Since the UK’s first Indian-origin Prime Minister was asked to form a government by King Charles III two weeks ago, many are still trying to work out how Rishi Sunak will work with his colleagues to close the massive hole in public finances and reduce the impact of increased energy prices. The forthcoming Autumn Statement has not been made any easier by the Bank of England’s decision to raise interest rates to 3% last Thursday. The rationale for this increase, as has always been the plan from Threadneedle Street, is to bring inflation under control when there are fears, if the issue of rising prices is not addressed, that it may become embedded into the economy with catastrophic results. However, this decision will not help those many households and businesses that, in the short term, will face a rise in borrowing costs at a time when other financial pressures such as wage costs and energy bills are also increasing. The Government will rightly argue that it is the job of an independen
PROFESSOR DYLAN JONES-EVANS
Entrepreneurship, innovation and the economy