On 21st May, the Prosperity Institute hosted the 2026 edition of the Free Market Roadshow. Held in partnership with the Austrian Economics Center, this is the third year running that PI has welcomed the roadshow to its auditorium. The roadshow ran throughout the day, covering a wide range of topics, and including speeches from prominent politicians, including Richard Tice MP, Andrew Griffith MP, Jack Rankin MP and Greg Smith MP.
Continuing PI’s efforts to convene compelling thinkers with a range of views on the future of British prosperity, the day saw genuine debate over the future of industrial and energy policy, for example. While Andrew Griffith extolled the virtues of private enterprise against the dangers of nationalised industry on behalf of the Conservatives, Reform UK’s Richard Tice argued that public-private joint ventures can provide long term value for the country. Later in the day, we held a discussion on whether British energy abundance could be delivered by the free market or a determined state. No consensus emerged, and it looks like this will be an interesting fault line in political discussion in the years ahead.
Other panels included a detailed discussion on Britain’s future relationship with the EU, the opportunities for innovation and investment offered by digital currencies and blockchain, comparisons between modern western economies and those of countries behind the Iron Curtain, and a persuasive speech by Jack Rankin MP on the language and morality of free markets.
Full pictures of the event are available here, and all discussions can be found on our YouTube page, here. If you would like to find out about future events at PI please email events@prosperity.com.