Forget Syria: Putin is on the verge of victory in Ukraine October 18, 2015 The western commentariat doesn’t know what to do with Russian President Vladimir Putin, or the enigmatic country that he leads. This can be seen in the comically diverse opinions presently being gravely intoned as to what Putin is doing in both Syria and Ukraine. “Putin is a genius”; “Putin is a fool”; “Russia is regaining [...]
It’s a golden era for UK-China relations: Our transparent markets are at its heart October 18, 2015 On Wednesday night, I have the great privilege of hosting a Chinese delegation for a State Banquet at the Guildhall. I am delighted to return the wonderful hospitality that I, and my delegation of British business leaders, received in China last month, to celebrate the strong relationships that have been forged between our countries’ financial [...]
London can revive its industry and double house-building by getting creative with its space October 18, 2015 The average Briton spends eight hours and 41 minutes using digital devices each day, according to Ofcom – more than they sleep. It is therefore little surprise that we are also the biggest online shoppers in Europe, and this rapid growth in e-commerce partly explains London’s resurgent industrial sheds market, required to stock goods. Transactions [...]
As the Tories come under pressure over tax credit cuts, should Osborne reconsider his decision? October 18, 2015 Harry Fairhead is a policy analyst at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, says Yes. The government should reconsider where it tries to make savings. The working tax credit bill is huge, continues to grow rapidly and so does need to be brought under control. However, tax credit reforms will hurt those on low incomes, and there are [...]
Interview: City A.M. talks to Mark Britnell, chairman of global health at KPMG October 16, 2015 As chairman of KPMG’s global health practice, Mark Britnell understands the changing face of healthcare better than almost anyone. With over 20 years' experience in healthcare, Britnell has overseen the largest new hospital build in British history, established the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine and worked as director general of the NHS (2007-2009). His book ‘In Search of the Perfect [...]
Christopher Bailey’s sky high pay is hard to justify as Burberry’s profits sink October 16, 2015 Burberry, the luxury fashion brand popular with Romeo Beckham and Yanis Varoufakis, must be getting pretty bored with criticism over the size of its executives’ pack packages. Annual eight-figure payments to former boss Angela Ahrendts attracted attention in the wake of the global financial crisis, while current chief Christopher Bailey faced a shareholder revolt before [...]
A short history of libertarianism (or how free will lost its way) October 15, 2015 State intervention in all aspects of life has reached a level that, just a few centuries ago, would have been almost unimaginable. Why then have libertarians, those who value the rights and free will of the individual, not been able to inspire people to reject this unprecedented encroachment of the state? To understand why, we [...]
Democratic debate 2015: The Democrats’ pot shots against capitalism are unlikely to win over American voters October 15, 2015 Brits tuning into the first Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday night would have been forgiven for drawing two conclusions: the 2016 US Presidential elections are finally underway, and Democrats want America to be much more like Britain. Neither is exactly true. In fact, it’s been “2016” for the better part of three years. In [...]
Job automation makes boosting social mobility vital for business October 15, 2015 It is an alarming and uncomfortable fact that the UK has one of the poorest rates of social mobility in the developed world. People born into low-income families, regardless of their talent or their hard work, do not have the same access to opportunities as those born into more privileged circumstances. Research from the Sutton [...]
Four steps to end the big banks’ market stranglehold forever October 15, 2015 We are now just days away from the start of what could be the biggest shake-up in banking for a generation. At least that’s what I am hoping. The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) investigation into banking offers a golden opportunity to turn the industry on its head and put customers in control at last. [...]