Could Britain really need another IMF bailout?

The Financial Times has revived memories of 1976, when Britain turned to the International Monetary Fund for financial support. But the circumstances today are fundamentally different, and understanding why tells us something very important about government debt, money and the supposed threat of national bankruptcy.

In this video, I explain what the IMF actually does, why countries sometimes need its help, and why foreign currency debt is crucial to understanding an IMF crisis.

I look back at what happened to Britain in 1976, when sterling was under pressure, foreign currency reserves mattered, and the international monetary system was still adjusting to the collapse of Bretton Woods.

Then I explain why today’s position is different. UK government debt is overwhelmingly denominated in sterling. The UK government creates sterling. A government that owes debt in its own currency faces fundamentally different constraints from a country struggling to obtain dollars to meet foreign currency debts.

That does not mean Britain has no economic problems. High interest rates, inflation, weak investment and struggling public services all matter. But they are not the same thing as government insolvency.

So why revive the spectre of an IMF bailout? And does talk of a financial crisis risk becoming another argument for austerity?

That is what this video is about.