Summer 2025 Economic Forum

With the UK’s public finances deemed to be in a “relatively vulnerable position”, persistent inflation and sluggish economic growth, the choices facing the Chancellor ahead of any autumn Budget continue to narrow. How, given the rigid adherence to the fiscal rules and need to restore market confidence, will the Chancellor make the books balance to give herself sufficient headroom? Are tax-rises now almost inevitable and, if so, what are the options available? And, with the Government pledging to boost living standards in every part of the UK, how is it currently performing? These are just some of the questions our experts consider as they explore the underlying economic trends identified in our latest UK Economic Outlook and discuss likely policy responses.

Globally much of the focus remains on the impact of tariffs on world trade. However, what has been the effect of some of President Trump’s other policies on global growth, and how has this increased policy uncertainty affected both the advanced and emerging economies? How will the Fed respond to the elevated US inflation, what are the likely long-term impacts of the “One Big Beautiful Bill’ Act, and, with already high levels of public debt, how will European economies respond to the need to increase their defence spending? As part of their presentations, our speakers discuss these topics and provide an overview of the outlook for the global economy.

Following the presentations there was an open Q&A session.