Economics
Brexit Accelerates the British Pound’s 100 Years of Debasement
- The last century is a ‘downward ladder’ against the dollar
- Boris Johnson sees pound pessimism as ‘wildly overblown’
1984 Levels Could be Back on the Table, Says Wyllie
This article is for subscribers only.
In 1967, U.K. Prime Minister Harold Wilson declared devaluation wouldn’t diminish the “pound in your pocket.” Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont admitted he was heard “singing in the bath” after sterling’s link to the deutsche mark was severed in 1992, sending the currency tumbling.
If history is any guide, Brexit leader Boris Johnson’s assurance that the negative consequences of withdrawal from the European Union are “being wildly overdone” will prove off-base too.