Thomas Sampson
@thomsampson.bsky.social
International Trade. Brexit.
Associate Professor, LSE Economics.
Associate Professor, LSE Economics.
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
Sometimes wonder if what the UK needs is a thinktank that doesn't do any new research, it just repeats obviously true statements that people try to ignore because they're inconvenient.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
November 25, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Sometimes wonder if what the UK needs is a thinktank that doesn't do any new research, it just repeats obviously true statements that people try to ignore because they're inconvenient.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
I think I prepared more thoroughly for my (very bog standard) club tennis game this afternoon than England did for the Ashes
November 22, 2025 at 4:07 PM
I think I prepared more thoroughly for my (very bog standard) club tennis game this afternoon than England did for the Ashes
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
I’m calling on the UK Government to seriously review its presence on X (formerly Twitter) and then leave. It’s not just a communication channel anymore. Read more:
www.politicshome.com/news/article... 1/10
www.politicshome.com/news/article... 1/10
Labour MPs Call For A More Serious Review Of The Government's Use Of X
Labour MPs are calling for ministers to take control of decisions over the government’s continued use of X, as concerns grow about the platform’s s...
www.politicshome.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:04 PM
I’m calling on the UK Government to seriously review its presence on X (formerly Twitter) and then leave. It’s not just a communication channel anymore. Read more:
www.politicshome.com/news/article... 1/10
www.politicshome.com/news/article... 1/10
Lots of excellent ideas here.
New essay out today by me and @acjsissons.bsky.social - ‘Getting Britain out of the hole: a plan for the economy’. You can read the whole thing here getting-out-of-the-hole.uk
A chart mega-thread follows 🧵
A chart mega-thread follows 🧵
Getting Britain out of the hole
A plan for the UK economy
getting-out-of-the-hole.uk
November 17, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Lots of excellent ideas here.
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
My granddad was a refugee, my wife, our close friends and those of our kids are either immigrants or the children of immigrants.
Do ministers ever think about the message their rhetoric on "handouts" and "golden tickets" for migrants sends about whether this is a government for people like us?
Do ministers ever think about the message their rhetoric on "handouts" and "golden tickets" for migrants sends about whether this is a government for people like us?
November 16, 2025 at 4:02 PM
My granddad was a refugee, my wife, our close friends and those of our kids are either immigrants or the children of immigrants.
Do ministers ever think about the message their rhetoric on "handouts" and "golden tickets" for migrants sends about whether this is a government for people like us?
Do ministers ever think about the message their rhetoric on "handouts" and "golden tickets" for migrants sends about whether this is a government for people like us?
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
I came to this country as a child refugee. No English, no certainty, no idea what my life could become. Britain gave me refuge.
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays
Shabana Mahmood is expected to say the era of permanent protection for refugees is over, in major changes to the UK's asylum and immigration system.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 10:29 AM
I came to this country as a child refugee. No English, no certainty, no idea what my life could become. Britain gave me refuge.
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
Terrific, thought-provoking piece by @chrisdillow.bsky.social:
On incompetence
Much of our political culture is fundamentally incompetent.
chrisdillow.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Terrific, thought-provoking piece by @chrisdillow.bsky.social:
The levy on foreign students is an export tax. Has anyone in government wondered why countries don't usually impose export taxes?
A levy on foreign students is one of the closest things you're going to see to tariffs on services - except the UK will be putting it on its own exports...
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Levy on international students’ tuition fees not in best interest of UK, says leader of top university
Duncan Ivison, president of Manchester University, says government’s 6% surcharge plan will ‘hurt the sector’
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 10:45 AM
The levy on foreign students is an export tax. Has anyone in government wondered why countries don't usually impose export taxes?
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
“Nobody thought a Labour government would have to raise taxes by more than £70bn,” claims one insider in this excellent piece. Shows the problem of the climate of fear in meetings created by some of Starmer’s aides, in that plenty of Labour insiders, did, in fact, think this!
The politics of breaking manifesto promises
The history of politicians who go back on their words has lessons for Rachel Reeves as she mulls raising taxes
www.ft.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:32 AM
“Nobody thought a Labour government would have to raise taxes by more than £70bn,” claims one insider in this excellent piece. Shows the problem of the climate of fear in meetings created by some of Starmer’s aides, in that plenty of Labour insiders, did, in fact, think this!
