A year ago I spoke about the March budget and stated that the official forecasts for were far too gloomy. In particular the deficit would be much lower than the £233 bn for the current year that they expected. At the half year stage the OBR changed i… read more
At the time of the last budget I spoke about the unduly pessimistic forecasts for growth, tax revenues and the deficit. Yesterday’s figures show the deficit for the current financial year is running £25.9 bn below forecast with one month left. The T… read more
This is my latest Conservative Home article: When I go shopping I do not set out to maximise what I spend. If I tell friends and family I do not report that I have bought £70 of goods only to face a barrage of complaints that I had not spent £80 inste… read more
The government is pleased to report that growth has been considerably stronger this year than the Treasury forecasts. Employment has grown well and unemployment is low. Tax revenues are well up, and the budget deficit was £50bn lower at the half year … read more
I read that last the U.K. government is encouraging more domestic oil and gas from the North Sea to ease the squeeze, cut CO 2 in gas use and generate a lot more tax revenue. As the exchanges beneath reveal it is still hard work getting Opposition MP… read more