Should the Government Ban Kanye? Plus Rent Controls & the Minimum Wage Trap | IEA Podcast

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, host Callum Price is joined by Director General Lord Frost and Editorial Director Kristian Niemietz. The episode covers the Home Office’s decision to revoke Kanye West’s travel authorisation, the Green Party’s push for rent controls ahead of local elections, and new evidence on the employment effects of the minimum wage.On the free speech and visa question, the panel examines whether the government was right to bar Kanye West from entering the UK, whether non-citizens should enjoy the same speech protections as British nationals, and how visa denial powers tend to be applied inconsistently along political lines. Kristian argues the same standard applied at the border should mirror what would be permissible to say domestically, while Lord Frost contends governments retain a legitimate interest in controlling who enters the country, provided it is done within clearly defined rules.The conversation then turns to rent controls, where Kristian sets out why near-unanimous economist consensus against them exists, distinguishing between first and second generation controls and explaining why both produce misallocation and supply problems. The panel also discusses Ryan Bourne’s recent Times column on the minimum wage, arguing that political pressure has pushed it far beyond the level at which negative employment effects can be avoided, and that the policies most often defended as helping low-paid workers tend in practice to harm them most.The Institute of Economic Affairs is a registered educational charity. It does not endorse or give support for any political party in the UK or elsewhere. Our mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.The views represented here are those of the speakers alone, not those of the Institute, its Managing Trustees, Academic Advisory Council members or senior staff. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insider.iea.org.uk/subscribe