Jeremy Hunt Can We Be Rich Again?: The Surprising Potential of Britain's Economy

Britain's economy is stuck. A succession of shocks has left the country with low growth, stagnant living standards and divided politics. Debt and taxes have reached record levels, and many fear the UK has fallen into a low-growth trap with ruinous consequences for future generations.

Jeremy Hunt knows this territory better than most. As Chancellor of the Exchequer, he navigated the economy through both inflation and recession — the man Nick Macpherson, former Treasury Permanent Secretary, describes as delivering "a compelling recipe for growth from the man who pulled Britain back from the abyss in October 2022." Now, freed from the constraints of office, he makes a frank and surprisingly optimistic case for what comes next.
Despite widespread pessimism, Hunt argues that Britain still has a great deal going for it: the third largest technology ecosystem in the world, a formidable financial services sector, globally admired universities and respected institutions. The solutions to our economic malaise, he contends, are hiding in plain sight — if we are willing to learn from what works elsewhere.

Can We Be Rich Again? sets out a clear eight-point programme for renewal, drawing on Hunt's unique experience of power to argue, as Andy Haldane, former Chief Economist at the Bank of England puts it, that Britain's "vast potential can be uncorked." Emma Duncan of The Times calls it "an uplifting counterweight to the usual gloom-mongering — a book by a man who understands government intimately, and knows that — and how — it can be done better." The Telegraph, naming it among their Best Summer Books of 2026, noted that Hunt "might just have the road-map for our future prosperity."

Whether you agree with his politics or not, this is a rare thing: a serious, evidence-based argument for optimism about Britain's future, from someone who has sat at the centre of power and lived the consequences of his actions.

Jeremy Hunt served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2022 to 2024, having previously held the offices of Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for Health — one of the longest-serving Health Secretaries in British history. Before entering politics he built and ran Hotcourses, his own educational publishing business. He is also the author of Can We Be Great Again? and Zero, and continues to serve as Conservative MP for Godalming and Ash. He lives with his wife, son and two daughters between Godalming and London.
A Q&A session will follow.