Nobody turns up to a Starmer speech expecting to have their ribs tickled September 24, 2024 Was Keir Starmer once beaten up by an actor? Was he bullied by a clown? Something must have happened in his past to explain his visceral aversion to performers and showmen. He rarely makes a speech these days without attacking those who take to a stage with a spring in their step and a quip [...]
Has Labour overdone the doom and gloom? September 24, 2024 Many economists and City business groups have argued that this risks damaging growth. After all, why would households spend and businesses invest in a climate of fear?
Wealth creators are right to be nervous September 24, 2024 The Chancellor insisted yesterday that the proceeds of economic growth must be “felt by the many,” in a line that echoed the commitment made by David Cameron 15 years ago to “share the proceeds of growth.” Rachel Reeves would not be comfortable with such a comparison, and as if to make that very point she [...]
Labour’s insistence on talking Britain down will only spur on further decline September 24, 2024 In economics, the "animal spirits" of human emotion matter. So why is Labour determined to talk Britain down, asks Emma Revell.
UK industrial strategy not just ‘smoking chimney stacks’, trade expert says September 23, 2024 The UK’s industrial strategy is not just “smoking chimney stacks”, trade expert Marco Forgione has said.
City analysts ask Rachel Reeves ‘where will the tax axe fall?’ September 23, 2024 City analysts have called on Rachel Reeves to clarify where the “axe will fall” ahead of a Budget widely expected to see taxes hiked. The Chancellor delivered her keynote speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Monday where she struck a more optimistic economic tone, promising that October 30 would see a “Budget [...]
UK economy: Growth continues but budget concerns ‘jangling nerves’ September 23, 2024 PMIs, which measure business activity in the private sector, are closely watched for clues about the economy’s performance.
AI companies are racing to rescue the NHS September 23, 2024 An official review by Lord Darzi revealed recently that the NHS is in “critical condition” following years of underfunding. The review found that the NHS is battling soaring demand, poor productivity, financial pressures and low staff morale. “It’s not just the state of our National Health Service in crisis – it’s also the state of [...]
The UK economy is suffering from long Covid and a short memory September 23, 2024 We may have ditched the testing swabs and face masks, but the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is still being felt. Quite understandably, we’d rather consign that era to history, but the scale of the costs incurred makes that impossible. The official inquiry is attempting to get to grips with questions of preparedness, decision making [...]
‘Grown up’ Sue Gray is looking like a political ingenue September 23, 2024 Sue Gray awarding herself a more generous salary than the Prime Minister’s betrays a high-handed and naive approach to politics, says Eliot Wilson When the BBC revealed last week that Sue Gray, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, earned more than her boss, the story developed in a number of different ways. Some felt that [...]