Viki Bell CEO, Construction Equipment Association (CEA) comments on the Spring Statement “The Spring Statement was clearly designed to justify and vindicate the Government’s economic strategy and the ways in which Government policy will make the UK economy more dynamic, resilient and equitable.  If the conflict in the Middle-East expands, then these claims will be thoroughly tested.   

This was a very political speech, where statistics were presented in different ways to show different things, by both the Chancellor and the shadow Chancellor. This perhaps reflects the mixed economic messages from the Office of Budget Responsibility’s economic update, released today.  Economic growth will be lower than expected this year and next, rising over the longer forecasting horizon.  Unemployment will peak this year, then fall over the longer term.

However, this spring statement had a sense of the unreal about it.  Everything discussed in the speech, and the forecasts it referenced did not speculate on the impact of the recent conflict in the Middle East.  As gas prices rise at record speeds, the extent and duration of the conflict could render all UK economic forecasts obsolete. If gas and oil prices continue to rise, this will drive inflation, slow growth and likely thwart interest rate cuts.”

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