So as briefed the Spring Statement reported a worsening of our economic outlook this year with no remedial measures. Unemployment up, growth down. An admission the whole forecast was out of date before delivered, with no adjustments for a surging oil and gas price and war in the Middle East. Pathetic.
Why no action to relieve mass unemployment for young people , brought on by the Jobs tax?
Why no action to prevent more closures and bankruptcies of hotels, restaurants and pubs, accelerated by business rate hikes?
Why no action to save more family farms, brought on by the farms tax?
Why no action to cut energy bills, sent up by net zero madness and high energy taxes?
Why no action to lift the bans on producing more oil and gas at home?
Why no action to save the petrol and diesel car industry from full enforced closure by 2030?
Why no action to stimulate housebuilding as the government falls further and further behind its target?
Why no action to stop the crazy expensive Chagos give away?
Why no action to tell the EU their idea of re set offers the UK no benefits or extra growth?
March 4, 2026
Why not action you ask. Because everything is going to plan.
You don’t really think this level of mendacity is accidental or incompetence. No of course not, it’s following instructions
March 4, 2026
Agreed. Once you realise that Starmer’s and his government’s mission is to ruin this country in every way, all their actions, or lack of action, make complete sense.
March 6, 2026
a powerful way to discredit the Labour party would be to quote the policies of its founders, and compare and contrast with their current policies. somebody should do that in parliament. the Jarrow marchers would not have supported this current government, and their descendents have been ruined by layers and layers of labour government changes over the years.
March 4, 2026
+1 They are deliberately implementing a plan to make it impossible for us to function as an independent nation.
March 4, 2026
Indeed either Starmer, Miliband, Phillipson et al are acting to destroy the UK or they are totally mad. Surely the former seems rather more likely!
March 4, 2026
It’s the classic Greek myth – Icarus. Over-ambitious for power without the talent or vision to achieve it or do anything fruitful with it.
Ambition (like s-x, money and power) can be a real blessing. But it can also be a curse (without the talent or vision). Where it becomes over ambition and/or the wrong kind of ambition. Like Icarus wanting to fly to the sun (and crashing into the sea).
March 4, 2026
(All most kids needs to learn at school is English – mainly and both comprehension and narrative and in particular the texts of Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and a bit of poetry – a bit of maths, a lesson or two in how to think logically – and the Bible, the Greek heroes and Greek myths!).
March 5, 2026
Did you kiss the lesson or two on how to think logically?
Just asking.
March 4, 2026
Yesterday on the site there were suggestions that we know would never be pursued.
Today, there are questions to which others have replied.
As an aside, I notice criticism is usually directed at Starmer and Reeves.
Ed Miliband has done a remarkable job of keeping his head below the parapet. Bacon sandwich days are long gone.
March 4, 2026
Reply to Ian and Brian
+1
March 4, 2026
Good morning – again.
This is because they are not working for us. Us being the ‘Little People’.
—–
How are you finding the Lords ? And have you mistakenly turned to the Green Benches instead of the red one’s ? 🙂
Also. What committees and / or duties will you be doing there ?
March 4, 2026
That was it because this useless government are running on vapours in the fuel tank, they really are a bunch of useless muppets sitting there in the houses of Parliament with a smug look on their faces saying to the public we don’t have to do anything about the economy because we’re here for another 3years to really ballocks up the United Kingdom and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it
March 4, 2026
3 years? Why?
These people are so convinced they are right, they won’t want their position upset by the court of public opinion. Ways and means will be explored to abandon democracy so they can remain in power forever.
March 4, 2026
WHY indeed.
The simple answer that we are all very aware of is that the UK is ordained to die a death at the hands of net-0. They cannot afford to stimulate the economy in any way while suppressing every possibility.
The only way that the UK will recover is if we get rid of the fanatics forcing disproved weather ideology down our throats.
March 4, 2026
The whole thing was a rant from start to finish. Every other sentence contained the words ‘the last Tory government’. Also full of, not funny, jokes. There was no substance. A waste of time watching. I am furious that I am forced to pay to listen to this tripe.!
March 4, 2026
You don’t have to pay. I haven’t for 10 years.
March 4, 2026
CG,
Don’t watch live TV. Don’t pay a licence.
You won’t miss anything. Commercial TV can be watched for free on ‘catch up’.
March 4, 2026
I agree.The SS was just meaningless waffle and anti Conservative/Reform rhetoric
March 4, 2026
I suggest it is because their primary objective is to wreck the economy, to destroy our energy, food and defence security and to weaken and destabilise the UK as much as they can in order to justify an attempt to rejoin the EU.
