As the photograph of a Tory aide’s memo invites even more speculation, has the government’s silence on Brexit now become untenable? November 30, 2016 Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat by-election candidate for Richmond Park, says Yes. The British people have no cake and they certainly aren’t eating it. The scribbled notes spied in Downing Street – the public’s only way of learning what ministers’ plan is on the most important question facing the country in a generation – show that [...]
Who’s afraid of the big, bad pensions deficit? Contrarian stock-pickers can find hidden value in companies with large holes in their defined benefit pension funds November 30, 2016 For some UK companies, having a large pension deficit is like a proverbial albatross around the neck – unsightly and foreboding. This can make the shares appear cheap on some measures. But valuing stocks with large schemes is difficult, due to the enhanced complexity of pension accounting. Actuaries and trustees make numerous assumptions regarding future [...]
We should not be telling little girls that Americans hate women November 30, 2016 Donald Trump’s victory proves that America hates women”, declared a reputable news source shortly after the US election. America is big, and it does not think as one. Some men hate women and voted for Trump to preserve the patriarchy – but most fell for his promise of quick economic fixes. Some women did not [...]
UK universities need a bespoke Brexit deal with flexibility on freedom of movement for EU students November 30, 2016 The fate of British universities – their research, their European staff and their students – has become a major issue following the EU referendum. Under the home secretary’s proposals, they would be classed as employers with a large number of non-UK staff – 17 per cent of teaching and research posts are occupied by EU [...]
Four-year folly: The Office for Budget Responsibility shouldn’t be expected to forecast so far into the future November 30, 2016 Economic forecasts have become a political hot potato. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) predictions, presented as part of the chancellor’s Autumn Statement, have put the government under pressure. The OBR has revised down its forecast for GDP growth over the next four years by 1.4 percentage points. The real controversy is that their gloomy projections [...]
Consumers’ own-label attitudes could pose a challenge to big brands November 30, 2016 Last week, Morrisons announced it was bringing back the Safeway brand. Originally a chain of supermarkets that the retailer absorbed in the mid-2000s, Morrisons has decided to launch a new range of own-label goods under the Safeway banner. An analysis of YouGov Profiles data shows that there are notable divergences among customers of certain supermarkets. [...]
In Theresa May’s exec pay crusade, the devil will be in the detail November 29, 2016 It’s positive to have a Green Paper to allow a proper debate; the detail of legislation – and amendments to it – will matter a lot. It will be particularly interesting to see the detail of how extending the “comply or explain” Governance Code to private companies will operate. The system presently works with public [...]
London needs a new deal with its nation to secure a good Brexit for its leading industries November 29, 2016 We cannot assume that London will always succeed. No city is too big to fail. London must constantly reassert its global status because if a city isn’t rising, it’s falling. London has long been a world-leading financial centre and is now a magnet for the international technology sector and its startups. But, in an environment being [...]
Five evidence-based proposals to make sure executive pay benefits society November 29, 2016 Theresa May is absolutely right that executive pay needs reform as part of creating “a country that works for everyone”. Today, her government is expected to release a Green Paper outlining measures to ensure that chief executive contracts benefit society, not just the executives themselves. At The Purposeful Company, we applaud and share this mission. [...]
The liberal left will continue to lose until they start to empathise with their enemies November 29, 2016 In the midst of much chaos, the victory of Francois Fillon in the French centre-right primary has restored some normality to politics. He is a mainstream social conservative and a mainstream economic liberal. He may not deliver the reforms France desperately needs – political leaders with great promise often disappoint. But certainly reform is needed. France is [...]