Every year @BritishProgress asks Britain's top economists and policy researchers what the UK should do to increase growth. 🚨 As covered exclusively for @thetimes this morning, the 2026 growth survey results are now in! 🚨 This was our biggest survey yet with over 100 responses. 📉 The bad news: Britain's public finances, with inflation hit by external shocks, are in a bad state. 📈 The good news: the UK is not without options. There is much that can be done on the supply side reforms, & smarter fiscal policy can raise revenue while supporting growth. Here are the 12 most interesting results 👇 *1. Where should the government prioritise spending political capital?* We asked "In what areas should the Government invest more (or less) political capital to achieve growth?" NB this was explicitly not a question about spending – that's the next one.

1/4 Everyone agrees that the Fingleton Review needs to be implemented to get our nuclear costs down. Yet progress towards implementing these recommendations is stalling – more and more of them are off track.

Every year @BritishProgress asks Britain's top economists and policy researchers what the UK should do to increase growth. 🚨 As covered exclusively for @thetimes this morning, the 2026 growth survey results are now in! 🚨 This was our biggest survey yet with over 100 responses. 📉 The bad news: Britain's public finances, with inflation hit by external shocks, are in a bad state. 📈 The good news: the UK is not without options. There is much that can be done on the supply side reforms, & smarter fiscal policy can raise revenue while supporting growth. Here are the 12 most interesting results 👇 *1. Where should the government prioritise spending political capital?* We asked "In what areas should the Government invest more (or less) political capital to achieve growth?" NB this was explicitly not a question about spending – that's the next one.

In 2018, Baltic Bognor in Sussex was found selling illegal cigarettes. Same again in 2022. In 2026, the owner was done for money laundering & hiding cigarettes in juice cartons. Eventually, the shop shut itself down. Why did it take so long? And how do we stop shops like this?

🚨 We're hiring! 🚨 We are looking for an *Editor* to help build our Substack, create new content for different forms of media, and manage our research publications. 📍 London, 4 days in office ⏰ Full-time, permanent 💰 £55,000-£80,000 subject to skillset and experience This could be a good fit for someone who has experience in public-facing writing & editing, journalism, policy or comms. For full details and how to apply, see here: britishprogress.org/opportun…

🚨 We're hiring! 🚨 We are looking for an *Editor* to help build our Substack, create new content for different forms of media, and manage our research publications. 📍 London, 4 days in office ⏰ Full-time, permanent 💰 £55,000-£80,000 subject to skillset and experience This could be a good fit for someone who has experience in public-facing writing & editing, journalism, policy or comms. For full details and how to apply, see here: britishprogress.org/opportun…

Being the most exposed country in the world to AI is not *necessarily* a bad thing. It also means you could see the biggest productivity uplift from adoption. But to capture those benefits, you need to act fast. In a new report for @BritishProgress, @jujulemons, @martha_dacombe and @ed_lawrence_ find that Britain is poorly positioned on several metrics: grid connections, labour market inflexibility, energy prices, sector regulations and our tax base. They outline several "dominant strategies" to address these challenges. Read the full piece here: britishprogress.org/reports/…

I am increasingly frustrated about the state of conversation about AI in the UK. It feels like we are in never ending cycles of deluded thinking. Under current trends, Britain will be defenceless against the transformative effects of AI and have no leverage over development at the frontier. We are the most exposed economy to AI in the world. We have very little data centre capacity and few credible plans to expand – and our high energy costs mean we would struggle to even if we tried. I am publishing a paper today on what the UK should do to build that leverage, let the economy capture value from AI and prepare the state to adapt, however AI develops. The three strategies are as follows: 1. Build the infrastructure that gives us leverage. Fix the grid, fix planning, make Britain a place frontier AI can run. 2. Let the economy capture the value of AI. Reform the regulatory, labour and talent barriers that stop British firms adopting AI. 3. Build a state that can adapt to a changing world. Build a tax base that survives the labour market changing, public services that use AI to deliver better, and capacity to weather the upcoming geopolitical storms. Two years ago, we published a similar report on AI - many recommendations of which ended up in the action plan. I remember feeling hopeful, but sadly the fundamental problems facing the country on AI have not shifted. I truly hope that this week of momentum culminates in action. There’s still a narrow path for the UK, but everyday that path is narrowing.

I am increasingly frustrated about the state of conversation about AI in the UK. It feels like we are in never ending cycles of deluded thinking. Under current trends, Britain will be defenceless against the transformative effects of AI and have no leverage over development at the frontier. We are the most exposed economy to AI in the world. We have very little data centre capacity and few credible plans to expand – and our high energy costs mean we would struggle to even if we tried. I am publishing a paper today on what the UK should do to build that leverage, let the economy capture value from AI and prepare the state to adapt, however AI develops. The three strategies are as follows: 1. Build the infrastructure that gives us leverage. Fix the grid, fix planning, make Britain a place frontier AI can run. 2. Let the economy capture the value of AI. Reform the regulatory, labour and talent barriers that stop British firms adopting AI. 3. Build a state that can adapt to a changing world. Build a tax base that survives the labour market changing, public services that use AI to deliver better, and capacity to weather the upcoming geopolitical storms. Two years ago, we published a similar report on AI - many recommendations of which ended up in the action plan. I remember feeling hopeful, but sadly the fundamental problems facing the country on AI have not shifted. I truly hope that this week of momentum culminates in action. There’s still a narrow path for the UK, but everyday that path is narrowing.

Today, we publish a Transformative AI Strategy for Europe. Over the last few months, we’ve rallied researchers and engaged with governments to develop a plan for protecting the prosperity, sovereignty, and security of Europeans in a time of rapid AI progress. transformative-ai.eu @MonikaSchnitzer and I are honored to have convened an all-star team of thinkers and researchers contributing ambitious near-term objectives to make Europe relevant again, including: — Creating a Member State Alliance for Supply Chain Security (@anton_d_leicht et al) — Making European institutions ready to act in a transformative AI world (Conor McGlynn et al) — Securing Europe's share of global AI compute, in a ‘European Way’ that benefits local communities (@philip_fox_ et al) — Ensuring resilience to AI crises (@ben_s_bucknall et al) — Making Europe the global leader in assurance technology — And more objectives around security of supply and leverage (@milorignell et al), economic strength (@FraukeStehr et al), and safety/security (@NoemiDreksler et al) Our all-star senior expert council of Europe’s best and brightest (and non-European friends) reviewed drafts, provided strategic advice, and made suggestions for how to make the strategy more useful: @Ph_Aghion @Christophkw @bakkermichiel @ischinger @vestager @aleks_madry @FuestClemens Marta Kwiatkowska @LeoVaradkar @antonosika @DAcemogluMIT @Yoshua_Bengio It’s never been more clear: AI is real, and Europe needs to act. We’ve had all the warning shots and wake-up calls we need. Now the question is ‘what must be done?’ This strategy is our answer. transformative-ai.eu