Hence, Two-Tier handing Gibraltar over to the EU and allowing the French and Greeks to defend British bases on Cyprus: this will be used to boost his justification for joining an EU Defence Pact (and destroying our relationship with the USA).
March 4, 2026
Yet again a war in the middle east has exposed us to unwelcome volatility in the price of fossil fuels. The IRGC has now closed the Straits of Hormuz and has struck loaded oil tankers with drones. Of course, as is customary here, the forecourts have immediately ramped up the price of unleaded by 4p a litre
UK natural gas futures jumped more than 40% on Monday as QatarEnergy, the world’s largest producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) halted production after being targeted by Iranian drone strikes. Last night, it was up 90%
The UK is a big importer of Qatar LNG and this unwelcome increase in the price of gas is going to have a dramatic effect on UK electricity price, unless you have a fix from your supplier
Once more, the wisdom of replacing CCGT generation of electricity by domestic renewable resources is apparent. Suddenly, the demands of the fossil fuel lobby (and Trump) for greater extraction of heavily subsidised, un-economic oil/gas from the (empty) N Sea look increasingly unwise.
Reply UK is sitting on a gas bonanza. We need to drill for it to save what is left of our industry. Renewables cost the earth and de industrialise us.
March 4, 2026
Many are surprised that the Labour government has saved the UK’s helicopter manufacturing base in Yeovil with an order for 23 advanced AW149 medium lift helicopters
Nigel Colman, MD of Helicopters UK at Leonardo said the agreement to procure the AW149, alongside ongoing support for the Proteus uncrewed rotorcraft, marked a significant step forward for the company’s partnership with the Ministry of Defence
“The Government’s procurement of the AW149, as well as the continued investment in autonomy, will support more than 3,300 jobs in Yeovil, the home of British Helicopters, as well as 12,000 across the UK supply chain.”
Lord Heseltine will be chuffed, as are many in the UK defence community
Source :- ukdefencejournal.org.uk
March 4, 2026
LibDems and Reform are currently polling neck and neck in Yeovil. I doubt if this appalling Government wants to turbo-charge Reform there by destroying the local and wider economy, which relies on Leonardo and Yeovilton. There’s a great many “military and connected” votes up for grabs in that area.
March 5, 2026
Will make no difference which wins. Throw the Greens in there too – uniparty.
March 4, 2026
I’ve thought long and hard about this…………… Is it because Labour are an incompetent rabble?
March 4, 2026
The government’s decision to send the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon to help defend the British sovereign base on Cyprus at RAF Akrotiri does not reflect the realities of the situation. Dragon is currently alongside at HMNB Portsmouth and will take at least ten days to make ready and get there
Once again the weakness of the Royal Navy due to lack of ships is apparent.
March 4, 2026
The management of the UK’s defence forces, recruitment and procurement is appalling it has been for at least 30+ years. Doubtless some are making good money from it in consultancy fees and similar. Gov. poor at running things and poor at procuring things. Not their money so what do they care about cost of value delivered!
March 5, 2026
U.K. Defence budget £73 billion
Israel Defence budget £51 billion
See any differences in output?
March 4, 2026
You ask why. The answer is the current government has no plan to address any of the issues. It could be argued from the activities of this administration they are happy with the direction of travel they are progressing.
The beggaring of the nation seems to be their top objective prior to seeking full re-engagement with and under the EU’s control.
March 4, 2026
Why no growth plans in the Spring Statement? Because Reeves knows full well that any growth plan has now been completely blown out of the water by the Madness of King Trump. European gas prices are up by 45% (Telegraph). I’m with Rupert Lowe on this one.
March 4, 2026
Re the Chagos give away ; is it correct that Mauritius is an offshore banking centre for Iran and Hezbollah ?
March 4, 2026
To the surprise of many, the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has introduced an immediate ban on visas for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan alongside work visas specifically for Afghan nationals.
Mahmood, who is herself of Pakistani extraction, previously threatened a similar halt to all UK visas for Angola, Namibia and the Democratic of Congo in November, unless their governments agreed to take back illegal migrants.
This led to co-operation agreements with all three countries, with illegal migrants being returned via deportation flights.
The Home Secretary should now ban all visas for Pakistan, until they agree to take back those convicted of grooming gang offences and the other Pakistani convicts
March 4, 2026
Pakistan is the obvious country to target with visa bans. I wonder why the ethnic Pakistani Home Secretary and the Labour Party, which has a great many MPs who rely on the ethnic Pakistani vote for their seats, aren’t doing it?
