Some thoughts on why contagion from France should be limited, what businesses really think about Brexit, and the latest on the UK labour market, inflation, consumer confidence and the public finances... Theme of the Week I’m recently back from a lovely break in southern France, where we experienced all the culture the region has to … Continue reading Weekly wrap – A letter from France
Category: Budget
The ‘missing’ trillion-pound UK sovereign wealth fund is pure fantasy
Hopefully, whoever suggested the line about a ‘trillion-pound wealth fund’ to the person in charge of the UK's public finances will be suitably embarrassed by now. But I suspect not. One of the Burnham government’s most rational decisions so far has been to green light production from the Jackdaw gas field. The UK will need … Continue reading The ‘missing’ trillion-pound UK sovereign wealth fund is pure fantasy
Two cheers for Kemi Badenoch’s inheritance tax plans
Inheritance tax is a fundamentally bad tax and raising its threshold makes economic as well as political sense. But exempting “family homes” entirely is more problematic and potentially distortionary. Kemi Badenoch announced today that the Conservative Party “would abolish Inheritance Tax on the family home and raise the individual threshold to £500,000. This will mean … Continue reading Two cheers for Kemi Badenoch’s inheritance tax plans
Weekly wrap – Budget fears might ease, but Brexit uncertainty is back
Including thoughts on the Budget, government bond yields, the folly of reopening the Brexit debate, some better news on UK growth, the OBR 15 years on, and Zack Polanski’s grasp of basic economics... Theme of the Week Labour sources are suggesting that the new Chancellor, John Healey, is set to delay ‘difficult choices’ with a … Continue reading Weekly wrap – Budget fears might ease, but Brexit uncertainty is back
