Reeves must cure British ‘pessimism’ disease, Peel Hunt chief says

Steven Fine, chief executive of Peel Hunt. (Image: Peel Hunt)

Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, chief executive of Peel Hunt urges Reeves to use the Budget to start the cure for British pessimism.

As Rachel Reeves ruminates over which tax prescription to write to fill her fiscal black hole, one City chief is calling for a radical treatment plan to cure an issue plaguing the country.

“Pessimism is a British disease,” says Steven Fine, chief executive of Peel Hunt.

In a speech on Tuesday that was widely viewed as a Budget preview, Reeves warned the country faced “big challenges,” despite her £40bn tax hike last year.

Labour’s last Budget caused a derailment in growth plans, Fine says, with th