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In 'Hard Times' (McCabe, 2021), it was speculated that, given the success of the vaccine roll-out, potentially heralding an end to the pandemic, 2022 might be a year when events were not quite so bleak. We could look forward to better times. There were certainly grounds for believing that were the economy to develop sufficient momentum, sustained recovery would follow.

As the fighting continues to rage in the Ukraine – a war in which the estimates of those killed already range in the thousands (with at least 900 Ukrainian civilians as at March 20th[1] and 2,000 – 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers[2]; and from 3,000 to over 10,000 Russian soldiers, depending on estimates[3]), Boris Johnson saw fit to compare Ukraine's struggle to Brexit: "I know that it's the instinct of the people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom, every time. When the British people voted for Brexit in such large numbers, I don't believe it was because they were hostile to foreigners. It's because they wanted to be free to do things differently and for this country to be able to run itself."

Prices for oil and gas, already rising as a consequence of supply constraints due to reopening of economies following the pandemic, have been adversely affected by Russia, on which much of Europe is very dependent for fuel, invading Ukraine. The price of fuel at filling stations has increased, on average, by about 40p a litre for petrol and 50p a litre for diesel (Tidman, 2022).

Birmingham is the UK's second city. With an expanding employment base and an ambitious workforce, the city remains on an upward trajectory. But what has driven Birmingham's thriving economy? Regeneration.

More than a year has passed since the Brexit transition period ended and firms are continuing to face a range of issues affecting their ability to trade with the European Union (EU).

Even before Russian President Putin's decision invade Ukraine, food prices were rising. Last week's ONS (Office for National Statistics), showing that the overall rate of inflation was 6.2% for the twelve months to February, included the item of 'Food and non-alcoholic beverages' at 5.1%.

As Russia's war on Ukraine is well into its second month, we can start to make up the balance on the West's response. The good news? Ukraine is still standing. The bad news? Almost everything else, notwithstanding the self-congratulatory and complacent highlighting of the 'impressive' unity of NATO and the EU. That's a mighty low bar for impressive, given the urgency of the situation.

The Conservatives have a poor economic record, but Labour's offer lacks boldness and credibility. It was TS Eliot who famously proclaimed April to be the cruellest month. This description is perhaps a tad unfair – April generally sees fairer weather and lighter nights, and Spring flowers. Yet, for the UK [PT1] economy and its citizens, the cost-of-living crisis and scheduled tax rises means that April 2022 will be especially cruel.

Last Sunday, UK hauliers warned that some lorry drivers are now waiting more than 24 hours to cross into Europe. They noted that fresh produce is losing quality and value, and called for a priority lane for the lorries.

There's been much discussion and analysis concerning Home Secretary Priti Patel's declaration that, in future some refugees arriving in this country, having crossed the English Channel and seeking asylum, will be sent to Rwanda to be permanently resettled there. Given how controversial this plan is, it's unsurprising that it has attracted widespread opprobrium.

There's a depressingly familiar juxtaposition between stories concerning fabulously rich individuals and the rest of the world experiencing rising prices. Significantly, the number of those suffering from hunger, measured in hundreds of millions, is likely to increase dramatically.

The Bank of England in its latest forecasts that accompanied the Monetary Policy Committee's (MPC) decision to raise interest rates by a further quarter of a per cent in early May made grim reading, as was well documented by Steve McCabe in an earlier BCU blog. But are we paying enough attention to the causes? Yes, energy prices are an issue that all countries have to deal with. And yes, food price rises are a problem worldwide. But while inflation is thought to be near to peaking across the Eurozone and in the US, price pressures in the UK are instead expected to intensify. And the slowdown in growth that is expected in the next few months, culminating in an overall fall in GDP next year, is not in line with general trends elsewhere.

Here we go again. The UK's Conservative Government — in political trouble, amid mounting economic problems, and with a negligent, inept, and law-breaking Prime Minister — steals the headlines with a threat to undo its own Brexit agreement and unilaterally abandon the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's trip to Northern Ireland (NI) on Monday to attempt to deal with the impasse created by unwillingness of the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) to enter into the power-sharing arrangement following recent elections for the devolved Assembly did not, as expected, produce instant results (Andrews, 2022). Unfortunately, it must be feared, uncertainty and instability in NI will continue.

On a recent visit to London, I visited Canary Wharf. As many argue, if levelling up is to work across Britain, what's been achieved there in the last 40 years, many believe, provides an exemplar of what's possible with willpower and, of course, sufficient investment.