The Labour Government’s determination to restrict eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments is the sort of decision that the fictional Sir Humphrey Appleby would describe as ‘courageous’. The House of Commons’ motion calling on the Government to delay the implementation of this change has no real chance of passing. But why on earth are Keir Starmer … Continue reading Labour’s plans for pensioners don’t go far enough
Tag: triple lock
The Autumn Statement (or ‘Revenge of the bean-counters!’)
If you believe that there is a £55 billion ‘black hole’ in the public finances, and if you believe this has to be filled with tax increases and spending cuts in order to reassure the markets, then Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement was a reasonably fair way to go about it. But there are some mighty … Continue reading The Autumn Statement (or ‘Revenge of the bean-counters!’)
The case for a real-terms benefit cut is weak – and it would be political madness
The reluctance of both the Chancellor and the Prime Minister to confirm that non-pensioner benefits (notably Universal Credit) will be uprated next year in line with inflation has fed speculation that the Government is considering a real-terms cut. My advice would be to squash this idea as soon as possible – mainly because it is … Continue reading The case for a real-terms benefit cut is weak – and it would be political madness
Is the OBR right to warn against tax cuts?
On Thursday the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the government’s independent fiscal watchdog, published its latest annual report on the long-term sustainability of the public finances and the fiscal risks facing the UK. This made for grim reading, as these reports always do. But this time, the report has been widely interpreted as a warning … Continue reading Is the OBR right to warn against tax cuts?
Plain-speaking Economics 