The Chancellor’s gaslighting has reached new lows

When in opposition, Rachel Reeves claimed that “the Conservatives are gaslighting the British public". When she became Chancellor, she insisted that she would not “gaslight” working people herself. This can surely now be added to the long list of broken promises. The prolonged uncertainty ahead of the Budget had already harmed the economy. But confirmation … Continue reading The Chancellor’s gaslighting has reached new lows →

Rachel Reeves gambles on a ‘make do and break promises’ Budget

After months of damaging speculation, the Chancellor delivered yet another ‘tax and spend’ Budget which will do little to tackle any of the UK’s deep-rooted economic problems. The Chancellor’s biggest challenge was to persuade enough people that she will not just be coming back again for more next year. Only time will tell whether this … Continue reading Rachel Reeves gambles on a ‘make do and break promises’ Budget →

What the NBER got wrong on the ‘Economic Impact of Brexit’

I’ve finally found time to review the NBER Working Paper which claims that Brexit has reduced UK GDP by as much as 8% since the vote to leave in 2016. As Martin Wolf writes in today’s Financial Times, “if this is even roughly correct, Brexit has been nothing short of an economic disaster”. But I think … Continue reading What the NBER got wrong on the ‘Economic Impact of Brexit’ →