For what it’s worth, I’ve been comparing my UK economic forecasts with those of the OBR. There is a much more positive story than the Chancellor told in Wednesday’s Spending Review 2020. Let’s start with the near-term outlook… The OBR assumes that the economic impact of the second lockdown will be ‘three-fifths’ that seen during … Continue reading Our economic emergency is almost over
Author: julianhjessop
Sunak breaks the fundamental rule: ‘first, do no harm’
I’m only just coming to terms with how cross I am about the Chancellor’s speech today. This should have been a relatively uneventful one-year Spending Review, setting departmental limits for 2021-22, and summarising the latest economic and fiscal forecasts from the OBR. But, in my opinion, Rishi Sunak made two big mistakes. First, he got … Continue reading Sunak breaks the fundamental rule: ‘first, do no harm’
Six things the Chancellor should (or shouldn’t) do to boost the recovery
On Wednesday Rishi Sunak will announce a one-year Spending Review for 2021-22. This will not be a full Budget, but there is still a huge amount of mostly unhelpful speculation about what might be in it, and what’s coming next. There does at seem to be a broad consensus that the Chancellor should ‘go for growth’. … Continue reading Six things the Chancellor should (or shouldn’t) do to boost the recovery
Should public sector wages be frozen to help pay for Covid?
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) often publishes short blogs where two people debate a topical question, in this case: should public sector wages be frozen to help pay for Covid? Andy Mayer argued in favour, I was against. (You can read the original version here, and a lot more on the IEA website, including these … Continue reading Should public sector wages be frozen to help pay for Covid?
