The Chancellor’s speech had some positives as well as negatives, and perhaps revealed something about interdepartmental rivalries too. But the chasm between rhetoric and reality seems as wide as ever. Six points struck me about John Healey’s first major speech as Chancellor on Monday. The first was that he was giving it all. This is not … Continue reading Six takeaways from John Healey’s “Growth Speech”
Tag: HM Treasury
“The OBR: 15 years on”
I recently submitted some written evidence (or at least some opinions!) to the Treasury Select Committee’s new inquiry reflecting on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) first 15 years. In case of wider interest, I have pasted the text below (in the format requested by the Committee). Written evidence to the Treasury Select Committee Submitted by … Continue reading “The OBR: 15 years on”
“Abacus Economics 2.0”
It is tempting to dismiss Rachel Reeves’ statement to Parliament on the health of the public finances as merely a piece of political theatre. The main purpose was indeed to blame the Conservatives for the consequences of decisions taken by the new Labour government, and to prepare the ground for tax rises in the Autumn. But there … Continue reading “Abacus Economics 2.0”
Latest misses show the danger of relying too much on OBR forecasts
It is always good to begin with some ‘good news’. The UK government recorded an unexpectedly large budget surplus in January, with revenues exceeding spending by £5.4 billion. This was £5.0 billion better than forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). It would be daft to focus on just one month’s figures, but this … Continue reading Latest misses show the danger of relying too much on OBR forecasts
Plain-speaking Economics 