Despite sky-high inflation and a plummeting pound, the UK’s newly installed PM Liz Truss has introduced tax cuts — requiring a lot more government borrowing — that she says will boost the UK’s sluggish growth rate.
This approach, which could result in the Bank of England increasing interest rates even more to tackle inflation, is ruffling feathers in Westminster and negatively impacting markets around the globe. On the sidelines of the UN general Assembly, Ian Bremmer sat down with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair on GZERO World to discuss Britain’s economic woes and recent change in leadership.
“I think it's going to be a very uncertain period over the next year or so,” Blair said. “And I talk to a range of different people about this, which is always a problem when you're trying to make economic policy in government, and no one agrees with each other.”
The two discussed whether this controversial approach of using tax cuts to spur growth might succeed in pulling a post-Brexit UK away from the brink.
But Blair believes growth depends upon more than tax cuts. “Personally, I think the big questions around growth, long term, for Britain are around the technology revolution, infrastructure, and education.”
Catch the full interview on GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, airing on US public televisionbeginning on Friday, Sept 30.
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