Author: John Howarth

So it came to pass. The EU’s 7 year budget framework (MFF) was approved by the Council. Hungary and Poland effectively conceded their position, having known from the outset that the Article 7 sanction measures on rule of law conditionality that had been approved separately by qualified majority could not be revisited and that inflicting […]

For the past fifty years the stock answer of politicians under pressure when jobs are threatened, has been to talk of ‘retraining’. Usually ‘retaining for new skills in new technologies’, or something similar. The UK conference season in early Autumn this year saw  both Government and Opposition floating offers of ‘retaining’ to address the undoubted […]

The saga of the next EU seven year budget (MFF) and recovery fund (NGEU) goes on. As explained here last week, the agreement between the European Parliament and the Council (the member states) could requires unanimity so could be vetoed – and today it was – by Hungary and Poland. This is already being explained […]

The long running sage of the European Union Multiannual Financial Framework has concluded, as forecast on this site, before the UK’s payments into the EU Budget come to an end next month. The negotiations between Parliament and the Council took longer than ideal, meaning that ratification the MFF and the NGEU recovery package by member […]

An incoming Labour Government will face fiscal challenges unknown for generations. While the instinct to run a mile from wholesale tax reform there is little doubt that it is long overdue and in the long term unavoidable. John Howarth argues that Labour must learn to think like a taxpayer. Among Labour’s Shadow Cabinet, who are […]

PWB Co-Director John Howarth sets out our analysis the EUs 2021-27 budget and recovery package and concludes it will receive political approval sooner rather than later. This week the European Parliament begins to consider the outcome of the European heads on government summit held in mid-July which found agreement on the coming seven-year budget – […]

By John Howarth, PWB Co-Director The recent lecture by Sir Richard J Evans presented to Gresham College in London entitled “Is populism a threat to democracy?” raises some interesting issues. Professor Evans’ central arguments are correct but, in my opinion, misses essential nuances about populism and fascism in the modern world. Professor Evans is an […]