Published on 19th March 2026 – my comments as published by the Daily Express on 19th March 2026 within the article that is headlined as pictured
Rachel Reeves gave her Mais lecture on Tuesday 17th March 2026 promising regulatory alignment with the EU as the norm rather than the exception.
That is both a major re-writing […]
Published on 14th March 2026
The UK economy’s performance in January should not have come as such a surprise to numerous ‘economic analysts’.
November GDP was boosted by accountancy advice, as people tried to predict and mitigate the measures in Labour’s November 2025 Budget.
December GDP will have ticked up thanks to Christmas.
Now we are back in stable […]
Published on 25 February 2026 and as previously published on 17 February 2026 by IREF (as an Online Article on https://en.irefeurope.org)
Introduction
The UK Budget papers of November 2025 acknowledge the funding models through which the government plans to increase the liabilities of UK taxpayers.
These funding models are designed to circumvent the government’s borrowing the money itself […]
Published on 12 February 2026 and as previously published by IREF Europe on 10 February 2026 (within Online Articles on https://en.irefeurope.org)
Introduction
The US is on the move and the geopolitical scenario has moved quickly away from the certainties of the last ten to fifteen years. Oil could come down to a price well below US$50-per-barrel, […]
Published on 9 February 2026 and as previously published by IREF Europe on 28 January 2026 (within Online Articles on https://en.irefeurope.org)
Introduction
The UK government’s November 2025 Budget supplied ample corroboration of our report published by IREF in October 2025 (‘the report’), showing that the governing Labour Party plans to greatly expand the state’s direction of the […]
Published on 6 February 2026 (as previously published on 31 January 2026 by https://conservativepost.com)
Introduction
Angela Rayner has not stopped being ‘on manoeuvres’ since her removal as Deputy Prime Minister for failing to adhere to the Ministerial Code in the matter of paying the correct Stamp Duty on her flat purchase in Hove.
She must fancy her chances […]
Published on 24th January 2026
Once again a letter published in the Daily Telegraph, which goes very well with the one preceding it, from a correspondent in Bergh Apton.
Last week’s letter attested to my intention to stay on the Tory ship until it sank; this week it has.
Published on 16th January 2026
My letter published in the Daily Telegraph of today’s date.
Revised calculations over 15 years from 2016
Published on 2 December 2025 and updated on 7 December 2025
It now turns out that the OBR’s ‘long-run’ was 15 years, rather than 20, and that their time series began in 2016, and not in 2021 when they made the statement.
The statement thus included the presumption that GDP growth […]
Cover page of the report
Published on 12th November 2025
We have put together a summary of the numbers contained in our report published in October 2025 by IREF – the Institute for Research in Economic and Fiscal Issues – entitled ‘The United Kingdom as a sandbox for state-directed investment: major increase in ‘shadow debt’, and in […]