With Theresa May expected to give it the green light, is Hinkley Point just a colossal white elephant? September 14, 2016 Ruth Lea, economic adviser to the Arbuthnot Banking Group, says Yes. There is little doubt that we need more electricity generating capacity – and the sooner the better. So the government’s determination to expand capacity is welcome. But Hinkley Point is flawed. Putting aside security fears over Chinese finance behind the proposed EDF nuclear power plant, [...]
We need to change perceptions of apprenticeships – especially for entry into professional jobs September 14, 2016 Barely weeks after the drama of A-level results, new university students can probably be forgiven for not interrupting the bacchanalia of Freshers’ Week to think too hard about their future careers. Yet the first term of university and independence can be a tumultuous time, and many bright young students will likely find themselves rethinking their [...]
A desire for micro management will only serve up political pain for the PM September 14, 2016 With party conference season just around the corner, how can one tell if the new PM is something of a control freak? Look no further than her actions over the summer break. Hot on the heels of announcing three new committees to oversee the work of ministers, including one for Brexit, civil servants appear to [...]
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct needs a solid gameplan to rise from the ashes September 14, 2016 Sports Direct is back in the news, this time for what should be more positive reasons than their other recent appearances. We have covered how consumer perception of the brand has fallen over the past year as investigations uncovered damaging practices within the organisation. This culminated in owner Mike Ashley’s appearance in front of a select [...]
The Uber vs black cabs row proves one thing – driverless cars are the future September 14, 2016 Having digested Sadiq Khan’s 27-point plan to meddle in the taxi and private hire market, one top Uber official yesterday moaned “so much for being the most pro-business mayor in London’s history”. Uber’s frustration is understandable. Not only is the firm already battling Transport for London over proposed regulatory changes (some of which are just [...]
London’s insurance industry will thrive globally post-Brexit with the right competitive boost September 13, 2016 Rebalancing the economy away from financial services and our capital city has been the preoccupation of successive governments since 2008’s financial crisis. The sheer size of the banking sector, so the thinking went, alongside the absence of any second, truly global city beyond London, had made the UK too reliant upon the dominant industry of our [...]
The trouble with statistics: The same flaws afflict economic data as political opinion polls September 13, 2016 Who will win the US presidency? Opinion polls have got a bad name in Britain, at least. During the 2010 general election campaign, many suggested that Gordon Brown could still continue in power in a minority government or coalition. The polling record in the 2015 campaign was even worse. Most polls showed the two main [...]
A shortage of land could kill off London’s e-commerce revolution September 13, 2016 Recent reports that Amazon is set to test drone deliveries in partnership with the UK government is just the latest salvo in the fiercely contested battle between the e-commerce giants that are transforming the way we shop. The move also demonstrates the challenges of a constantly evolving logistics sector. City A.M. readers are at the [...]
As Luxembourg’s foreign minister calls for Hungary to be kicked out, is the EU starting to unravel? September 13, 2016 Tom Slater, deputy editor of Spiked, says Yes. Is the EU unravelling? We can only hope. The Luxembourg foreign minister’s outburst this week, lambasting Hungary for its migration policies, reminds us that the EU is not a glorious union of European peoples — it’s an oligarchy, whose anti-democratic edicts pit rich countries against poor, northern Europe [...]
This is the investment case for legalised cannabis markets September 13, 2016 Whether you are opposed to their presence or not, legalised cannabis markets are here to stay. In April, Pennsylvania become the 24th state to approve cannabis for medical purposes in the US, while it is already legal to all over-21s in four states and Washington DC. In the same month, Germany joined a host of European [...]