Open data: London is streets ahead when it comes to helping commuters plan their journey – but we mustn’t become complacent May 12, 2016 Whether we’re trying to navigate around traffic jams or route closures, find the quickest way to a meeting or explore a new area of the city, many of us rely on technology to identify the best route to take. Transport and navigation apps have been allowed to flourish in London thanks to the availability of real-time and static [...]
Sadiq Khan will need to be radical in his thinking to solve London housing crisis May 12, 2016 The election of Sadiq Khan as London's new mayor neatly demonstrates what makes London a great city. Through his victory, Khan highlights that London is a city of opportunity where success is not dependent on a privileged upbringing. However, the attraction of London – thanks to its thriving economy and its ability to attract talent – [...]
The next great tax reform: Universal Basic Income May 12, 2016 Radicalism and popularity rarely march in step. Yet, there is one policy that the Chancellor has pursued, urged on by the Liberal Democrats when in coalition, that has achieved both: the expansion of the personal tax allowance. By the end of this parliament, the personal allowance is likely to have nearly doubled in cash terms [...]
The monetary policy committee is a master of policy inaction May 12, 2016 Today’s number to remember is 86. That is how many monthly monetary policy committee (MPC) meetings will have passed without a change in interest rates, assuming one does not happen today. Of course, I could be wrong in expecting no change from the MPC – along with every other economist on the planet. When there [...]
Sadiq Khan makes one small step in the right direction May 12, 2016 At the start of the week City A.M. asked – "will Sadiq Khan live up to his promise of being London’s most pro-business mayor?" The victorious Labour candidate may have set himself a tough target, but he has at least started on a positive note by dropping City Hall’s objection to expansion plans at City [...]
Why Britain really joined the EU and should now vote to leave it May 12, 2016 Students and journalists often seem to believe that Britain had to join the EEC (later the EU) because geopolitical realities demanded this or economic decline forced it on us. Nonsense. Ditching our victorious Commonwealth wartime allies to join a combination of Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, (Nato occupied) West Germany and a France that had [...]
Small businesses don’t back Brexit: They gain too much from our EU membership May 12, 2016 I come from a family of entrepreneurs and am passionate about our small businesses and the amazing people behind them. They take an idea, innovate, build something new, and fight to make it a success through the good times and the bad. They also provide two thirds of private sector jobs in the UK. As [...]
Forget Obama’s self-interested intervention: Brexit would boost Britain’s global influence May 12, 2016 Would Britain be more or less influential in the world if we left the EU? The Remain camp argument is very clear: we would lose influence with exit and we can get better trade deals from within the EU than without. On top of that, President Obama and former secretary-generals of Nato all say that [...]
Was the European Commission right to block the Three-O2 merger? May 12, 2016 Jacques Lafitte, chief executive of Avisa Partners in Brussels and a former senior EU Commission official, says Yes. The Commission was right to block this merger. The decision appears to be based on robust legal and economic grounds. These are tricky decisions. The Commission vetoes on average one merger a year, and this decision is the [...]
After the EU’s O2-Three merger decision, five questions for the UK mobile market May 11, 2016 Hutchison’s bid for O2 has been turned down in Europe. Here are five questions the UK mobile market is asking today Continued competition… Ofcom initially rejected the merger based on evidence that fewer competitors results in less pressure to keep prices down. It’s that same fear which informed today’s decision, despite assurances from Hutchison of a five year [...]