The latest monthly data on the UK’s public finances included the first of many payments from the Treasury to cover losses made by the Bank of England’s Asset Purchase Facility (APF). This may seem like an arcane subject, but the sums are huge and at least partly avoidable, so bear with me. First, the technical … Continue reading The Treasury should look again at a simple option to save on debt interest
Category: Applied economics
The Autumn Statement (or ‘Revenge of the bean-counters!’)
If you believe that there is a £55 billion ‘black hole’ in the public finances, and if you believe this has to be filled with tax increases and spending cuts in order to reassure the markets, then Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement was a reasonably fair way to go about it. But there are some mighty … Continue reading The Autumn Statement (or ‘Revenge of the bean-counters!’)
Jeremy Hunt’s tightrope act could see the economy take a tumble
It’s usual for some of the contents of a Budget to leak out before the official announcement. This time, though, we already have a very clear idea of what’s coming on Thursday. The Prime Minister and Chancellor, and their backroom teams, have worked hard to prepare us for ‘difficult decisions’. The good news is that … Continue reading Jeremy Hunt’s tightrope act could see the economy take a tumble
Is Liz Truss really to blame for £30 billion of austerity?
Sunday’s Observer led with the dramatic headline ‘Revealed: the £30bn cost of Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget’. Apparently, the former PM is responsible for half of the estimated £60bn fiscal hole that Jeremy Hunt intends to fill on Thursday with tax increases and spending cuts. But if you are suspicious about this claim, then you are right to … Continue reading Is Liz Truss really to blame for £30 billion of austerity?
Plain-speaking Economics 