CNN
Boris Johnson’s government has just laid out its annual tax and spending plans with a clear central theme: building back better after the pandemic.
The prime minister wants to overhaul the UK economy as it emerges from a deep recession by boosting productivity, skills and wages. His task is being made all the more difficult by skyrocketing inflation, shortages of goods and fuel, and massive government budget deficits.
Business could help Johnson deliver his economic agenda. But analysts and industry leaders worry that Johnson and his finance minister, Rishi Sunak, are more interested in using taxpayers’ money to pursue a political agenda that appeals to voters than helping businesses recover and thrive.
Johnson’s Conservatives are the traditional party of business, yet the prime minister has long had a difficult relationship with corporate interests. In 2018 while serving as Foreign Secretary, it was widely reported in UK media that when asked about business concerns over Brexit, he replied “F*** business.”
