The first official figures for UK GDP in the final quarter of last year may not have been quite as bad as expected, but it says a lot that some are keen to trumpet economic growth of just 0.1% as ‘good news' and a much-needed 'boost' for Rachel Reeves. Quarterly growth of at least 0.4% … Continue reading Fourth quarter GDP ‘boost’ is nothing to cheer
Tag: investment
Is Brexit really costing the UK economy £100 billion a year?
One of the most dramatic claims made by those seeking to reverse Brexit is that leaving the EU is costing the UK economy ‘£100 billion every year’ in lost output, or about 4pc of GDP. Moreover, that would translate into about £40 billion in lost tax revenues, which happens to be roughly the same as … Continue reading Is Brexit really costing the UK economy £100 billion a year?
Is Britain really fated for economic decline?
Another day, another flurry of bad news on the fallout from October’s Budget. The BDO Monthly Business Trends indices - which pull together the results of all the main UK business surveys – show that confidence has fallen to the lowest level in almost two years, with output and employment down, and only inflation up. … Continue reading Is Britain really fated for economic decline?
Five ways in which the Budget could unravel
Rachel Reeves’ first Budget was not all bad (see my response on the day here). For a start, the new fiscal rules, while still flawed, are an improvement on what went before. Balancing day-to-day spending with current tax revenue makes good economic sense, as does tweaking the targeted measure of debt to take more account … Continue reading Five ways in which the Budget could unravel
Plain-speaking Economics 