The Bank of England's new monetary hawk
Andy Haldane’s departure from the Bank of England opened up one of the most influential roles in guiding UK monetary…
Vaccine efficacy and the case for living with the virus
How fast does Covid vaccine protection wear off? New data from the Zoe Covid Study, published today, tries to quantify…
Biden risks undermining America’s moral authority
Joe Biden is facing what will likely be the defining event of his presidency. The gains made in Afghanistan are…
America’s surprisingly disappointing GDP growth
America’s economy has officially recovered to its pre-pandemic levels, as Q2 GDP figures saw an annualised increase of 6.5 per…
Vaccine passports could threaten the employment recovery
Alongside the UK’s latest step in reopening, optimistic forecasts have been rolling in concerning the economy’s timeline for returning to…
Whitehall’s Covid gloom could harm our economic recovery
As the government continues to put forward an extremely cautiousnarrative about re-opening, more evidence emerged today that the economy issurging…
Party time: the price of freedom
Party time depends on following the party line
What the NHS pay rise says about Boris Johnson's priorities
Well, that didn’t take long. Two days ago, a leaked report revealed that the government was considering using a national insurance…
In the post-pandemic economy, the workers are the boss
In the post-pandemic economy, workers have the upper hand
Britain is ill-prepared to deal with rising inflation
Inflation is on the rise again. For the third consecutive month, the Consumer Prices index outpaced the forecasters’ consensus, landing at…
Follow the science – it's time to unlock
Shortly before Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer were slugging it out in PMQs — debating whether the mass-lifting of restrictions…
What is the purpose of test and trace?
At yesterday’s press conference, Boris Johnson announced that his government was shelving plans for domestic ‘Covid certificates’ (i.e. vaccine passports),…
The new Covid divide: one rule for the elite, another for the rest of us
Politicians made the rules – so they know how to bend them
Hancock has made a mockery of his own rules
How much trouble is Matt Hancock in? The Sun splashes this morning on the Health Secretary’s affair with aide Gina…
The true cost of cheap money: an interview with Andy Haldane
Andy Haldane on the true cost of cheap money
Delay, data and the need for transparency
Boris Johnson delayed 21 June, he said, because the data did not merit a full reopening. The specific data government…
The forgotten joy of spontaneity
If you ask people what they’ve missed out on since the pandemic, they’ll probably lament their cancelled plans. Weddings postponed,…
The hidden costs of the G7 tax deal
Calls to reform corporation tax are nothing new and don’t just come from the left. The inefficient and bureaucratic nature…
Dominic Cummings’s explosive claim about the Bank of England
Amidst all the explosive claims made by Dominic Cummings during today’sselect committee hearing, one towards the beginning of the seven-hour…
Can Boris keep his roadmap on track?
Boris Johnson’s favourite phrase since he released his roadmap out of lockdown has been ‘cautious but irreversible’. These are the…
Inflation fears grow
Two months ago The Spectator reported on what was keeping Rishi Sunak awake at night ahead of the Budget: an inflation…
Does the UK's 'green list' for travel make sense?
International travel is back on the menu, in theory. From 17 May the ‘stay in the UK’ restrictions are lifting…
Why we should worry about the post-Covid exodus of older workers
Concerns around unemployment during the pandemic have, understandably, been focused on younger people. Last year it was under-24 year olds…
Vaccine passports for mass events might be the worst of all worlds
Are vaccine passports in our future? The ‘Covid-status certification’ review is underway, carved out of the Prime Minister’s roadmap and…
Has Britain reached herd immunity?
When the Office for National Statistics released the last antibody survey a fortnight ago, the results were underwhelming. After watching…
