Sir Samuel Brittan occupied a unique position in British intellectual life. At the core were his writings on economics, but he tackled a wide range of other subjects, including politics and ethics, all in the great tradition of British liberalism.

Brittan, who has died at the age of 86, wrote columns in the Financial Times that were essential reading for anyone who wanted to understand economic policy for nearly 50 years. Written in an elegant and witty style, they ranged from sharp observations on macroeconomic policy to discussions of academic papers that had attracted his attention.

In an interview with then FT editor Lionel Barber on his retirement in 2014, Brittan described himself as a “sort of individualist liberal”, sceptical of political labels. “Most of the interesting questions can’t easily be posed in left or right [wing] terms,” he said.