Britain can learn positivity from Trump, says Reeves

Britain needs to learn from Donald Trump by being more positive and showing off its strengths, Rachel Reeves has said. The chancellor said people should be shouting from the rooftops” and banging the drum for the UK following her trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.

- HELEN CORBETT

Ms Reeves met global investors in her latest attempt to boost the UK economy after new figures showed only slight growth.

Recent rises in borrowing costs threaten Ms Reeves’s economic plans, while leaders in the business sector continue to voice concerns over upcoming tax rises in April from her autumn Budget.

However, on Monday, the International Monetary Fund forecast that the UK economy would grow by 1.6 per cent in 2025 after a weaker-than-expected 2024.

Speaking to The Times, Ms Reeves said the country needed to be more positive.

She said: “I’ve been in sales mode this week in Davos. We’re all sick of Britain being in the slow lane, whether it’s British CEOs or British investors, and we want to see a revival of those animal spirits so that we can grow the economy and bring investment here.”