News Running the Economy: Joe Mayes, award-winning Bloomberg Journalist 06.03.2026

We were delighted to welcome Joe Mayes, award-winning journalist at Bloomberg News and best-selling author of ‘Can You Run The Economy?’ to speak to our Sixth Form Economics and Politics students.

Joe began by sharing his own educational journey and explaining how he developed an interest in economics and politics before becoming a journalist. He then introduced students to his book, an interactive “choose-your-own-adventure” style exploration of economic policy, where the reader takes on the role of Chancellor of the Exchequer. Drawing on his experience of interviewing five different chancellors while researching the book, Joe explained how those in the role must constantly balance difficult choices, particularly the trade off between short-term and long-term economic and political outcomes.

The session also included an engaging interactive workshop. One of our students stepped into the role of Chancellor and was challenged to deliver a Budget speech, making key decisions about spending, taxation and economic priorities. This activity allowed students to experience first-hand how complex it can be to ‘run the economy’, and prompted thoughtful discussion about the consequences of different policy choices.

Joe concluded the session by speaking about his career in political and economic journalism at Bloomberg, offering valuable insights. Students were highly engaged throughout the talk and asked a wide range of thoughtful questions at the end.

It was an extremely informative and inspiring visit, and our students greatly benefited from hearing directly from a leading journalist working at the forefront of economic reporting.