Sadiq Khan’s unfunded fares freeze would starve London transport of investment: Only Zac Goldsmith can be trusted with the Tube April 12, 2016 When Londoners go to the polls on 5 May, they’ll be deciding who should run one of the biggest and most complex transport systems in the world. Over half of all bus journeys in England happen in the capital. The Tube handles 1.3bn journeys a year, which is like everyone in China taking one journey [...]
David Cameron has set a dangerous precedent by opening up his tax returns to public scrutiny: Business, liberty and civility will all suffer April 12, 2016 The Prime Minister’s decision to open his tax returns to public scrutiny, while understandable, sets a precedent we may come to regret. However entertaining it is to see our leaders squirm under the searchlight, it’s a shallow pleasure. Longer-term consequences could include a further increase in the power of the state, reduced individual liberties, poorer [...]
As the row continues over David Cameron’s inheritance, should we abolish inheritance tax in its entirety? April 12, 2016 Dia Chakravarty, political director at TaxPayers’ Alliance, says Yes. Inheritance tax (IHT) is the most hated tax in the UK, even among socio-economic groups unlikely to ever be liable to pay it. It goes against the most basic human instinct – to want to pass something on to one’s children – and has been abolished in [...]
Beware fintech’s pivot to China April 12, 2016 Ever since former Barclays chief executive Antony Jenkins declared an ”Uber moment” for banks, the powers that be from the Square Mile to Canary Wharf have rushed to defend themselves against a herd of ambitious fintech unicorns. But if recent collaborations between financial titans and spritely startups are anything to go by, it appears the [...]
Labour is determined to keep pressure on David Cameron over Panama Papers and tax revelations April 11, 2016 Things go from bad to worse for David Cameron. Downing Street spent much of last week avoiding questions over the PM’s connections to offshore funds, before having to concede that he did, in fact, once own shares in his late father’s offshore trust, Blairmore Holdings. Cameron’s critics often reduce his professional experience to having been “a [...]
Panama Papers: Labour is determined to keep pressure on David Cameron – but it’s a deeply cynical move April 11, 2016 Things go from bad to worse for David Cameron. Downing Street spent much of last week avoiding questions over the PM’s connections to offshore funds, before having to concede that he did, in fact, once own shares in his late father’s offshore trust, Blairmore Holdings. Cameron’s critics often reduce his professional experience to having been “a [...]
Why investors shouldn’t ignore the hype about fintech April 11, 2016 Many investors (business angels, venture capital and private equity funds as well as family offices) are participating in fintech, and recognise value creation truly reflective of a “fourth industrial revolution”. However, others are somewhat sceptical and concerned about froth and hype. Either way, what’s interesting is that even the most sceptical aren’t willing to bet [...]
This is the one special ingredient crucial to the UK’s fintech success April 11, 2016 Fintech is booming and London is at the heart of this global community. The Innovate Finance Global Summit at London’s Guildhall today has attracted over 1,200 business leaders, politicians, and pundits from around the world to discuss the big trends in fintech. Here is our perspective on why it’s booming – and why so many people have joined come to [...]
The suicide of the US political elite is a terrifying threat to global stability April 11, 2016 Political risk analysts, like most humans, have a terrible time looking at themselves in the mirror. I remember at one seminar of the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations, we were asked to list the top three political risks in the world. Dutifully, the usual suspects were called upon: global terrorism, Putin’s adventurism, financial meltdown, and [...]
Too often it’s the UK – not Brussels – to blame for the costly burden of regulation April 11, 2016 Everyone remembers the story about the EU imposing new rules on straight bananas. What about Brussels banning double-decker buses? Or more recently, as Boris Johnson found to his embarrassment, the claim that EU regulation prevented children from blowing up balloons? These sometime comedic stories even have their own word: “euromyths”. It is often said that [...]