'A lively review of Britain's economic history since the Global Financial Crisis. It is a sad story but Wallace finds some room for hope amidst the gloom.' Howard Davies, author of The Chancellors: Steering the British Economy in Crisis Times

In late 2022, Liz Truss took Britain into economic la-la land and comprehensively tanked the economy. The result? Higher mortgages and rents, runaway inflation, debt at an eye-watering £2.7 trillion and a sluggish economy rapidly falling behind our (ex-)European partners. As Paul Wallace argues in this incisive and accessible book, this was the low point of a once supercharged economy still hungover from the 2008 crash.

Tacking the ten most important issues the economy is facing - including Brexit, debt, the City, immigration, manufacturing, levelling up and public services - Wallace explains in clear, jargon-free prose what the problems are, and how to solve them. Fully updated to cover Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves's current challenges, he ends with a ten-point plan to get our economy back on track.

Part-primer, part passionate argument, Tanked is the perfect book for anyone who wants to understand how Britain devalued itself.


'Crisp, comprehensive and forensic, Tanked casts an unflinching eye across the British economic horizon. The sooner we pay attention, the better' Tom Clark, editor of Broke: Fixing Britain's Poverty Crisis and Contributing Editor, Prospect