Where have the job vacancies gone?
Last autumn we were reminded again and again that the economic picture wasn’t totally bleak – because there were still plenty of job vacancies. The figure of 600,000 was touted in the Commons on several occasions in October – including Prime Minister’s Questions.
How come ministers are no longer using this argument? Figures from the ONS show that in January there were only 420,000 vacancies left. Since then the number is likely to have shrivelled further. Read more
How would an independent Scotland have dealt with the banking collapse?
This is a valid question. The rescue of the Scottish banks has cost British taxpayers an estimated £2,000 per household. If Scotland was independent, the figure could have been closer to £13,000. How would it have coped? Read more
| About this blog | Blog guide |
Jim Pickard is the FT's chief political correspondent, having joined the lobby team in January 2008. He has been at the FT since 1999 as a regional correspondent, assistant UK news editor and property correspondent.
Kiran Stacey is an FT political correspondent, having joined the lobby in 2011. He started at the FT as a graduate trainee in 2008, working on desks including UK companies and US equity markets before taking over the FT's Energy Source blog.
FT's latest UK politics & policy news