The British Business Bank's much-hyped £25 million (yes, “million”) investment in Kraken is a perfect example of spin over substance. The Business Secretary, Peter Kyle, has long been on a mission. In January, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he promised to “bet big” and “pick winners” when taking direct government stakes in growing businesses. … Continue reading Politicians should not play at being ‘tech bros’ with taxpayers’ money
Category: Applied economics
Weekly wrap: is the ‘net zero’ economy really worth £105 billion?
How the numbers in the CBI Economics report are being spun to mislead, and why Italy and Spain are not good benchmarks for the performance of ‘Brexit Britain’… Welcome to the third weekly wrap of key points from my social media posts. These wraps will typically include a mix of comments on the UK and … Continue reading Weekly wrap: is the ‘net zero’ economy really worth £105 billion?
Weekly wrap: more heat than light from the politicians
Politics is heating up for the summer, but there were at least a few more reasons to hope that underlying inflation pressures may be starting to cool. This is the second weekly wrap of the key points from my social media posts on the UK economy, on the markets, and occasionally on the politics too. … Continue reading Weekly wrap: more heat than light from the politicians
Why Reform’s tax-free overtime plan is a bad idea
Reform’s proposed tax break on overtime is likely to feature prominently in the Makerfield pitch. But it is also yet another example of a policy that is both good politics and terrible economics. The Reform party is proposing that people who earn less than £75,000 and work overtime above a 40-hour week will pay no income tax … Continue reading Why Reform’s tax-free overtime plan is a bad idea
Plain-speaking Economics 