Is the IFS right to warn that Britain will be up to £70bn worse off if it leaves the Single Market? August 10, 2016 Denis MacShane, former Europe minister, author of Brexit: How Britain Will Leave Europe and senior adviser at Avisa Partners, Brussels, says Yes. For centuries, the main purpose of British foreign policy was to gain access for British goods, services, and professions to other markets in the world. Britain currently has unfettered access to 500m mainly middle class consumers [...]
The Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor shouldn’t be delayed – it should be scrapped August 10, 2016 Theresa May’s government has put the brakes on Hinkley Point C, the first nuclear power station to be built in the UK in twenty years, with a final decision to be made in September. But the government should stop agonising and cancel the project. There is no commercial or environmental sense in investing billions into a [...]
Sick of the strikes? Job-threatening technology could lead to even more industrial disputes August 10, 2016 The strike bringing misery to thousands of commuters on Southern’s railway line may be merely the start of a wider trend of industrial action throughout the UK. The RMT union has got its tail up and yesterday declared that workers on the Virgin east coast mainline have voted in favour of walkouts, while passenger groups are [...]
Summer reading: Four leading UK economists offer their book recommendations August 10, 2016 With its political and economic ructions, this summer has been anything but sleepy. If you’re looking for some holiday reading to prepare you for the year ahead, City A.M. has asked four of the UK’s leading economists to offer their recommendations. Tim Harford writes the Undercover Economist column for the FT and is presenter of More [...]
Brexit is an opportunity to build a points-based migration system that actually works without crippling the economy August 9, 2016 The debate over free movement rages on since its starring role in the Brexit campaign. With the status of current EU migrants and future talent unclear, a new level of business uncertainty is engulfing UK employers. From tech and creative startups through to the NHS, organisations up and down the country are unsure about what [...]
The CMA missed its opportunity to level the playing field for challengers and end the banking oligopoly August 9, 2016 To deal with a problem, first you need to recognise it. While yesterday’s final report from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on UK retail and SME banking identifies the problems of the market, it has fallen short when it comes to making recommendations that will address the underlying issues. The report makes several constructive suggestions [...]
Move over Joe Root: What England’s greatest ever batsman tells us about how to use statistics August 9, 2016 Cricket fans will be delighted that Joe Root is establishing himself this summer as a truly great batsman. His Test match batting average of 55.49 is bettered by only 16 players from across the world since Test cricket began in 1877. Root currently sits seventh in the England career batting averages, and he clearly has [...]
As the Chinese ambassador questions the delay, would cancelling Hinkley severely damage UK-China economic ties? August 9, 2016 Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, says Yes. The UK-China relationship will be hurt by the decision to delay and potentially halt Hinkley Point. The “Golden Era” of bilateral relations will suffer a setback, as China will perceive this decision as a loss of face. But while our short-term economic relationship will take [...]
Pensions Regulator’s powers must be strengthened so it can crack down on those avoiding responsibilities August 9, 2016 Pensions are in a pickle. The deficits of private sector schemes are ballooning on the back of rising longevity and interest rates plunging to record lows. The sheer scale of the black hole in defined benefit, or final salary, schemes has prompted senior MPs to call them “the greatest challenge facing longstanding British businesses”. Why [...]
How going public changes the role of the chief executive forever August 8, 2016 Bernard Liautaud, managing partner of Balderton Capital and the first ever European entrepreneur to take a company public on Nasdaq, lifts the lid on the life of a chief executive of a public company in an open letter to Mike Tuchen, the chief executive of software company Talend, which listed on Nasdaq at the end [...]