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Getting Britain out of the hole: a plan for the economy

24 Feb 2026
Online and in person, Victoria Embankment EC4Y 0DS

This event took place on Tuesday 24 February. You can watch the recording below.

Event recording

The opinions expressed in this event recording are those of the speaker. For more information, view our full statement on external contributors.

The UK is in a hole. Wages have barely risen in seventeen years and the public realm is fraying. Its politics are increasingly fractious as a result. Added to this are a raft of new challenges – tackling climate change and completing the switch to clean energy, higher defence spending, a growing demand for public services as society ages – that must be addressed. But these problems are all fixable, provided we adopt consistent policy action.

At our event, on Tuesday 24 February, 18:00-19:15 GMT, we discussed the essay: Getting Britain out of the hole: a plan for the economy. Authors Andrew Sissons and John Springford proposed their programme of reform across trade and migration, energy, consumer services and tax. They were joined by a panel of experts to analyse Britain’s current economic strategy and the policy changes necessary to increase growth and productivity. The panel included Stephanie Flanders, Head of Economics and Politics at Bloomberg News and Research, and Robert Colvile, Director at the Centre for Policy Studies. The event was chaired by Soumaya Keynes, Economics Columnist at the Financial Times.

This hybrid event took place at 58 Victoria Embankment EC4Y 0DS and was for policymakers, economists and those interested in fiscal policy. There was also the option to join online for those who could not make it in-person.

Speakers

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Andrew Sissons

He/him

Andrew is deputy director on Nesta's mission to create a sustainable future, which focuses on decarbonisation and economic recovery. His team focuses on setting up innovation projects and partnerships that reduce carbon emissions from homes, which is a key part of the UK reaching net zero. Andrew has a background in climate change, economic geography and productivity. Andrew joined Nesta from the Environment Agency, where he led the agency's work on funding and green finance, having previously been the agency's chief economist. He has worked in government (Cabinet Office, MHCLG) on cities and local growth policy, helping to create the new metro mayors in several cities in England. He has also previously worked at The Work Foundation and as an economic consultant.

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John Springford

He/him

John Springford is an economist and Associate Fellow at the Centre for European Reform (CER), where he previously served as Deputy Director and leader of the economics team until 2023. A leading voice on the economic consequences of Brexit, John is the creator of the widely cited "doppelganger" model used to estimate the UK's economic performance post-EU. Beyond his work on trade, John's expertise spans the economics of climate change, as well as European monetary and fiscal policy. He has served as a specialist advisor to the House of Commons Treasury Committee. He is a frequent contributor to global publications, including the Financial Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Currently, John is focusing on a new venture designed to empower individuals with personalised labour market data to guide their career and educational choices.

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Stephanie Flanders

She/her

Stephanie Flanders is head of Economics and Government at Bloomberg News, overseeing the research and journalism of 250 economists and reporters worldwide and hosting the weekly podcast, Trumponomics. She was previously Chief Market Strategist for Europe at J P Morgan Asset Management in London (2013-17) and BBC Economics Editor (2002-2013). She was Senior Advisor and speech writer to US Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers (1997-2001). She has also been a reporter at the New York Times, the Principal Editor of the 2002 Human Development Report, an editorial-writer and economics columnist at the Financial Times, and an economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and London Business School. In 2016-17 Flanders chaired the Inclusive Growth Commission for the Royal Society of Arts. She is the Chair of the non-profit arts company, Artichoke, an Honorary Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford and a Fellow of the Society of Professional Economists.

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Robert Colvile

He/him

Robert Colvile is Director of the CPS and Editor-in-Chief of CapX, and was one of the co-authors of the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto. He currently writes a weekly column for The Sunday Times and was previously head of comment at the Daily and Sunday Telegraph and news director at BuzzFeed UK, as well as an editor, columnist and leader writer with the Telegraph.

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Soumaya Keynes

She/her

Soumaya Keynes is an economics columnist for the Financial Times and host of the FT's podcast "The Economics Show with Soumaya Keynes". She's also the author of the book "How to Win A Trade War", which Tim Harford described as "Timely, witty and wise", adding "you could not ask for a better guide to the new economic order." Before joining the FT she wrote about economics for The Economist, covering the British and American economies as well as trade and globalisation, and before that she was a research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Event information

24 Feb 2026

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