The annual Budget is regarded as a grandstand event in the UK parliamentary year. This reflects our centralised political system. … Continue reading “Sins of omission: the problem with the Budget was what was NOT in it”

To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Or when it comes to the UK economy: to … Continue reading “The Trump-Hammond-Keynesian consensus is wrong: Higher infrastructure spending does not equal higher growth”

Mention the name Philip Hammond in Westminster, and invariably someone will describe him as “a safe pair of hands”. The … Continue reading “Hammond is wrong to assume an infrastructure splurge will boost growth”

Last week, in an interview in The Independent, the Defence Secretary, Mr Philip Hammond, announced yet another miracle flowing from London’s … Continue reading “Mr Hammond’s Olympic misunderstanding”

When Transport Secretary Philip Hammond announced last week that the government would procede with three big rail projects – High … Continue reading “Hammond’s Soviet-style rail policies”