Author: Linda Yueh, Fellow in Economics/Adjunct Professor of Economics, University of Oxford

“Iron-clad” and “non-negotiable” is how UK prime minister Keir Starmer recently described the country’s fiscal rules. The government has been coming under pressure to relax the rules and cut itself some financial slack. But according to the PM, these self-imposed restrictions are vital for maintaining UK economic stability. What Starmer is referring to is notably […]

Donald Trump has always talked about how much he likes tariffs. And on April 2 2025, he showed that he meant it. For the president it was “liberation day”, but for his fellow world leaders it was a tense wait to see what percentage figure would be attached to their country’s vital exports. Those tariff […]

UK borrowing costs have risen rapidly to their highest level since the banking crisis of 2007-08, with implications for the government’s tax and spending plans. Yields on gilts, as UK government bonds are called, have been rising – and these yields are effectively the level of interest that the government pays on its borrowing. The […]