Many people have asked me about this chart, which appeared in David Smith’s regular (and usually excellent) column in the Sunday Times this weekend. The chart shows that GDP per head has grown much faster since 2016 in the euro area than it has in the UK – ‘nearly three times as fast’, according to … Continue reading Does the UK’s weak growth in GDP per head really “lay bare the full costs of Brexit”?
Tag: finance
What is the real cost of the Chagos deal?
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?
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?
Plain-speaking Economics 