In his Spring Statement speech the Chancellor made the eye-catching claim that ‘in the next financial year, we’re forecast to spend £83 billion on debt interest’. This £83 billion figure was widely understood to be the amount that the government would actually pay out in interest in 2022-23. This has prompted lots of unfavourable comparisons … Continue reading Is the UK government really about to spend £83 billion on debt interest?
Tag: OBR
When facts change, fiscal policy should change too
Putin’s murderous assault on the people of Ukraine is a threat to peace and security worldwide. But someone also has to worry about the impact on the UK economy. The fallout should prompt a rethink of the response to the cost of living crisis and the tax hikes planned for April. The catastrophe in Ukraine … Continue reading When facts change, fiscal policy should change too
Brexit – how’s it going so far?
Here are the slides from a presentation I made today to university students of economics and business studies... brexit-presentation-3-nov-2021-1Download
The cycle will always be with us
Mark Twain is alleged to have read a newspaper account of his own passing and declared ‘the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated’. That story may well be apocryphal. But it has stood the test of time rather better than Gordon Brown’s now infamous claim as Chancellor that there would never be a … Continue reading The cycle will always be with us
Plain-speaking Economics 