Rathbones' Carl Stick: It is time to 'put up or shut up' if you want UK growth

Many resisting change

Since the end of the Second World War – some say even longer – politicians, historians, economists, business leaders and a host of other commentators have debated the subject of Britain’s perceived decline.

Fearing global irrelevance, the UK has found it increasingly difficult to accept a loss of influence, whether it be measured in diplomatic, martial or economic terms. The angst has increased as the decades have passed, even as the UK's GDP per capita has risen dramatically for most of that time (see chart below). This sense of decline can seem acute, manifested in absolute measures of stagnant economic growth, declining real wages, falling workforce participation and rising living costs. So it is with frustration we may look back on 2024 as a year of missed opportunity: the po...