James Nation

James Nation is managing director at Forefront Advisers, and a former Treasury and No. 10 adviser to Rishi Sunak.

Yesterday

James Nation

LIVE: Was Healey’s Budget a trick – or a treat?

From our UK edition

45 min listen

Chancellor John Healey has just delivered his first Budget of the Andy Burnham premiership – but has he done enough to turn the economy around? In this special live edition of Reality Check, economics editor Michael Simmons is joined by deputy political editor James Heale, former Treasury adviser – and Managing Director of Forefront Advisors – James Nation and pollster Scarlett Maguire – founder of Merlin Strategy, to unpack the Budget. From £100 energy payments and downgraded growth forecasts to what this means for Britain’s banks – is the Chancellor offering households genuine 'breathing space'? Plus: has this first Burnham-Healey Budget stoked the flames, or dampened expectations, of an early general election? Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

LIVE: Healey's Budget – trick or treat?

Wednesday

James Nation

Is the Treasury really being dismantled?

From our UK edition

Treasury haters might raise a glass later because it looks like it’s finally happening: the PM has confirmed that the Leviathan of Horse Guards Parade is being broken up. Or has he? In an interview with the Times, Andy Burnham laid out the view that the Treasury’s dual responsibility for promoting growth and managing the public finances doesn’t work. His answer is to shift the oversight of economic growth to No. 10 North. I’m sceptical about how much of a transformational change this is. First, let’s examine the charge. Does the Treasury’s ‘bean-counting’ obsession stifle the government’s ability to drive economic growth?