Above all, to what extent will he present a clear plan and message? My starter for ten is “help hard-working people and go for more growth”.
The Government seems to have no plan to communicate as cost of living woes multiply. Here’s a first stab at one.
The Government’s approach is unlikely to bring out the best from those upon whom it depends to get things done.
A key economic problem during the 1980s was union power. Now it is weak incentives to move and retrain.
“People should know that we will stand by them, as we have throughout the last two years.”
At a time of pressure on public spending, delivering efficiency savings is especially important.
The Chancellor should not feel constrained by the OBR’s forecasts into limiting the actions he can take.
Pandemic and war, like two horsemen of the Apocalypse, leave the Chancellor scrabbling for a response.
Of the main tax cut candidates urged on the Chancellor, the best available is a VAT fuel reduction.
If the war lasts a few years at most, the Chancellor can take the hit. If it’s a new normal that lasts for decades, the outlook is grim.
The next operator must address falling receipts, an ageing player base, and reduced funds for good causes.
The fundamental problem is that costs are going up faster than we are getting more productive.
Critics have a point when they note that, so far, Ministers’ rhetoric has been appreciably more ambitious than its actions.
Plus: Why the number of ghost children should worry us. And: the Treasury should target social media companies to protect youngsters.
We must extract more domestic gas, stop importing more untaxed electricity – and turbo-charge new nuclear power.