Panmure Liberum is a leading force in UK Investment Banking

By Simon French, Chief Economist and Head of Research 

Wanted. A new economic vision for a UK government at risk of sleepwalking into a financial crisis. All good suggestions please send to Number 11 Downing Street. A copy should be sent next door.

Last week the leader of the UK opposition, Kemi Badenoch, described the economics of Argentina’s President, Javier Milei, as her “template” for government. I will leave it to Westminster strategists to determine the wisdom of namechecking a country that most older Britons relate to in the context of the Falklands War, or Maradona’s Hand of God goal in the 1986 football World Cup. But as a signal that the next UK general election will offer the electorate genuine economic choices, the explicit namecheck of Milei and his program for reforming the Argentinian economy was a significant moment.

By Simon French, Chief Economist and Head of Research 

Last week the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published its latest update on the long-term outlook for the UK public finances. It was a sobering read. An ageing population, a rapidly changing climate, and the costs of maintaining the nation’s infrastructure are going to put strain on the UK budget for decades to come.