We have created the worst possible system of government February 18, 2026 Keir Starmer does not appear to have many original thoughts (aides say he doesn’t read books while the PM himself told a baffled journalist that he doesn’t have dreams) so it’s no surprise that one of the few interesting things he’s ever said was in fact first uttered by one of his predecessors. Boris Johnson [...]
What happens if workers start wearing Meta glasses to the office? February 18, 2026 Meta smart glasses are going from niche to norm, so what happens when people start wearing them in the office, asks Paul Armstrong.
A university education is no longer good value for money February 18, 2026 Students have been turned into customers but the product they’re buying is worthless and it’s underwritten by the taxpayer, says Paul Ormerod The plight of graduates burdened with debt has been a prominent feature in the media over the past week or so. Hundreds of thousands will never earn enough to repay their student borrowings, [...]
Londoners want the police to treat crime as if it’s actually illegal February 17, 2026 Having denied that London is experiencing a crime wave for years, Sadiq Khan’s announcement of crackdown on phone theft is an admission that the capital is less safe than it should be, says Lawrence Newport For years, Sadiq Khan has told Londoners not to believe their own eyes. Londoners have borne witness to the worst [...]
Could Dutch-style wealth taxes be coming to Britain? February 17, 2026 Governments everywhere prefer revenue that can be framed as “fairness”. If the Dutch can make taxing gains as they accrue work without damaging long-term capital formation, it will not stay a Dutch story for long, says Helen Thomas The Netherlands has just approved a reform to its capital gains tax regime that is already sending [...]
On this day: Thomas J Watson, father of IBM, was born February 17, 2026 On 17 February 1874, the man who would go on to found the largest industrial research organisation on the planet was born in the tiny town of Campbell, writes Eliot Wilson The town of Campbell, New York, in the Appalachian Mountains had a population of less than 2,000 in 1874. Thomas John Watson, born this [...]
‘What if a blind person falls over an e-bike?’: The untenable rise of whataboutism February 17, 2026 Rowing about hypothetical dangers like e-bikes on pavements is turning London into a febrile City, scared of progress, writes Michael Martins.
Good regulation can support growth without increasing risk February 17, 2026 The debate about regulation and growth has become stuck in an Animal Farm world of less regulation good; more regulation bad, or vice versa, depending on political persuasion. The more serious question is about quality, says Omar Salem Dame Meg Hillier MP, chair of the influential Treasury Select Committee, has called for the government to [...]
Privacy doesn’t matter in Silicon Valley – that’s why AI is failing February 17, 2026 Data privacy is as an essential component of solving “context” — the key to unlocking full-scale and safe AI adoption for both businesses and consumers, says Lewis Liu I was hanging out with a bunch of 20-something “in the flow” Bay Area founders last week when the conversation turned to Openclaw and Moltbook. If you [...]
The government doesn’t trust Sadiq Khan to run London’s trains February 17, 2026 The Labour government is handing control of London’s suburban rail to Great British Rail instead of TfL because they’ve seen how badly Sadiq Khan has mismanaged the tube, says Thomas Turrell GBR – Great British Rail. You’ve heard of it, you’ve probably seen the Union flag livery it’s going to be coated in, and you’re [...]