Chaos and capital controls: the first 100 days of PM Corbyn

The morning of 13 December. A series of salacious revelations about his private life have sunk Boris Johnson’s campaign. A re-energised Nigel Farage has led a Brexit party surge in the north, splitting the Leave vote. The ousting of Jo Swinson in a coup organised by refugees from the People’s Vote campaign led to Remainers flocking back to Labour. The SNP has swept Scotland. Plaid Cymru and the Greens have picked up a dozen seats where they co-operated. And a couple of Tory rebels have managed to hang on as independents. After the dust settled on the most chaotic election campaign in memory, Jeremy Corbyn had just enough votes to lead a Labour/SNP/Green/Plaid/Independent coalition.

The first 100 days of the Corbyn government were to prove a challenge, however. As the new prime minister took office, the markets dramatically lost confidence in sterling and the FTSE. A radical manifesto that promised a sweeping extension of state control, nationalisation, and a massive increase in government spending terrified investors.