Even the dodgy official estimates suggest that the proposed UK-EU ‘reset’ would boost the UK economy by no more than 0.4% in the long run. Rarely has so much been given away in return for so little. Next Friday (20 November) brings a crucial summit aimed at approving a ‘reset’ of Britain’s relationship with the … Continue reading Brace for a toxic UK-EU ‘reset’
Tag: history
The ‘missing’ trillion-pound UK sovereign wealth fund is pure fantasy
Hopefully, whoever suggested the line about a ‘trillion-pound wealth fund’ to the person in charge of the UK's public finances will be suitably embarrassed by now. But I suspect not. One of the Burnham government’s most rational decisions so far has been to green light production from the Jackdaw gas field. The UK will need … Continue reading The ‘missing’ trillion-pound UK sovereign wealth fund is pure fantasy
Two cheers for Kemi Badenoch’s inheritance tax plans
Inheritance tax is a fundamentally bad tax and raising its threshold makes economic as well as political sense. But exempting “family homes” entirely is more problematic and potentially distortionary. Kemi Badenoch announced today that the Conservative Party “would abolish Inheritance Tax on the family home and raise the individual threshold to £500,000. This will mean … Continue reading Two cheers for Kemi Badenoch’s inheritance tax plans
Burnham’s U-turn on the EU is political and economic folly
Reopening the Brexit debate is likely to prove toxic for Labour, while reviving uncertainty about Britain’s future relationship with the EU could undermine investment again - notably in the tech sector. Andy Burnham’s comments on Brexit in his conference speech on Tuesday have at least been welcomed by those who want the UK to rejoin … Continue reading Burnham’s U-turn on the EU is political and economic folly
