Matthew Lynn Matthew Lynn

Rishi Sunak needs to start planning for the post-Covid economy

More help for bars and restaurants. Grants for businesses that are forced to close. Additional funding for the self-employed. The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has started shaking the magic money tree again, promising extra assistance to keep the economy alive during a second wave of Covid-19. There is a problem, however, and as the Chancellor runs through rescue package after rescue package it is becoming increasingly apparent. While Sunak is very good at coming up with wheezes to get through the next few weeks there isn’t yet much sign of a plan for a post-Covid economy – and that is increasingly what is needed.

The problem is not the measures themselves. It is the lack of a strategic plan

With infections rising again, and with up to half of the country, as measured by GDP, in at least Tier 2 restrictions, Sunak had no real choice but to come up with yet another round of help.

Matthew Lynn
Written by
Matthew Lynn
Matthew Lynn is a financial columnist and author of ‘Bust: Greece, The Euro and The Sovereign Debt Crisis’ and ‘The Long Depression: The Slump of 2008 to 2031’

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