Most of the coverage of the latest UK GDP figures has been downbeat. Two headlines sum up the responses: ‘the best of the recovery is behind us’, and ‘the UK economy has reclaimed its status as the G7’s laggard’. ‘Stagflation’ is back on the agenda again too. I would rather focus on the positives, but let’s begin … Continue reading UK economy to catch up by Christmas
Tag: jobs
Importing is “GREAT”, too
The UK government promotes international trade under the banner ‘Exporting is GREAT’. This is laudable, but the economic benefits of free trade come mainly from what countries import, rather than from what they sell overseas. This is the main message from a paper I wrote recently for the Institute of Economic Affairs. Of course, it is not … Continue reading Importing is “GREAT”, too
The UK’s flexible labour market needs to be allowed to do its job
The Treasury is right to begin to wind down the furlough scheme – and not a moment too soon. The UK economy is springing back to life and the labour market is not far behind. It will take a while for this to be confirmed in the official data. We still only have the headline … Continue reading The UK’s flexible labour market needs to be allowed to do its job
Ignore the gloomsters, the economy is roaring back
The horror! Yesterday we discovered that UK economic output — as measured by GDP — fell by 1.6 per cent in the first quarter of the year, 0.1 per cent worse than the 1.5 per cent originally reported. This is practically a rounding error. To put it in context, as recently as March the Office for Budget Responsibility, … Continue reading Ignore the gloomsters, the economy is roaring back
Plain-speaking Economics 