Beats me. Could they possibly be putting self and Party interests before the country?
March 4, 2026
Why no action – because Labour believes its doctrine and not indicators. That the economy is not improving is because their tax rises and employment rules have not had a chance to work and not because they are restrictive.
Labour believes the answer to growth is more government (and more EU)
March 4, 2026
Tim Martin, founder of Spoons, seemed to think he had secured promise to level up VAT for pubs with supermarkets. Interviews with publicans indicated that this has not happened.
March 4, 2026
Dire straits for pubs. Though Spoons are the only ones that do a reasonable trade throughout the day
They have another beer festival today. If you order food with a drink a premium gin and tonic or an expensive drink it means the food element costs very little.
I am meeting pals in a local pub tonight( not Spoons). The pub chain send me vouchers for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day,my birthday, my ‘half birthday’ (as if I am a three year old rather than a pensioner)
Desperate times in the hospitality trade.
March 4, 2026
What was the point of this speech when, as our host says, it was ‘out of date before delivered’?
Surely it would have been better to say world conditions had changed and a revised edition would be delivered as soon as possible. Typical ‘head in the sand’ Socialist garbage.
March 4, 2026
A vacuous statement from a vacuous Chancellor. It is patently obvious she is out of her depth and should be replaced.
March 4, 2026
I suspect the problem is not so much her as the make up of the Labour Party she is brighter than most Labour MPs . Even if they had a Chancellor who wanted to do the right things (cut the state back by 50%, deregulate, ditch net zero, cut taxes, stop market rigging, stop low skilled immigration, stop the doom loop, cut benefits for the feckless) it would not be permitted. Her mistake was to join such a mad, bitter, envious, evil left wing party!
March 4, 2026
Your expection of UK socialism is misplaced. They have no interest in an economically successful and sovereign UK . They are a foreign invader led by two snickering back of the class children , if HOC reaction to their inviceration by opposition response to their Spring Statement is witness. They have shot their bolt with the USA, end of. Who will rid us of this superating scab.
March 4, 2026
Yes that was it !
Not a clue as to what is going on here at home, let alone abroad.
Chagos has also now come back to bite the Government.
The policy of Importing Oil and Gas shows the folly of closing down the North sea.
All Naval ships in Dock and not available to protect our bases or shipping either here or anywhere else.
Meanwhile Starmer still thinks/pretends he is a World Statesman !
What a disgrace and a farce our money pit Government has become.
March 4, 2026
I am impressed with the speed of the psychiatrists available to the police in the UK. Able to diagnose a definite mental illness within an hour of a mass stabbing incident, of which there were multiple yesterday. And the speed of our security services able to confidently say “its not a terror incident” within an hour of a mass stabbing incident, of which there were multiple.
Such speed should be rolled out to the rest of our public sector.
I am also impressed with the public sector statements about the peace loving nature of our recent arrivals, and putting down the massed fights between rival communities to just playfulness.
I am pleased at the UK’s new Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service who has been prioritising Stonewall inclusivity initiatives within the Department for International Trade, that should be great for our balance of payments.
It’s great to see the prime minister out talking to the victims of massed gang rape of children, to show he really cares and empathises with one of the big issues of our day.
It’s great to see the supporters of the Iranian regime get ready their terror attacks in this country, and its great to see how welcoming we have been to them.
March 4, 2026
Yes, if there was a Nobel Prize for Deliberately Destroying Your Nation, quite a few members of the British Establishment, including every Prime Minister since Maggie but particularly the current one, would be eligible to receive it.
March 5, 2026
when the chief of the defence staff has to act as our primary diplomat in relations with the USA you know we are in a very bad place.
March 5, 2026
Nobel will be delighted, don’t forget they manufactured Bofors guns.
March 4, 2026
Lord Redwood, I am not sure what you expected from a two-tier government running to a ‘Plan’. The destruction of the UK and Society is still on target, still being achieved.
March 4, 2026
We learnt yesterday that Hermer instructed 2TK it would be illegal for the UK to be involved with a close friend and ally that has been there for the UK through thick & thin without question, in curtailing a murderous regime that was intent on having nuclear weapon’s threatening UK interest and people. So 2TK did nothing!
Who elected ‘Hermer’?
It was only after he received instructions from the EU, Germany and France that he thought he would ‘suck-up’ be a EU patsy, did he decide to have a minor involvement.
