Political comfort blanket masquerading as a growth strategy Politics Rachel Reeves has warned that we’ve entered “an age of insecurity” – and she wasn’t referring to Keir Starmer’s precarious grip on power. In declaring that “globalisation as we’ve known it is over” the Chancellor set out her response to this hard-edged new reality, focusing on regional growth, closer ties with the EU and a [...]
The axe will have to fall on Britain’s runaway public spending Opinion Rachel Reeves likes to insist that she will “never play fast and loose with the public finances.” It’s a phrase she deploys quite often, not least when it looks as if the bond market could do with a bit of reassurance, and it means that she won’t breach her “cast iron” fiscal rules. Adherence to [...]
Why cutting spending is now the only way to revive the economy Opinion With Brits stashing away cash in fear of further tax hikes under Labour, cutting spending is now the only way forward to grow the UK economy.
Time for politicians to come clean about the pensions triple lock September 24, 2025 It is becoming devastatingly clear that public clear that public spending is on an unsustainable path, and while much focus is on welfare reform, we need to start saying the unsayable on the pensions triple lock too, says Simon Clarke How do you earn permission to say the unsayable in a democracy? That’s the exam [...]
Brace for impact – the sorry state of the UK public finances September 23, 2025 Let’s be clear, staggering borrowing figures despite substantial tax rises are a direct result of excess spending, says Ewen Stewart When numbers become big they start to lose meaning. The latest public sector borrowing numbers published by the ONS are big. But let’s make no mistake, borrowing £18bn in one month has very great meaning. [...]
KPMG: UK taxes to rise steadily to combat mounting public spending pressures September 22, 2025 The UK government faces tough tax choices in the years ahead with mounting public spending pressures versus sluggish economic growth, according to new forecasts. Economists for KPMG said it had been an unexpectedly strong start to 2025 but the second half was looking more uncertain. The accountancy giant is forecasting UK gross domestic product (GDP) [...]
AI to help slash NHS hospital discharge delays, officials say August 16, 2025 Technology is being piloted to help free up NHS hospital beds which are occupied by people fit to be sent home, officials have announced. The platform uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help complete the documents needed to discharge patients, potentially saving hours of delays. The move will allow doctors to spend less time on paperwork [...]
£1.4 trillion in public spending won’t make Britain a better country July 1, 2025 Following the government’s U-tun on welfare reform, Labour’s spending plans simply don’t add up, says Karl Williams After the government’s latest U-turn, the question on many lips is: how long can Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves go on like this? But a more pertinent question might be: how long can the country go on like [...]
Rachel Reeves urged to prioritise public spending in UK spring statement March 23, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is being urged to prioritise “vital” funding for public services and reject the “failed approach of austerity” as she prepares to give a key statement on the economy. Reeves will deliver her spring statement on Wednesday, updating the Commons on the Government’s plans for the economy. But amid concerns that public spending [...]
Will Starmer’s chainsaw be Black & Decker or Fisher Price? March 13, 2025 On Monday I used this column to ask who, if anyone, will have the courage to take a chainsaw to the British state. It’s an inelegant metaphor, but an effective one as Argentina’s Javier Milei and Elon Musk in the US revel in the process of hacking away at state infrastructure. Milei won his election [...]