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?
Tag: construction
“As good as it gets” (reprise)
The strong growth in UK GDP reported in the first quarter will not be sustained. At best the economy is set to stagnate again in the second quarter, and possibly in the third too. Some good news for a change. The first official estimate for the first quarter confirmed that the UK economy made a flying start … Continue reading “As good as it gets” (reprise)
What to make of the latest UK GDP data
It is great to be able to start with some good news… The 0.3% growth in the UK economy in November was a bit better than consensus expectations of around 0.1%, with some favourable revisions to previous data as well. The detail showed that the bounce in November was driven in part by a rebound in car … Continue reading What to make of the latest UK GDP data
Why Labour’s “build, baby, build” mission is struggling to take off
Steve Reed, the newish Secretary of State for Housing, has certainly brought fresh energy to the role. This has even extended to waving MAGA-style caps with Trump-like calls to “build, baby, build!”. But while it is still early days, little has improved on the ground. The construction sector is worth watching closely for at least … Continue reading Why Labour’s “build, baby, build” mission is struggling to take off
Plain-speaking Economics 