The OECD has downgraded its forecasts for UK growth in its latest outlook report today. It now predicts 1.3% this year and 1% in 2026…
That’s down from the last forecast of 1.4% this year and 1.2% next year. According to the OECD trade uncertainty is mostly to blame and so is “uncertainty on business sentiment and consumer confidence” which will “significantly weigh on growth.” Reeves is blamed in those sentiment reports…
“The drag on external demand, private consumption, and business investment is projected to more than offset the positive effects of last autumn’s budgetary measures on government consumption and investment.”
That would be lower than the 1.1% GDP growth achieved in 2024. So Starmer’s pledge to get the economy growing again would be shot…
The OECD also says there are “very thin fiscal buffers” and fiscal rules are at risk of being broken in “the event of renewed adverse shocks.” If that occurs Reeves may as well resign straight away…
Starmer spoke to Nick Robinson for the Today Programme on Polanski’s criticism of the Golders Green police officers:
“I want everybody just to imagine what it might be like. You’re trying to arrest someone who has already attacked two people and has no regard for life. We know that tasers were fired. I know from my own experience with the police, that there are only two shots in a taser, and once you’ve shot them, there’s nothing left. There’s a guy on the ground, he’s got a rucksack on. And I don’t know what was going through the mind of those officers, but if I was there, I’d be thinking, he’s going to detonate something. He’s going to blow me up and everybody around here. In those circumstances, I think you can quite see why what could have gone through their mind is, we need to do whatever we can to disable this guy…
Now, when I then see Zack Polanski come out and retweet or support a criticism of that, I think it’s disgraceful… He’s not fit to lead any political party.”