On this day: The Gunpowder Plot November 5, 2025 Remember, remember… on this day in 1605 Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament was foiled Today 420 years ago was supposed to see the State Opening of the Parliament for its second session. The 100-day first session had been frustrating and fruitless: a new king from a [...]
When companies can outspend countries, they set the political agenda November 5, 2025 When Nvidia is bigger than the GDP of Germany, the implications for national sovereignty are deeply uncomfortable, says Steve Rigby We like to imagine that the great contests of innovation are fought between nations: the US versus China; Europe versus Asia; governments vying for technological leadership. That framing is already outdated. The real race is [...]
Why a charity should own 10 per cent of your company’s shares November 5, 2025 The Notebook, where the City’s movers and shakers have their say. Today it’s James Reed with the pen The traditional model of capitalism is outdated and unsustainable — and I’m on a mission to change it. Yes, free markets based on short-term shareholder returns have delivered opportunities for people to succeed, encouraged innovation and entrepreneurship [...]
Rachel Reeves blames everyone – apart from herself November 5, 2025 The Chancellor’s speech yesterday was really very odd indeed. It benefited from all the gravitas of a Downing Street address to the nation, but was remarkably thin on substance. She created an atmosphere of high drama but left her audience with nothing but questions to which she was unable or unwilling to provide an answer. [...]
ISA reform could bring £16bn into UK equities each year November 4, 2025 The government could bring a much-needed boost to UK markets with one simple, tax-neutral measure, argues Richard Staveley, manager of UK small-cap investment trust Rockwood Strategic. ISAs are undoubtedly much loved in the UK, with more than 22m accounts and around £775bn in total assets, which exceeds the amounts saved into defined contribution pension schemes. [...]
Young people plot a path for progress November 4, 2025 The Notebook is where the City’s movers and shakers have their say, today it’s Ella Robertson McKay with the pen This week, I’m in Munich, running the One Young World Summit – a gathering of over 2,200 young leaders, entrepreneurs, and activists from more than 190 countries. It’s the world’s most international forum dedicated to [...]
Blue Whale’s Stephen Yiu: save the London Stock Exchange by spinning it off November 4, 2025 An open letter to Rachel Reeves from Stephen Yiu, CEO of Blue Whale Capital Dear Chancellor, Your ambition to unlock long-term investment for British enterprise is the correct one. But that ambition is being directly undermined by a deep, structural flaw at the very heart of the City. The flow of growth capital to our [...]
Britain can lead the electric air taxi revolution November 4, 2025 Flying taxis are set to revolutionize travel, making zero-emission, quiet, low-cost short-haul journeys a reality, and Britain can lead the way, says Dómhnal Slattery Britain once defined the future of flight, leading most of the major advances in aviation. The Spitfire, the Mosquito, the Comet and Concorde were not just machines, but symbols of ingenuity [...]
Why your businesses fell for the AI inclusion illusion – and what it’s going to cost you November 4, 2025 The purpose of generative AI is to generate the most statistically likely output. In human terms, that means mediocrity at scale, not diversity, says Paul Armstrong Corporate diversity has turned into performance art. Generative AI now makes accessibility look effortless as captions appear automatically, transcripts compile themselves and summaries glow with the language of clarity. [...]
Labour’s assault on jobs will undermine growth November 4, 2025 Rachel Reeves is engaged in a complicated dance with the Office for Budget Responsibility in the run up to her second Budget. When the fiscal watchdog presents its scorecard on the Chancellor’s plans – and on wider government policies – the music will stop and we’ll see whether Reeves pulls off a surprising lift, or [...]