ZEW President Fuest on UK's General Elections on 7 May, 2015: "New Orientation"

On 7 May, 2015, general elections will be held in the UK. The coalition government consisting of conservatives and liberal democrats must face the public vote. According to many observers, the outcome of these elections will be decisive not only in determining the United Kingdom's economic policy orientation in the years to come, but also for London's EU policy.

The president of the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Professor Clemens Fuest, comments on the importance of the UK election: "The election in Great Britain essentially constitutes a decision between sticking with the Conservatives and their policy of budget reorganisation and economic reforms, or turning in favour of more government spending and more social security, the policies of the Labour Party. If the voters prefer a middle-of-the-road solution, then the Liberals could once again be successful."

Fuest, who was a lecturer at Oxford University, is skeptical when it comes to Great Britain’s position towards Europe: "The debate about whether Britain should withdraw from the EU will continue long after the elections, regardless of which party wins."