Many people are understandably still confused about the huge differences between the official figure of 'just' £3.4 billion for the cost of the Chagos deal, as cited by the Prime Minister, and other estimates which are as high as £30.3 billion. Here's my best attempt to clarify. The top figure of £30.3 billion (which I … Continue reading What is the real cost of the Chagos deal?
Tag: economy
No, the MPC doesn’t have a time machine…
The larger than anticipated jump in UK inflation in April has prompted many to argue that the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee will now be much slower to cut interest rates. But there is, of course, nothing that the MPC can do now about last month’s CPI. The right question to ask is what … Continue reading No, the MPC doesn’t have a time machine…
UK Q1 GDP: as good as it gets?
The first official estimates suggest that the UK economy grew by 0.7% in the first quarter of the year, which was better than most had expected. GDP per head increased by a respectable 0.5%. On the bright side, this should trigger a wave of upward revisions to growth forecasts for 2025 as a whole. (I … Continue reading UK Q1 GDP: as good as it gets?
What to make of Trump’s tariffs?
Here are the slides from a presentation I gave today to sixth form students at a school in Reading. It features a discussion of the pros and (mostly) cons of the new US tariffs policy and concludes with a recommended book and a film for budding economists! What to make of Trump's tariffs (9 May … Continue reading What to make of Trump’s tariffs?
Plain-speaking Economics 