Can Boris Johnson now afford to scrap the National Insurance rise?
After promising not to raise National Insurance in the 2019 manifesto, the Tories are preparing to do just that in…
Britain’s cost of living crisis worsens
If Boris Johnson manages to cling on to his job, he’ll have much more than the parties of lockdowns past…
Sole traders
My strange encounter with the foot fetishists
Covid has made America more divided than ever
I knew when I boarded the plane home to America on Boxing Day that I was heading to an unhappy…
A pretty pass
The case for vaccine passports has collapsed
Get ready to start paying the cost of Covid
Forget the desirability (or lack thereof) of tax hikes: can Britain survive them? That’s the economic question that kicked off…
Five lockdown questions the cabinet must ask
The cabinet will meet this afternoon, with more restrictions and even a new lockdown on the agenda. But have ministers…
No man’s land
Despite the political misery for Boris Johnson as he ends the year, he has a big hope: that salaries will…
Can the Bank of England get a grip on soaring inflation?
Yet again, inflation has surged past expectations – this time hitting 5.1 per cent in November, a ten-year high, up…
‘Get boosted now’: Boris Johnson’s third jab plan
‘Get boosted now’ is the government’s new slogan. In tonight’s address to the nation, Boris Johnson announced that he was…
The economy was stagnant even before Plan B
The economy is tantalisingly close to returning to pre-pandemic levels, now just 0.5 per cent off recovery. But this last…
Will the public take Plan B seriously?
After holding strong for two weeks, fears over the Omicron variant look set to change the government’s course on Covid…
Hospital pass
The NHS is on life support
Inflation rises again. The BoE has questions to answer
Inflation is back, and while some people continue to cling to the idea that its resurgence is a temporary phenomenon, today’s…
Eighteen months of inflation is not ‘transitory’
The big central banks have been insisting for months now that the rise in inflation is temporary, and will fade…
Fact check: are the NHS chief’s Covid claims correct?
The seven-day rolling average suggests Covid cases peaked around 23 October and have been in decline for almost two weeks. Despite…
My conflicted loyalty to Newcastle United
The second thing I learned about football, after moving to London, is that you can never, ever switch your allegiance.…
Six things we learnt from the Budget
Another big fiscal event for Rishi Sunak today, as he delivered his Budget and the details of a three-year spending…
Responsible Rishi’s Budget balancing act
Rishi Sunak has released photos of his Budget prep, as he prepares to stand up in the House of Commons…
Rishi’s Budget wriggle room
Whisper it, but Rishi Sunak looks to be heading into the Budget next week with the public finances in a…
Is Britain’s economic recovery still on track?
Compared with July, August’s GDP boost looks much healthier — but that’s not saying much. Originally thought to have stagnated…
A global corporation tax is a terrible mistake
International cooperation is alive and well – at least when it comes to raising taxes. One hundred and thirty six…
Sunak faces the free-marketeers
Rishi Sunak didn’t give too much away tonight when he spoke at the ThinkTent Conservative Party Conference. The Chancellor is…
Running on empty
The government has no ideas and no direction
The flaw in Labour’s economic attacks
Labour avidly disagrees with the Tories’ plan to fill budget gaps by hiking National Insurance. So what would they do…