March 4, 2026
Reaves and Starmer “all show, no go” just empty suits.
If you ever interviewed them professionally for a job in the real world you would give up hope very quickly to think “How can we bail out gracefully without being accused of not giving them a fair hearing”, just in case they had a late brilliant about turn.
Sadly they are sitting ducks and will learn that sitting on the fence draws firepower from all sides.
Trump was in TV Apprentice role yesterday saying “Its not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with here”. Too right.
March 4, 2026
It’s hubris though for a leader of one country to accuse a leader another country of not being Winston Churchill. That’s like the hubris from a Shakespearian or Greek tragedy. You just don’t say it. It’s rude (bad manners / vulgar) but more importantly, hubris. (Even though I agree I think Starmer – and Labour – pretty useless leader to say the least).
March 4, 2026
Also, Trump just doesn’t get it – that HONOUR is zillions of times more important than money, success or power. Money, success and power are GREAT or can be but without honour they are NOTHING.
(Even though I am way more sympathetic with him on Iran than I was with Bush etc over Afghan and Iraq 2).
And honour is key to making a man properly masculine whether a poor farmer in the Yorkshire Dales or a rich businessman in the city. To act dishonourably is to emasculate yourself (and our young men need to learn this and that a true and happy and thriving culture and civilisation has to be rooted in HONOUR amongst other things!).
March 5, 2026
So stop the rape gangs raping, water- boarding, strangling and psychological torture of our children.
Until you stop that, talk of Honour does not lie in your mouth.
March 4, 2026
Unfortunately, Labour has its own Marxist ideology which bears no relationship to reality, hence no action to address any of the valid points you raise.
Starmer is only interested in obeying his and Hermer’s interpretation of International Law and the rest of his MPs just want even more spending on benefits to the detriment of the country.
In the meantime there is little of no control over public spending which comes at huge cost to the private sector, which is becoming smaller by the day, and taxpayers who have to pay for everything.
The crunch will come in November when the next budget is due, as whoever is Labour Chancellor, is going to have to raise another £20-£40nb in taxes to cover Labour’s ever-growing largesse.
March 4, 2026
Sounds to me like everything is going exactly according to plan – the late 19th or early 20th century Russian revolutionary playbook. All the right people are being penalised, the filthy capitalists brought low, kulaks punished, private enterprise suppressed and the right sort of people being imported en mass as a new supplicant proletariat who hate Britian’s history and foundations in Christianity as much as the godless Woke Left.
March 4, 2026
Meanwhile Pub & Brewery closures. Restaurant closures. Farm closures. School closures. Retail closures.
Hospitality suffers and surely impacts tourism, providers of vast numbers of jobs and £ billions to the economy & nobody seemingly cares very much with nothing very meaningful in the pipeline, just tinkering. All very sad. Like pubs or not they are part of our daily life, culture and heritage. I’ve heard numerous calls for perhaps an intervention on VAT for example which would help. Still no movement either as far as I know on VAT concessions to international visitors which we had in the past. This may not be a cost free change but the wider picture and potential additional spend by those visitors seems not even to be up for consideration.
March 4, 2026
Did you agree with the significant changes to IHT rules for family businesses John? Restructuring Business Property Relief? Chapping IHT Relief. IHT Rate up from 0% to 20%. The reduced relief for AIM shares? Reduced from 100% to 50%. CGT increase from 14% to 18% for Business Asset Disposal Relief (formerly know as Enterpreneurs Relief). All of these threaten the continuity of family-owned firms, slows growth and investment back into the business.
March 4, 2026
The term, Rabbit in Your Headlights, come to mind!
March 4, 2026
Why? Because it was a Spring Statement not a Budget.
Moreover given the present international situation who in their right mind would decrease or cancel taxes not knowing how much it is going to affect international trade, economies and GDPs in the coming weeks/months.
Possible explanations for today’s blog: Only someone who has not wakened up from the ‘80s could write such a (ridiculous) list. Or is it to please his more and more deluded followers?
March 5, 2026
You are impertinent and idiotic.
Just stay on your side of the Channel, you don’t deserve the British and their works.
March 5, 2026
The dogs bark, sorry the poodle whimpers but the caravan goes on.
March 5, 2026
Poodles are famously, French dogs.
Don’t test the Bulldog. Once we set our jaw it’s over.
March 5, 2026
Your usual angry posting hefner.
Can you not post without anger?
Anyone who has a different view to you is “deluded” “ridiculous”
Calm down.
March 5, 2026
Now a flea on the poodle, what a surprise!
