England Ashes fans set to top up Australia’s coffers months after bumper British and Irish Lions tour
What should the City make of eco-populist Zack Polanski ? Opinion The new leader of the Green Party once claimed he could increase a journalist’s breast size through hypnotism. Now Zack Polanski says wealth taxes can fix climate change. William Atkinson casts a sceptical eye In the 1980s and 1990s, the German Green Party was riven by a split between the Fundis and the Realos. The [...]
We will all pay the price for Starmer’s weakness on welfare Opinion Keir Starmer is a weak Prime Minister and parliament has proved it can’t condone any reduction in public spending. This will end very badly, says Simon Clarke The collapse of Labour’s plans for welfare reform marks the end of its first year in government – and perhaps the end of any kind of serious reforming [...]
We’ve been building since 1886 – the planning system is the worst it’s ever been Opinion Delays in the UK planning system – down to brick colour and tile choices – are stalling housing delivery. We need 3,000 new planners and faster approvals to meet national housing goals and boost economic growth, says Tim Roberts When Britain is in the midst of a housing crisis you don’t, as a house builder, [...]
‘I tried to warn them, but no one listened’ – one man’s crusade against HS2 June 12, 2025 “History will not be kind to those who, if it is pursued, push through this silly scheme.” It is not far off a decade since Lord Framlingham decided to take drastic action against HS2, the deeply troubled high-speed rail project connecting London and Birmingham. The former commons deputy speaker staged a last-ditch attempt to kill [...]
Planning application for Cumbria coal mine dropped after legal setbacks April 5, 2025 The company behind a proposed development for the UK’s first coal mine in 30 years has withdrawn its planning application. The government confirmed on Friday that West Cumbria Mining (WCM) withdrew its application for the site near Whitehaven after years of legal and regulatory setbacks. Then-housing secretary Michael Gove first granted planning permission for the [...]
The Capitalist: Misbehaving MPs, right-wing fetishists and a Kate Spade handbag February 20, 2025 Misbehaving MPs, right-wing fetishists and a Kate Spade handbag. Catch up on the latest gossip in this week’s edition of The Capitalist 1987 and all that The City might be getting younger and younger but for those keen to understand how things used to be, we’re happy to commend Paul Mitchell’s novel, 1987. The (mostly) [...]
Disastrous school reform agenda is a solution in search of a problem January 9, 2025 A long time ago I got involved in a battle to help a school leave council control and become an academy. This was shortly after Michael Gove, as education secretary, continued the reforming efforts of his Labour predecessors to inject more choice and freedom into the state education sector. The local council, faced with losing [...]
Green light for redevelopment of London South Bank’s ‘The Slab’ December 20, 2024 The High Court ruled in favour of former Secretary of State Michael Gove's approval of the redevelopment of London’s South Bank
Oxford Street M&S: Angela Rayner gives all-clear for demolition December 5, 2024 Angela Rayner has given the all-clear for the demolition of the flagship Oxford Street Marks & Spencer store. The deputy prime minister has granted permission for M&S to demolish the 94-year-old shop at Marble Arch in a decision published today. Plans to knock down Orchard House, which dates to the 1930s, and two other buildings, [...]
South Bank’s ‘The Slab’ in spotlight as campaigners fight planning decision October 16, 2024 South Bank 'The Slab' is the topic of a legal battle at court this week as campaigners seek to overturn the former government's decision to green-light redevelopment