Insights on the economy: An exclusive event with the IFS’s Paul Johnson
27th March, 2024
Ward Hadaway recently had the privilege of hosting an exclusive event at Gorton Monastery in Manchester where we welcomed Paul Johnson, the Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, to share with our assembled guests his economic insights tailored for leading businesses and organisations in the region.
Paul heads up the country’s leading independent economic research and analysis organisation. Regularly found sharing his powerful insights on national broadcast media, he is hugely respected for his evidence based, apolitical commentary on the levers and drivers of the national economy and its impact on business.
Paul delivered a keynote speech that covered a lot of ground, providing key insights into the recent Budget, his assessment of the UK economy, living standards and taxes, and a discussion of the economic challenges facing the next Government.
The evening provided deep insights into the North West and wider national economic environment, whilst offering an engaging atmosphere for professionals from various sectors and industries to connect and share ideas.
Paul Johnson’s analysis predicted two more Budgets in 2024 and discussed the long-term effects of Covid on public services. He provided a candid look into the setbacks inflicted upon the education sector by the pandemic, in his view undoing 15 years of progress, and discussed demographic shifts, state interventions during the pandemic and energy crisis, and the current historically highest ever tax burden.
Following Paul’s keynote speech, Ward Hadaway’s own Paul Johnson, who is a partner in our corporate team, joined him for an entertaining Q & A session. They discussed a range of topics from Liz Truss’s brief premiership to the challenges of investing in long term initiatives such as ‘levelling up’, as well as exploring whether the IFS’s Paul Johnson would ever consider running to be an MP (a pretty resounding “no”)!
Ward Hadaway’s Paul Johnson said of the evening: “The insights shared by my namesake not only deepened our understanding of the challenges we face but also helped to highlight what lies ahead. On behalf of everyone here and Ward Hadaway, I would like to extend a huge thank you to Paul Johnson for sharing his views on this huge and vitally important topic with such candour, clarity and wit.”
Please note that this briefing is designed to be informative, not advisory and represents our understanding of English law and practice as at the date indicated. We would always recommend that you should seek specific guidance on any particular legal issue.
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