Spare a thought for the staff of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), beavering away on a new set of economic and fiscal forecasts for the Chancellor’s Spring Statement on 23rd March. The fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine has made a difficulty task almost impossible. It makes sense to present a range of … Continue reading Too soon to write off the recovery – or raise taxes
Category: Politics
Presentation on free trade (with a dash of Brexit)
Here are the slides from a talk I gave this week to A-level students of economics and politics... free-trade-february-2022Download
When facts change, fiscal policy should change too
Putin’s murderous assault on the people of Ukraine is a threat to peace and security worldwide. But someone also has to worry about the impact on the UK economy. The fallout should prompt a rethink of the response to the cost of living crisis and the tax hikes planned for April. The catastrophe in Ukraine … Continue reading When facts change, fiscal policy should change too
Lies, damned lies, and G7 league tables
The publication of the first official GDP data for the whole of 2021 has revived a highly politicised debate about how well the UK is doing, compared to our peers in the G7. Part of me doesn’t really care, but there are some important points here. First, the claim that the UK was the fastest … Continue reading Lies, damned lies, and G7 league tables
