It is unpleasant to admit it, but dear old Blighty has been a deadbeat for over a century. Our central fiscal characteristic is that we don’t pay our way.

Inflation means rising prices, which is hard to conflate with falling prices. On the other hand, if prices fall and wages don’t then real wages rise and poverty declines - which sounds like a fair enough plan to us.

Reducing knife crime in the UK is a complex challenge, but there are several evidence-based approaches that can help. In practice, the most effective strategies could combine enforcement with prevention and community engagement

Philip Duffy, the agency’s chief executive, said: “Waste crime is toxic. Criminals’ thoughtless actions harm people, places, and the economy, blighting our communities and disrupting legitimate businesses.

The COVID-19 lockdowns in the UK were unprecedented in scale and impact. They fundamentally altered public behavior and psychology.

We don’t think much of the way poverty is measured these days - it confuses inequality with poverty - and most of the alternatives suggested are worse.

Socialism, when implemented as a political and economic system, has historically led to tyranny and persecution for several reasons:

People in temporary accommodation are not the homeless. People in temporary accommodation are the people the welfare state has saved from homelessness.

We could make many more affordable flats for young people available in cities, especially London.

No, the answer does not have to be importing people.

Growth and investment make for a post which is easy to write, but tricky to realise.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak at the Global Enlightenment Forum organized by The Adam Smith Institute in London.