Hello from London, where excitement is building for the return of 60-year-old Doctor Who. The BBC estimates that the last 13 series contributed more than £256 million to the UK economy.
With the Autumn Statement over, all eyes are on the timing of a general election. Rishi Sunak will decide on the date around February, according to people familiar, with both May and later in the year under discussion.
And an election means more tax cuts may be on the way after Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced £21 billion in reductions for businesses and individuals. The move highlights a split between the UK’s two most important forecasting bodies, Philip Aldrick and Tom Rees report.
Hunt’s budget statement tells a tale of two economies, with much-praised tax breaks for companies but a deteriorating cost of living for many consumers, Bloomberg Opinion’s Martin Ivens writes. And the Conservatives will need Hunt’s deft touch in the next election.
The Tories may be about to weigh in on the contentious battle for control of the Telegraph. The Barclay family is attempting to regain the seized media assets from Lloyds with Middle Eastern financial backing, while hedge fund moguls are also circling. With the paper’s traditional ties to the Conservative Party, there’s a lot at stake.
Here’s some more weekend reading:
- YOLO consumers are buying experiences rather than goods, splurging on Taylor Swift concerts, overseas trips and dining out, even as their savings decline.
- What does it take to run an iconic sports car company? “You always have to be paranoid,” says Ferrari’s Benedetto Vigna.
- Here’s what three college dropouts think is next for crypto.
