Productivity gaps between different regions of the UK are deep-rooted but reversible – with a significant amount of investment from central government.
Education and skills can play a fundamental role in reducing inequality – but the benefits of investing in schools and training go far beyond job creation.
Reduced net migration to the UK due to Covid-19 and Brexit could create further pressure on local government finances, according to ratings agency Moody’s.
The UK economy shrank by 1.5% in the first three months of this year, although GDP started to recover as Covid-19 restrictions were eased, according to the Office for National Statistics.
UK GDP is forecast to grow by 7.25% this year, as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted – the fastest growth since the Second World War, according to the Bank of England.
The government’s “arbitrary” fiscal rules are not fit for purpose and should be replaced by a more flexible framework, according to a leading research institute.
Demands to increase spending after a decade of austerity could limit the UK government’s ability to improve public finances, ratings agency Moody’s has warned.
The UK’s GDP shrank by 2.9% in January, as Covid-19 restrictions and European Union import disruptions reduced economic activity, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The UK’s economic recovery from Covid-19 will begin later than previously expected, but will provide accelerated growth in the coming years, according to ratings agency Standard and Poor’s.
Covid-19 has reversed the normal fiscal cycle between elections, bringing a spending splurge at the beginning of this Parliament – Dan Corry wonders whether announcements on future tax rises in the...
Budget measures imply the government will have borrowed an ‘unprecedented’ £570bn over this financial year and next, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.
The 2021 Budget will see the launch of the UK’s first green bond, more post-Covid-19 support and a new anti-fraud agency– PF rounds up what announcements the chancellor has in store.
