spectator's Michael Simmons | IEA Interview · July 13, 2026 · 32 min
• Farage vs Binface, Wealth Inequality & Trickle-Down Myths | IEA Podcast · July 10, 2026 · 41 min
• Was New Zealand's Lockdown Worth It? | IEA Interview · July 7, 2026 · 35 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the IEA Podcast podcast page.