Is Reeves heading for a fiscal car crash? February 6, 2025 Rachel Reeves has a deep respect for officialdom and institutions and was aghast at the way Liz Truss simply ignored the Office for Budget Responsibility when putting together her doomed ‘mini Budget.’ Cast your mind back to the early days of the Truss administration (which, as it turned out, weren’t very far from the final [...]
Tax or cut? Rachel Reeves faces fiscal headache before OBR forecasts February 5, 2025 The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will publish its latest assessment of the UK economy on 26 March.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ fiscal rules on a ‘knife edge’ January 30, 2025 The Resolution Foundation warned that Rachel Reeves may be forced to find some extra cash through tax increases or spending cuts, or else face "market jitters".
Immigration to lift population by 5m and boost the economy January 28, 2025 Based on current trends, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests the population will hit 72.5m by mid-2032, over seven per cent higher than in 2022.
Spending cuts risk ‘doom loop’, ex-Bank of England economist warns January 22, 2025 Andy Haldane warned cutting government spending would be harmful for the UK’s longer term fiscal position, because it would weigh on growth. The Chancellor will receive fresh economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in March which will take into account sluggish growth since the Budget and higher government borrowing costs. These forecasts [...]
Further tax rises ‘a good bet’ after Chancellor’s borrowing blow January 22, 2025 Borrowing in the month of December was at its third highest level since monthly records began back in 1997, excluding only the pandemic and 2009.
A ‘painful sequel’ to the Budget may be coming, Deutsche Bank warns January 7, 2025 Businesses should brace for a “painful sequel to the autumn Budget” this year as lacklustre growth raises the threat of further tax hikes from Rachel Reeves, Deutsche Bank has warned. In a note to investors, the investment bank warned that growth was likely to slide below the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) projections in October [...]
Goldman Sachs: Why Budget tax hikes may hit harder than economists expect December 3, 2024 The research from the US investment bank is the latest attempt to get to grips with the likely impact of the tax changes announced in October's Budget.
Keir Starmer accused of ‘sidelining’ pledge to secure fastest growth in G7 December 2, 2024 Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “sidelining” his pledge for the UK to have the fastest growth in the G7 ahead of a set of new targets aimed at making Brits feel richer. The Prime Minister has been criticised for appearing to ditch the “key election pledge” in what a Tory opponent told The [...]
Firms blame Budget uncertainty as economy slows sharply in third quarter November 15, 2024 The UK grew at a slower pace than expected in the third quarter, according to new figures, with business groups pointing to the impact of uncertainty ahead of last month’s Budget. New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the economy grew 0.1 per cent in the third quarter, after contracting 0.1 [...]