Economy

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email An economic recovery should have been the story of 2022 . Yet despite his pledges, Rishi Sunak has been light on details on how he will dramatically overturn the UK’s challenges. Innovation could help. Creative ideas and legislation can lead to public policies that let people of all backgrounds fully participate in the economy . I’ve seen change happen in the US via ‘clean slate’ laws – and it could be the radical action Sunak needs to jump-start the economy here in the UK, particularly after Brexit. Here’s how it could play out: I am calling on the prime minster to propose and pass clean slate provisions in the UK, so people who have been free of convictions and out of prison for a period would have their criminal records sealed. In most cases, people would not need to disclose a sealed record when applying for a … [Read more...] about The radical US policy that could save Rishi Sunak – and the British economy

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Why is Britain the worst-performing major economy in the world ? Leaving aside the possibility – never far away from the fecund minds of the Brexiteers – that the UK is a victim of a global conspiracy against the UK led by a cabal of resentful globalists, Europhiles and Eurocrats, the answer is indeed Brexit. The British are getting poorer because of the decision to leave the EU in 2016, which was implemented three years ago today. Quite the birthday present. This is how Brexit works – or, rather, doesn’t work. In the words of the IMF : “Higher interest rates and taxes along with government spending restraint will exacerbate a cost of living crisis.” As we all know, we’ve had to implement those policies because of the rise in inflation. Now, inflation does indeed have a lot to do with the … [Read more...] about Brexit is three – and all we’ve got to show for it is a worse economy than Russia

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Watch as Joe Biden makes a speech on the US economy at a steamfitters union hall in Virginia . The US president made the visit to Springfield on Thursday, 26 January, to lay the groundwork for a bid for re-election in 2024. Mr Biden will use the speech to launch an attack against Republicans, who control the U.S. House of Representatives, saying some of their proposals are dangerous for the economy. GOP politicians have threatened to refuse to raise the US debt ceiling limit. The House has also passed a bill to cut the Internal Revenue Service budget, with some Republicans proposing to slash Social Security and Medicare, retirement and healthcare spending programmes for senior citizens. Recommended Keir Starmer insists Labour has 'changed' in conference speech Memphis pastor … [Read more...] about Watch: Biden delivers speech in Virginia on the economy

Liz Truss has “half a hope” she can make a comeback and lead the Conservative Party in opposition, friends claim. According to the Times , the ex-Prime Minister, ousted after just 50 days after a string of disasters, missteps and a mini-budget that threatened to crash the UK economy, thinks she has “lost the battle but this is a long game.” The ally added that Ms Truss thinks a future leader “would probably have to be someone from the existing intake.” Ms Truss has been increasingly visible in Parliament in recent days, sparking rumours she’s gearing up for a relaunch of her political career. Later this month she’ll address a conference of international politicians in Japan, with a “hawkish” speech on China. And it’s understood she’s written a lengthy column in a national newspaper, to be published this weekend. Even as she was forced out of Number 10, Ms Truss maintained she had the right ideas all along. Ms Truss thinks she's lost the battle, but will win the war … [Read more...] about Liz Truss has ‘half a hope’ she can make a comeback and lead Tories in opposition

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails The Opéra Bastille was a laughing stock before it was even built. Turning 30 this year, the larger and more modern of the Paris Opera ’s two theatres is widely regarded as one of the ugliest in Europe. And the comically embarrassing story of its origin – which even Stéphane Lissner, the company’s director, tells through chuckles – begins with a mistake. The long-serving French President François Mitterrand ordered a new opera house to be built in the early 1980s as one of his Grands Projets, like the IM Pei-designed Louvre Pyramid and the Grande Arche of La Défense. After receiving more than 700 proposals, with the architects’ names kept hidden, Mitterrand and his aides chose a design they thought was by Richard Meier, then a star (and now disgraced). It wasn’t by him. The name that was unveiled was … [Read more...] about Why the ugliest opera house in Europe was worth building

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Rishi Sunak evidently wants the world to know that he has a very boring kitchen. The golden wallpaper days are over. There has been a grey revolution. Grey lamps, grey sofas, grey paint, even grey art. It would not have been a huge shock if, in the middle of the prime minister’s interview with Piers Morgan , Mrs Hinch had wandered in to wipe down the mantelpiece with a bottle of vinegar spray. And over 40 rather unexciting minutes with Piers Morgan in the Downing Street kitchen, he even tried grey answers – though quite a few of them were somewhat see-through. Interior designers like to say that the inside of a person’s house is the clearest window into their soul, and they might even be right. Last month Mrs Rishi Sunak, Akshata Murty, also invited Tatler magazine to have a look around, where she wisely … [Read more...] about On the Piers Morgan show, Rishi Sunak turned into a public school Forrest Gump

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email It’s been three years since we left the European Union – and three years since barriers to commerce with our largest trading partner were put in place. With Brexit, Britain entered into the first trade deal in history that increased friction, rather than reduced it. Small businesses are now entangled in red tape , making it harder for the NHS and care homes to get the staff they need, and preventing UK scientists from accessing vital funding for their research. Threats to break international law over the Northern Ireland Protocol have not been withdrawn – a remarkable decision given the need to work closely with our allies and partners in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The Retained EU Law Bill is being brought forward, which – despite its rather dry title – threatens to rip up many of the high-quality standards and … [Read more...] about How to rebuild our relationship with Europe after Brexit

I n a topsy-turvy world, it is important to hang on to areas of constancy. Rising global temperatures may be close to the point of no return, war may be raging, and the economy might be tanking; but as long as there is Countdown , there is still a chance that everything will turn out OK. The announcement this week that Colin Murray is to become the show’s latest permanent host, was a welcome reminder of its extraordinary longevity. Having celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, there is little sign that Countdown’s reign as the king of afternoon gameshows will come to an end any time soon. And thank goodness for that. I was introduced to the programme by my grandparents, who were disciples of dictionary corner. They moved to our village when I was 12, and thereafter my brother and I would go to their house after school most days, playing along with the contestants while eating our way through nana and grandad’s endless supply of Werther’s Originals. It may say a lot about … [Read more...] about Colin Murray’s easy charm is a welcome reminder of Countdown’s longevity

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Boris Johnson has thrown his weight behind calls for tax cuts to kickstart growth and boost the Tories’ chances of winning the next general election. The former prime minister said he had “no doubt” the Government would start to get the tax burden down “when the time comes” and would reap the reward at the ballot box. Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt have been resisting demands from some Tory MPs to cut taxes in next month’s Budget, insisting they have to get inflation down first. While Mr Johnson did not directly criticise the Government’s position, his comments – in an interview with former cabinet minister Nadine Dorries for TalkTV – are likely to encourage Conservatives impatient for taxes to come down. Recommended Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson backs tax cuts to boost economic growth

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday night that his country will no longer "protect" neighboring countries from allowing undocumented immigrants to freely pass through their borders due to what he called a "hybrid war" waged by the West against Belarus. Speaking at the city of Brest on the border with Poland, Lukashenko warned the European Union that in retaliation for that "war," Belarusian authorities will cease stopping immigrants from illegally passing into Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. The three countries are all members of the EU . "They are wailing: Ah, Belarusians are not protecting them—thousands of illegal immigrants are rushing into Lithuania, Latvia and Poland," Lukashenko said. "They demand that we protect them from smuggling and drugs. I just want to ask, are you mad? You have unleashed a hybrid war against us and now you demand that we protect you as we did before." For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below. The EU and the … [Read more...] about Lukashenko Says Belarus Will No Longer ‘Protect’ Neighboring Countries