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
How ever since Labour came to power, the British media has started to notice a whole series of problems they spent the previous 14 years completely ignoring
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-great-...
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-great-...
The 'Great Noticing' Era
Ever since Labour came to power, the British media has started to notice a whole series of problems they spent the previous 14 years completely ignoring
www.adambienkov.co.uk
November 8, 2025 at 12:23 PM
How ever since Labour came to power, the British media has started to notice a whole series of problems they spent the previous 14 years completely ignoring
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-great-...
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-great-...
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
I organized an economist amicus brief in the IEEPA tariffs case the Supreme Court will soon hear.
You can find the full brief here: www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
You can find the full brief here: www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
October 25, 2025 at 12:27 AM
I organized an economist amicus brief in the IEEPA tariffs case the Supreme Court will soon hear.
You can find the full brief here: www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
You can find the full brief here: www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
Big update to our US Tariffs Paper:
📦 Pass-through ≈20% (using applied tariff rates, accounting for exemptions)
💸 “Cheapflation”: cheaper goods within categories saw 2× higher inflation
📈 Cumulative CPI impact: +0.7 percentage points
More details www.pricinglab.org/files/Track...
📦 Pass-through ≈20% (using applied tariff rates, accounting for exemptions)
💸 “Cheapflation”: cheaper goods within categories saw 2× higher inflation
📈 Cumulative CPI impact: +0.7 percentage points
More details www.pricinglab.org/files/Track...
October 28, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Big update to our US Tariffs Paper:
📦 Pass-through ≈20% (using applied tariff rates, accounting for exemptions)
💸 “Cheapflation”: cheaper goods within categories saw 2× higher inflation
📈 Cumulative CPI impact: +0.7 percentage points
More details www.pricinglab.org/files/Track...
📦 Pass-through ≈20% (using applied tariff rates, accounting for exemptions)
💸 “Cheapflation”: cheaper goods within categories saw 2× higher inflation
📈 Cumulative CPI impact: +0.7 percentage points
More details www.pricinglab.org/files/Track...
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
The cost of international treaties and conventions is curbed national discretion. The benefits are co-operation, often in fields completely separate to the agreement at hand. Only arguing about the costs of the ECHR is like divorcing your wife for not doing the washing up.
October 18, 2025 at 8:12 AM
The cost of international treaties and conventions is curbed national discretion. The benefits are co-operation, often in fields completely separate to the agreement at hand. Only arguing about the costs of the ECHR is like divorcing your wife for not doing the washing up.
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
💭 "A landmark publication”
💭 "The roadmap we need to build more inclusive and resilient economies"
The London Consensus is out now #OpenAccess and is free to read and download from the LSE Press website.
Access here: 🖇️ doi.org/10.31389/lse...
@lsepublicpolicy.bsky.social @gsos-lse.bsky.social
💭 "The roadmap we need to build more inclusive and resilient economies"
The London Consensus is out now #OpenAccess and is free to read and download from the LSE Press website.
Access here: 🖇️ doi.org/10.31389/lse...
@lsepublicpolicy.bsky.social @gsos-lse.bsky.social
October 16, 2025 at 10:57 AM
💭 "A landmark publication”
💭 "The roadmap we need to build more inclusive and resilient economies"
The London Consensus is out now #OpenAccess and is free to read and download from the LSE Press website.
Access here: 🖇️ doi.org/10.31389/lse...
@lsepublicpolicy.bsky.social @gsos-lse.bsky.social
💭 "The roadmap we need to build more inclusive and resilient economies"
The London Consensus is out now #OpenAccess and is free to read and download from the LSE Press website.
Access here: 🖇️ doi.org/10.31389/lse...
@lsepublicpolicy.bsky.social @gsos-lse.bsky.social
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
There is no need for a moral panic about the UK's welfare system.
Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts
Spending is controlled, not spiralling
Worklessness is near record lows
My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...
Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts
Spending is controlled, not spiralling
Worklessness is near record lows
My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...
October 15, 2025 at 12:35 PM
There is no need for a moral panic about the UK's welfare system.
Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts
Spending is controlled, not spiralling
Worklessness is near record lows
My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...
Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts
Spending is controlled, not spiralling
Worklessness is near record lows
My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
Huge congratulations to Philippe Aghion, Peter Howitt and Joel Mokyr, on being awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences!
www.nobelprize.org
www.nobelprize.org
The official website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org
The Nobel Prize rewards science, humanism and peace efforts. This is one of the central concepts in the will of Alfred Nobel, and it also permeates the outreach activities that have been developed for...
www.nobelprize.org
October 13, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Huge congratulations to Philippe Aghion, Peter Howitt and Joel Mokyr, on being awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences!
www.nobelprize.org
www.nobelprize.org
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
Has there been a more successful EU policy than enlargement?
🇵🇱 My @thetimes column: Poland’s economic miracle
12 out of 17 Polish regions are now richer than West Wales. It has faster internet, cheaper electricity and more high speed rail than Britain
When it comes to regional development it’s the UK, not Poland, that needs to catch up
1/3
12 out of 17 Polish regions are now richer than West Wales. It has faster internet, cheaper electricity and more high speed rail than Britain
When it comes to regional development it’s the UK, not Poland, that needs to catch up
1/3
October 12, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Has there been a more successful EU policy than enlargement?
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.
🧵 1/7
🧵 1/7
October 10, 2025 at 9:01 AM
I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.
🧵 1/7
🧵 1/7
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
Wilful ignorance of how trade and migration actually work in a globalised economy.
The idea that the (short and long-term) movement of people -especially between India and the UK - has nothing to do with trade and investment is (obviously) wrong.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The idea that the (short and long-term) movement of people -especially between India and the UK - has nothing to do with trade and investment is (obviously) wrong.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
October 8, 2025 at 6:27 AM
Wilful ignorance of how trade and migration actually work in a globalised economy.
The idea that the (short and long-term) movement of people -especially between India and the UK - has nothing to do with trade and investment is (obviously) wrong.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The idea that the (short and long-term) movement of people -especially between India and the UK - has nothing to do with trade and investment is (obviously) wrong.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
Congratulations to CAGE Impact Director @dennisnovy.bsky.social on his appointment to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as the lead economic adviser to the Foreign Secretary on the UK’s foreign and international development policy.
Dennis Novy becomes lead economic advisor to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Congratulations to CAGE Impact Director, Dennis Novy who has been appointed as Chief Economist and Director of Analysis at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
buff.ly
October 3, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Congratulations to CAGE Impact Director @dennisnovy.bsky.social on his appointment to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as the lead economic adviser to the Foreign Secretary on the UK’s foreign and international development policy.
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), established by US President Clinton in 2000, expired yesterday at midnight. For 32 African countries, (even more) uncertainty now looms over #tariffs, exports, and jobs.
abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory...
abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory...
Thousands of jobs at risk in Africa as US trade deal expires
A major US-Africa trade deal, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), will terminate as scheduled on Tuesday, ending duty-free access to U.S. markets for thousands of African products
abcnews.go.com
October 1, 2025 at 7:57 AM
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), established by US President Clinton in 2000, expired yesterday at midnight. For 32 African countries, (even more) uncertainty now looms over #tariffs, exports, and jobs.
abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory...
abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory...
Well I for one welcome immigration to the UK and am grateful for everything immigrants have contributed to our culture, society and economy. Not a novel thought, but feels like it needs reiterating this morning.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_35...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_35...
The Hamilton Mixtape: Immigrants (We Get The Job Done)
YouTube video by Hamilton
www.youtube.com
September 26, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Well I for one welcome immigration to the UK and am grateful for everything immigrants have contributed to our culture, society and economy. Not a novel thought, but feels like it needs reiterating this morning.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_35...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_35...
Reposted by Thomas Sampson
Legal migration 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 the UK, ensures we can 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲, 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 properly and strengthen our power overseas.
Feel it is important to reshare my speech on immigration today.
Watch in full here: youtube.com/watch?v=TnEV...
Feel it is important to reshare my speech on immigration today.
Watch in full here: youtube.com/watch?v=TnEV...
September 26, 2025 at 6:51 AM
Legal migration 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 the UK, ensures we can 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲, 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 properly and strengthen our power overseas.
Feel it is important to reshare my speech on immigration today.
Watch in full here: youtube.com/watch?v=TnEV...
Feel it is important to reshare my speech on immigration today.
Watch in full here: youtube.com/watch?v=TnEV...