Lord Young quits after 'so-called recession' gaffe

Laura Miller
clock

Lord Young has quit as the Prime Minister's enterprise adviser after he told a newspaper many Britons had "never had it so good" despite a "so-called recession".

A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said David Cameron had accepted the peer's resignation. Lord Young of Graffham was recorded saying the Bank of England's decision to keep the base rate at a record low of 0.5% since March 2009 had left many homeowners up to £600 a month better off since the start of the "so-called recession". Earlier, the Prime Minister sought to draw a line under the row, telling reporters his adviser was "extremely embarrassed" and has apologised. "I mean, he's not a member of the government, he doesn't speak for the government and I think he'll be doing a bit...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Your profession

What Justin Bieber is telling you about your clients

What Justin Bieber is telling you about your clients

‘In our world, success, true success, is delivering someone to their goal’

Chris Justham
clock 22 April 2026 • 2 min read
Bank return to advice is a rare case of sequel eclipsing original

Bank return to advice is a rare case of sequel eclipsing original

‘Most banks and financial advisers will be serving vastly different customer bases’

Mark Glover
clock 21 April 2026 • 5 min read
FCA urges principal firms to strengthen inactive AR oversight

FCA urges principal firms to strengthen inactive AR oversight

Gaps in governance, reporting, and consumer protection

Isabel Baxter
clock 21 April 2026 • 3 min read