Quick thread shamelessly plagiarising/summarising the @OBR_UK's presentation just now (because v interesting). First, GDP forecasts better but still extremely painful.
This is the key slide for me, on which so much else rests - inflation spike expected to subside to a nice neat 2%. Business leaders I've spoken to are sceptical to say the least...
On tax, Sunak is clearly funding the extra spending from his tax rises - but keeping much of the cash back to cut borrowing/as a buffer against instability
And here is that historically high tax burden broken down further
OBR flag that the new fiscal rules mean the Chancellor is now lashed to multiple masts - should be OK but something to watch for...
Good news on unemployment, which is way lower than was feared (though they expect it to rise slightly from this point, vs Bank of England who don't - explains some of the difference in scarring assumptions)
For those who were upset that the OBR gave Sunak extra time to do the spending review (as it did Osborne in 2015), here's the impact of that - you can see how inflation and interest rates bite into headroom...
Finally, here are the OBR's conclusions. Lighter scarring but still historically large state. More here obr.uk/efo/economic-a…

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More from @rcolvile

24 Oct
In my column today I discuss a big problem with Whitehall's architecture, which is an increasing topic of concern - that there's no department which has business/innovation as its core focus thetimes.co.uk/article/tax-or… ImageImage
The situation with BEIS is particularly egregious. @KwasiKwarteng is trying to change this, but this is literally all the stuff from its 2019-20 annual report under 'making the UK the best place to grow a business' (which is meant to be one of its core strategic aims). ImageImageImage
Now obviously there's been a pandemic, and the energy side of the brief has become rather important. There's also a lot happening on improving regulation. But business/growth need the same kind of push from the top that levelling up or Net Zero get, throughout the Civil Service.
Read 5 tweets
22 Oct
.@telegraph leads its business pages with @CPSThinkTank / @TaxFoundation's alarming new findings - the tax rises due by 2023 will see us drop from being 11th of 37 OECD nations in terms of business taxes to 30th telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/…
End of the superdeduction, rising corporation taxes and new health and care levy see us go from 22nd to 30th overall. In the bottom group for business taxes, personal taxes, property taxes. Our business rates regime already worse than everyone except Iceland.
NB This is not just about headline tax rates. This is based on @TaxFoundation's expert modelling of what kind of tax regime is easiest to navigate and best at producing growth. So pretty alarming stuff and should be a big big 🚩🚩🚩 for govt.
Read 6 tweets
14 Oct
Much as I hate to disagree with @FraserNelson et al, I think young people not being able to afford their own homes is a teensy weensy bit more of a factor spectator.co.uk/article/baby-d…
See eg this US research which shows a pretty clear correlation between house prices and fertility rates zillow.com/research/birth…
People like to wait to have kids until they have a home of their own. If they can't get a home of their own, they delay becoming parents - sometimes permanently.
Read 4 tweets
12 Oct
The latest job stats from the @ONS are extraordinary (and revealing re shortages). Employment now back above its pre-crisis peak - but still a record surge in vacancies too (above average in every single sector).
Obviously this is causing dislocation but it's worth repeating the fundamental point that if you'd told the people at the start of the pandemic that our big problem now would be too many empty jobs they'd have bitten your hand off - after they'd stopped laughing.
Full data here ons.gov.uk/employmentandl…. And there's also interesting regional data today too - London has suffered the most but has been rebounding fastest in recent months... ons.gov.uk/employmentandl…
Read 4 tweets
8 Oct
My desires are unconventional
(I mean I'm happy for us to consecrate stuff to nature but it would be great if we could build some effing homes too.)
(Land use stats from here - England-only. Rest of UK is even emptier.) assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…
Read 4 tweets
8 Oct
Just digging into recent @yougov polling and found a fascinating reproof to Boris's conference speech - even Tory voters want more housing built! (second column)
It's true that the numbers fall when you change the question to 'in my local area', but it is still a majority - and much, much tighter among Tory voters than you would expect from the rampant Nimbyism on stage.
(Anecdotal side note: it is worth flagging that the true blue activist crowd at our @CPSThinkTank fringe meeting with @jacob_rees_mogg went near-unanimously for more housebuilding when he asked for a voice vote.)
Read 6 tweets

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