My instinct last week was that he tried too hard to please the Tory press. Nothing’s that’s happened since has suggested otherwise.
The Chancellor should not feel constrained by the OBR’s forecasts into limiting the actions he can take.
Pandemic and war, like two horsemen of the Apocalypse, leave the Chancellor scrabbling for a response.
Higher interest rates may slow the world economy later this year and early next. Recession is even possible for the UK.
His Mais lecture revealed more about what he’d be like as Chancellor during the normal times that once again are denied us.
The fundamental problem is that costs are going up faster than we are getting more productive.
Lumping more onto the UK’s tax burden – already at the highest sustained level seen in peacetime – cannot be the answer.
Gove is ready to localise as much either as he wants to or as his colleagues will let him, or both. I hope it’s work in progress.
Now that we are hopefully returning to something approaching normality, we must focus back on the core issue of driving growth and investment.
Join the Environment Secretary and our expert panel for the first live online event of the year.
Control the controllables. So provide assistance, ease the pain, reverse the tax hikes, explain why – and focus on a pro-growth strategy.
Our columnist provides the third piece in our series this week about Brexit – almost a year since the end of transition.
At the heart of the Midlands Engine’s strategy is a desire to collaborate, particularly in sectors vital to the low carbon transition.
There should be a growth target to complement the inflation target – to drive government departments to take actions that will promote more UK activity and jobs.
Building up economic resilience will be necessary for a successful response to Brexit, Covid recovery and the transition to Net Zero.