The_Guardian_-_2016-12-29

It says the rest of the world also faces a slowdown in economic growth, partly as population growth
slows and partly because of climate change.
Energy mix graphic
It also forecasts crises for China. By 2030 the country will have 17 of the top 50 cities in the world
ranked by GDP, but its rapidly ageing population, credit bubbles and political uncertainty will
undermine its rise and ensure the US remains the dominant global power.
Keir Starmer MP, the shadow Brexit secretary, said: “This report shows once again the clear dangers
of a hard Brexit and the importance of ensuring we get the best possible Brexit deal that protects jobs,
the economy and living standards.
“It also reminds us that there are wider and profound challenges facing the Britain in the years and
decades to come - both to our economy, society and our place in the world. Labour has an obligation
to future generations to find progressive and effective responses, and to help bring Britain back
together after a deeply divisive referendum.”
Gerard Lyons, a leading pro-Brexit economist and former adviser to Boris Johnson, dismissed much
of the IPPR’s findings as “second-hand questionable figures” and “meaningless jargon”.
He said: “Far from being a constraint, Brexit provides the UK with a great opportunity to adopt both a
domestic and a global policy agenda to address many of the challenges highlighted by the IPPR in this
report.”
David Campbell Bannerman, a Tory MEP and member of the Leave Means Leave group which this
week asked business groups across Europe to put pressure on their governments to negotiate a free
trade agreement with Britain, also criticised the report. “No surprises here from such a favourite
Blairite thinktank which receives EU funding. This is misery wrapped in humbug,” he said.
“It takes no account of the benefit of UK negotiating free trade deals around the world, of billions
saved in deregulation of EU over-regulation, nor of more jobs, better treatment and greater training of
the UK workforce once immigration is controlled and the £12bn net savings from EU contributions
reinvested.”
Looking ahead: what the IPPR foresees
2% – forecast total income growth for poor households between now and 2030.
£9.5m – predicted pay of FTSE 100 CEOs by 2030.
£341bn – difference between taxes raised and expected spending by 2050.
76 million – population of the UK when it overtakes Germany and becomes Europe’s biggest country
in the late 2040s.