Why do people keep falling for fake Stories about London?” I’m in London. Apparently, this means I’ve entered the heart of darkness — the most violent, terrifying place on Earth. According to the usual online nonsense, the streets are full of drug dealers, shoplifters, grooming gangs, and asylum seekers living it up at public expense. … Read more
The interest rate on UK government debt remains stubbornly high—and it’s eating into the public purse. Around 8% of total government spending now goes purely to pay interest on past borrowing. That’s money not spent on the NHS, schools, or infrastructure. The current Labour government inherited a toxic mix: huge debts and higher-than-normal interest rates, … Read more
The Office of Budget Responsibility have published their most recent fiscal risks and sustainability report. One of the biggest risks to the UK economy is the cost of pensions. Pensions have been growing much faster than the economy for the last 10 years+. I wrote about this last month which caused howls of anguish – … Read more
The Next Credit Crunch: Are We Closer to the Next One Than the Last? Back in 2008, the global economy ground to a halt thanks to a housing market crisis. The original credit crunch came in two brutal phases: Phase One: Wall Street Meltdown Wall Street financial institutions had been packaging mortgages into new financial … Read more
Labour and Grooming Gangs : Why Some Politicians Want It All Kicked into the Long Grass Last month, the Government agreed to hold a new national inquiry into grooming gangs. Like the Government, I was initially sceptical. The Jay Inquiry already spent seven years investigating historic child sexual exploitation, producing a raft of recommendations that … Read more
Donald Trump has signed into law his “big beautiful bill.” The headline? A vast extension of the tax cuts he introduced during his first term—overwhelmingly benefiting the top 1%. Technically, it’s a budget reconciliation bill, meaning it could be passed with a simple majority, shielding it from Democratic filibusters. But there’s nothing technical about the … Read more
This week, the government launched its long-awaited 10-year plan for the NHS. At 165 pages, it’s a dense, managerial, and thoroughly technocratic document—very on brand for a government that wants to appear serious and reformist, while hoping most people won’t read past the executive summary. There are three main themes: It’s a top-down, big-state programme … Read more
Keir Starmer is facing the biggest rebellion of his premiership over plans to reform the welfare state. Almost a third of Labour MPs have signed an amendment by Meg Hillier aimed at derailing Liz Kendall’s flagship bill, which is due for debate in Parliament next week. The Government will be working over the weekend to … Read more
Reform UK’s First “Victory” in Durham? Not Quite. Reform UK now control Durham County Council, following the most recent round of local elections. They replaced a lacklustre Conservative-Lib Dem coalition — hardly a high bar to clear. Many of the wards that swung to Reform were Labour strongholds until 2015. Reform have already claimed their … Read more
This is the most boring blog you’re ever going to read. Truly dull. It contains some very big numbers and zero sex appeal. And yet, it marks a fundamental shift in how government works in the UK—a quiet but far-reaching change that’s been unfolding over the past year and underpins the most recent Government Spending … Read more