Winter Olympics can show Britain how to start winning again February 19, 2026 Britain’s success in the Winter Olympics is a corrective to narratives about our decline – and hold lessons for funding our public services too, says John Oxley Narratives of Britain’s decline abound. From our stalling economic growth to our inability to build sufficient housing to our overwhelmed public services, all point to the country’s struggles. [...]
The FCA rule change everyone missed that could upend the mortgage market February 19, 2026 The FCA has set out a new, more pragmatic approach to affordability assessments that could open up the market, increasing competition and benefiting consumers and lenders alike, says Fernando Zandona Mortgages, and who provides them, have hardly changed in decades. The mortgage market remains one of the few sectors of UK financial services that seems [...]
If MPs can’t fix the Palace of Westminster, how will they fix Britain? February 18, 2026 The Palace of Westminster is a perfect mentonym for the state of Britain. It’s recognised and envied the world over. It’s both ceremonial and functional, ancient and modern. Like our democracy, it’s beautiful, but it’s also broken, infested with pests and at imminent risk of immolation in a ball of fire. Yet our entire political [...]
Dropping of post-Brexit trade border project will cost UK growth February 18, 2026 Scrapping plans for the single trade window, a post-Brexit project to make trading frictionless, is strategically short-sighted.
The Debate: Is working from home making us less productive? February 18, 2026 Nigel Farage has called for a nationwide "attitudinal change" over working from home amid sluggish UK productivity. Could he have a point?
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 [...]