First, the bad news. The lowlight of the latest UK inflation data was that the consumer price (CPI) measure of food price inflation jumped even further in March – to 19.1%. This contributed about 2.2 percentage points to the overall inflation rate of 10.1%. With ‘core’ inflation still stubbornly high (over 6%), food price inflation … Continue reading UK food price inflation set to fall sharply
Tag: energy prices
The case for a real-terms benefit cut is weak – and it would be political madness
The reluctance of both the Chancellor and the Prime Minister to confirm that non-pensioner benefits (notably Universal Credit) will be uprated next year in line with inflation has fed speculation that the Government is considering a real-terms cut. My advice would be to squash this idea as soon as possible – mainly because it is … Continue reading The case for a real-terms benefit cut is weak – and it would be political madness
Why Sunak is (still) right to reject a windfall tax on energy companies
The Labour Party and LibDems are continuing to push hard for a ‘one-off’ windfall tax on the profits of North Sea oil and gas companies. These businesses are indeed likely to make more money than even they had expected, thanks to the surge in global energy prices. The European Commission has also supported the idea … Continue reading Why Sunak is (still) right to reject a windfall tax on energy companies
New energy rebates would mean ‘pay less now, but more later’
The energy regulator Ofgem is about to announce what is likely to be a very large increase in the cap on domestic gas and electricity bills, to take effect from April, prompting a scramble for ways to limit the damage. The Times is reporting that officials are finalising plans to limit the damage for a … Continue reading New energy rebates would mean ‘pay less now, but more later’
Plain-speaking Economics 