March 6, 2026
jR Hefner adds nothing to any debate. He is impertinent and rude to everyone, using bullying tactics to shut down all discussions.
He is determined that the establishment view be swallowed whole at all times and only their output can ever be quoted.
I’m wondering whether you think his posts are worth the anger and insult that he causes.
Reply I delete the worst ones. I do think we should be reminded here of the often foolish establishment view so contributors can respond. Hefner usually puts a better version than Ministers.As he often is unpleasant it makes people dislike the views he represents even more.
March 4, 2026
Dear Dr. Redwood:
I am a regular reader of your site, a part-time scholar of British Politics and a supporter of your opinions. I earlier suggested you some US sources like the Hillsdale College events. Also, congratulations on becoming a member of the House of Lords. I wonder whether 1) you happened to publish any commentary on what seems to be a one-sided recent evaluation of the Thatcher years I reproduce below from an event announcement (re. NOT creating an enterprise economy, for example) and 2) (unlikely but still asking) whether the House of Lords sessions are open in late March so I can attend and listen at the time I am visiting the UK. (Best is to reply to my e-mail below. Sincerely, Oleg
An announcement of a book:
Delighted to see so many of the contributors were able to join the editors, Lord Norton and Dr Matt Beech, for the launch of the Elgar Companion to Margaret Thatcher. I am sorry I could not be there too, but am delighted to have contributed a chapter on Thatcher’s legacy for the political economy of UK economic policy and performance. I have highlighted how Thatcher’s legacy has been the creation of a wealth-extracting, rentier-driven, ‘renterprise’ economy rather than the promised restoration of a wealth-creating, entrepreneur-driven enterprise culture. This volume will help those who did not live through the 1980s to better understand the legacy of Thatcher, and hopefully will also enable others to think again about what they experienced.
View profile for Dr Ben Williams
Dr Ben Williams
2mo Edited
Enjoyable evening at the book launch for Edward Elgar Publishing ‘Elgar Companion to Margaret Thatcher’ at the House of Lords.
Thanks to editors Lord Norton of Louth and Matt Beech for organising/editing, some notable guest speakers from the Thatcher era, and pleased to have been a contributor alongside Dr Daniel Pitt and various other academics and researchers.
https://lnkd.in/e83qgEae
Reply Yes the public can visit the Lords. I have not written much on Thatcher but you can use the search function here as there are some comments on this site on the Thatcher years.
March 4, 2026
Britain’s unemployment rose to 5.2% in last month’s ONS release. Up from 3.6% in 2022…
That must be the paralysis of the non-existent International Law – Unlike domestic law, international law is decentralised, meaning States often choose which laws and courts they recognise or in English you can make International Law mean what ever you want or it not to many and there is no penalty.
March 4, 2026
Off Topic.
The National Security Act 2023 (New Offences) includes a prison term of up to 14 years, or even life.
This being how ‘spying’ is now viewed.
March 4, 2026
The Spring Statement reflects a tired government that won’t face facts. Did no one think that the American buildup of their forces meant they were going to use them? Why do we not have a ship in the Med to defend Cyprus?
Why no comment about increasing defence spending? Why no movement on the North Sea to get our own oil and gas out? Why no comment on energy prices?
It seems we have a PM and Chancellor who are blissfully ignorant of the real world.
March 4, 2026
Mauritius has openly supported Iran against the USA and Israel.
So they are on the same side as Starmer.
They are DEMANDING the Chagos Islands.
Meanwhile The EU is demanding that Zelensky allows Russian oil to pass through the Druzhba pipeline to Europe.
It’s a real nasty when reality hits.
March 4, 2026
204 ‘illegal immigrants’ invaded the UK 3rd March 2026 ….
March 5, 2026
Mrs Balls says they are “irregular immigrants” so that ok (init) which is double speak on spin, on steroids. We will be brainwashed into believing it it not illegal immigration by the cohort of self-righteous lefty Lawyers that specialised in “Human Rights is Right (you better believe it, our new gravy train) “.
March 4, 2026
Trump dares to compare himself to Churchill (only by thinking himself as good as or better than Churchill could you say someone else falls short of Churchill) which in itself is hubris but then, by implication, compares his situation to Churchill’s with the Nazis – the most daunting foe in history. (Not forgetting Churchill himself was also a war hero in S.A.). This is another insult to the UK on top of the one about British military in Afghan. He is simply not making the USA better place for the UK. He is no friend of the UK. We can’t be brazenly rude to him but deffo not suck up to him in any shape or form either.