Economics

Despite the atmosphere of fear created in the Brexit debate: European workers in general do NOT take British jobs. They do NOT drive down wages or undercut minimum wages. They are less inclined to come to the UK in the current climate. Our economy is set to suffer if fewer arrive to work here. This could also lead to shrinking populations in some regions of the UK. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) interim report into the effects of Brexit on...

Former Greece finance minister Yanis Varoufakis used the madness and conflict of Shakespeare's characters to demonstrate how we can humanise economics in a powerful speech delivered at the Rose Theatre. The leading economist highlighted the seminal influence Shakespeare has had on his thinking as he took centre stage following an invitation from Kingston University. A committed Europeanist but outspoken critic of the European Union, Varoufakis explored how the complexities and contradictions of the Bard's characters have shaped his own take on...

Many people will see this as a strange statement, from an ardent Brexiteer and one of the more prominent leave voices during the referendum campaign, but Liam Fox wants the EU’s help to fight tariffs from the US. Mr Fox wants to EU to help the UK out over the 25% import tax on steel and 10 % on aluminium introduced by the Trump administration. Trump's move has raised concerns that the US is planning a widespread trade war, which...

The US launched its threatened hefty steel and aluminium tariffs despite 100 Congress men writing to the President warning that this would precipitate a trade war and global economic disaster. Donald Trump signed an order meaning US steel imports now face a 25% tariff and aluminium 10%. Trump exempted neighbouring Canada and Mexico, and hinted that "flexibility and cooperation" would be shown to friendly countries. The UK will be hit hard. 15% of our steel exports go the US. With...

@BenGelblum  The House of Commons Exiting the European Union Committee has published the Whitehall Brexit impact analyses that the Government did not want you to see. Brexit Minister David Davis fought tooth and nail to keep the assessments of the possible impacts of Brexit on the economy confidential, insisting they might jeopardise negotiations with the EU if revealed. Yet it in the end there is only one section of the impact reports which has been left out of the 29...

The engineering sector has been a cornerstone of the UK's economy over the years, and will be a factor in building the nation's prosperity as Britain braces itself for a new future. A lot has gone down in the sector and there is a number of issues to be addressed if the economy will see growth in the coming years. Presently, in terms of Gross Value Added (GVA), the contribution of engineering to the UK's GDP is 26% - more...

As the UK economy becomes increasingly automated there are fears that the workforce in the North and Midlands will be adversely damaged, and these areas had a large percentage of Brexit voters. It is thought this will widen the north-south divide in the lead up to 2030. A total of 3.6m UK jobs could be replaced by machines. Of the top ten Mansfield, Sunderland and Wakefield are at the highest risk of having their jobs taken by machines. It it...

Donald Trump this week signed an executive order that imposed tariffs on washing machines and solar panels. The move has been widely criticised by manufacturers for driving up costs for American citizens and reducing choice. Suspicious that the move could ignite a trade war with South Korea and China have also been raised. Discussing possible outcomes, Dr Fragkiskos Filippaios, Reader in International Business at Kent Business School at the University of Kent, says: "Recently, the US administration decided in favour of the introduction...

Following emergency powers invoked by the Spanish government in October 2017, Catalonia remains very much a part of Spain, at least in the short term. Within the Catalan parliament, there is now a slim majority of pro-independence parties, which still leaves the possibility of the region to secede very much on the table. So, would Catalonia be able to stand on its own two feet if it were to become an independent state? At first glance, it would appear the region’s...