Keir Starmer only halfway there on persuading business of his merits September 27, 2022 It is hard to imagine a more friendly wicket for Keir Starmer to have turned up to at Labour conference. A party broadly united behind him, and a government that (fairly or unfairly) is being blamed left, right and centre for precipitating a currency crisis and a drastic increase in the value of borrowing. We [...]
Sterling crash: Plenty of blame to go round but much of it falls on the Bank September 27, 2022 The British economy has been through a lot in recent years but a full-scale currency crisis still wins points for novelty. But for all the sound and fury of yesterday’s market movements and the so-called sterling crash, the panic is overdone. Much of the blame for yesterday’s excitement lies, rightly, with the government. This newspaper [...]
Truss’ migrant plan a welcome triumph for pragmatism over ideology September 25, 2022 On the face of it, you can see why those sitting in European capitals might scoff at Liz Truss’ plan to open up the door to higher migration in order to assist Britain’s growth push. After all, the vote for Brexit – perhaps not for its architects but unquestionably for many of those who put [...]
Kwarteng marks himself out as the most radical Chancellor since Lawson September 23, 2022 When Kwasi Kwarteng said he wanted to go for growth, it appears he meant it. Some will say the tax reforms announced today are ‘unfunded’ and reckless. Others will say it’s not the time for changes to banker’s pay. But in his ambition and his vision of a competitive Britain, the Chancellor has placed the [...]
Let the battle for business’ hearts and minds begin September 22, 2022 Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, roll up, roll up to the greatest political show on earth. That may be slightly overselling it, but it is heartening to see the economy and business once again at the heart of our political debate. Today will see the first of what we imagine will be pretty dramatic [...]
Trussonomics will certainly challenge the dull orthodoxy of declinism September 21, 2022 Is Britain gripped by the orthodoxy of managed decline? It does appear so. Yesterday saw the Institute of Fiscal Studies, the respected economic wonk shop, bemoan Liz Truss’ tax cuts as piling on debt in a time of poor economic growth. Another, the Institute for Public Policy Research, has rubbished the idea that tax cuts [...]
Scrapping bankers’ bonus cap is only a signal, but it is a signal nonetheless September 21, 2022 AN UNPOPULAR politician is usually a short-lived phenomenon. It appears Liz Truss is hoping that by the time the impacts of her unpopular decisions will be felt, the benefits will be so obvious the electorate will forget their initial teeth-gnashing. She may well be right. Even this column would accept that removing the bankers’ bonus [...]
Editorial: It was, as we knew it would be, flawless September 19, 2022 It was – as we knew it would be, as it had to be – flawless. As they say, ‘we do these things well,’ and we did. With the eyes of the world on London, the capital was a glorious blend of the modern and the traditional – a diverse crowd that looked and felt [...]
Scrap the cap: It’s the right thing to do September 15, 2022 The bankers' bonus cap is reportedly on the chopping block, and it'd be a fine way to signal a change in tone from government
Assault on ‘profiteering’ green energy firms misses the point entirely September 14, 2022 The European Commission’s assault on energy providers of all stripes yesterday has been coming. Thanks to the byzantine structure of the energy market, the biggest winners of gas prices going through the roof have been electricity producers who source their fuel from alternatives. The European Commission wants to stop them raking it in whilst gas [...]
