Gemma Tetlow
Chief Economist
Gemma's recent work
Rishi Sunak’s higher defence spending announcement does not add up
The prime minister should not be allowed to abdicate decisions about how to pay for his spending pledges.
Four things we learned from Rachel Reeves’ Mais lecture
What is the shadow chancellor’s vision for the economy?
The Treasury needs to engage earlier and more widely on tax reform
Jeremy Hunt's budget was not a case study in good tax policy making.
All work
Labour and Conservative manifestos ignore potentially painful choices ahead on tax
Both main political parties fail to spell out who will pay for their promises of improved public services.
Asking the OBR to cost manifestos could make sense – but would be complicated
While opposition parties would like the Office for Budget Responsibility be cost all parties’ manifestos, such a decision should not be taken lightly.
Creating and dismantling government departments
The direct costs of creating a new department start at £15 million.
Performance Tracker 2019
Performance Tracker 2019 projects the demand and spending on nine public services for the next five years.
Philip Hammond
Philip Hammond reflects on his nine years in government. He discusses his relationship with Theresa May and how Brexit affected the government.
Chancellors should not decide the contents of their Budgets in secret
The lack of scrutiny and debate around the Budget process is as worrying as it can be damaging.
The chancellor’s tax strategy leaves many questions unanswered
Sajid Javid’s talk of a simpler, more efficient tax regime will be harder to achieve in practice than the chancellor's comments suggest.
How can Boris Johnson pay for his promises on tax and spending?
Boris Johnson used his first speech outside Downing Street to reiterate promises to spend more on police, schools and hospitals.
Sajid Javid must set new fiscal targets to guide tax and spending choices
The new Chancellor must quickly set some fiscal targets to guide the Johnson administration.
OBR analysis can only help with no deal Brexit preparations
The OBR analysis of the possible implications of a no deal Brexit show what might lie ahead for the next Prime Minister.