Austerity is a zombie ideology. It's time to bury it once and for all | Tom Kibasi

Even the IMF believes that fiscal restraint is not the right way to deal with pandemic debt - but the UK can't seem to move on

There's no money left." That is the ominous refrain repeated in hushed tones across Whitehall and public services. It is the same idea that scarred the UK economy for much of the past decade and inflicted misery on millions. Could austerity be set to return?

At an international level, the consensus has certainly turned against austerity. Both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank now advocate for fiscal activism rather than restraint.