Sir Keir Starmer’s serious and sombre address to the nation on the coming Budget demonstrated how far the Labour Party has changed. Strong fiscal discipline is important for governments, particularly Labour governments. The British economy has effectively endured 14 years of stagnation and years of austerity under the Coalition and then Conservative governments did little to stimulate the economy. As Labour seeks to go for growth it must focus on making the UK an investment led economy with a competitive tax environment and not repeating the mistakes of the past.
In the third episode of Talking Manufacturing, Sir Vince Cable, former Leader of the Liberal Democrats, discusses the structural problems that are impacting the ability of British manufacturers to secure funding, and some of the strengths and difficulties faced by the industry today.