Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
William Keegan

Penury and decay mark Brexit’s miserable anniversary

Jeremy Hunt waiting to speak at an event, photographed at an angle, against a blue-green background
Jeremy Hunt seems heedless to pleas – even from the International Monetary Fund – to increase public spending . Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

So we pass the fourth anniversary of Brexit. The trade barriers mount, with the UK “reclaiming sovereignty from Brussels” in order to become poorer, and Chancellor Hunt prefers tax cuts to relief of the squeeze on public spending; this latter when local authorities all over the country are threatened with bankruptcy, having already pared vital services to the bone.

Even the International Monetary Fund points to the need for a letup on austerity – a far cry from the 1976 crisis, when James Callaghan’s Labour government was besieged by IMF requests for spending cuts.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.