The IEA Book Club is delighted to host Sir Howard Davies (British Economist, Author, and Chairman of NatWest Group) for an event on his upcoming book “The Chancellors: Steering the British Economy in Crisis Time”. This event will be taking place on Tuesday 20^th September from 18:15 – 20:15, at the IEA. Chairing this event will be Matthew Lesh (IEA Head of Public Policy).

When the Treasury lost control of interest rates to the Bank of England in 1997, its status looked under threat. However, it quickly reasserted its power by dominating policymaking across Whitehall and diminishing other ministries in the process.

In this fascinating insider account, based on in-depth interviews with the Chancellors and key senior officials, Sir Howard Davies shows how the past twenty-five years have nonetheless been a roller-coaster ride for the Treasury. Heavily criticized for its response to the global financial crisis, and for the rigours of the austerity programme, it also ran into political controversy through its role in the Scottish referendum and the Brexit debate. The Treasury’s predictions of the impact of Brexit have not been borne out. Redemption of a kind, though a costly one, came from its response to the COVID crisis. Anyone with an interest in economic policymaking, in the UK and elsewhere, will find this a valuable and entertaining account.

This event is exclusively for IEA Book Club members. For more information on the Book Club, please click the link here or get in touch at bookclub@iea.org.uk