Breaking up the science department is a setback for Britain’s AI ambitions July 27, 2026 Spreading AI across four different departments is a mistake Andy Burnham will come to regret, says Eliot Wilson Last Tuesday, on his first full day as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham killed the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. That has set back the UK’s approach to science policy by several years, for reasons which are [...]
The City has the key that can unlock growth in every postcode July 27, 2026 Growth depends on a stable and competitive tax system, streamlined planning and proportionate regulation and the City will work with the new government to create those conditions, says Chris Hayward Now that the Burnham government is in place, the Prime Minister’s new Cabinet inherits a formidable set of challenges: regional inequality, stretched public finances, sluggish productivity and flatlining living standards. Addressing these challenges will require sustainable growth and unleashing entrepreneurial energy across the country. [...]
Bank regulation, not austerity, explains why Britain is poorer than America July 24, 2026 When it comes to Britain’s stagnant growth, we must first diagnose the root cause. That starts in the City, writes Daniel Freeman Britain has never really recovered from the Great Financial Crisis, and we will soon be entering our third lost decade of economic growth. Before 2008, the UK and US economies grew at an almost identical rate. Per [...]
OBR misery makes tax rises inevitable July 24, 2026 The OBR’s dire fiscal risks report portrays a world in which the only possible solution to Britain’s economic state is tax rises, says Emmanuel Igwe In ancient Greece, devotees trekked to Delphi to be told in ambiguous prose by the Pythia that chaos was nigh and only sacrifice to Apollo could hold off punishment. These [...]
From Mongolian camels to Tibetan verbs: the absurdity Ed Miliband’s aid spending plans July 24, 2026 Ed Miliband want to increase aid spending to 0.7 per cent of GDP, but the history of aid spending is one of waste, corruption and cost to taxpayers, says James Price Last year, a 23-year-old in Ulaanbaatar proposed to his girlfriend. There was a helicopter ride, an expensive ring, and designer handbags, all lovingly documented [...]
The 24-hour news cycle is ruining politics July 24, 2026 The relentless 24-hour news cycle and social media landscape have fundamentally altered political discourse by prioritizing quick, performative reactions over thoughtful deliberation, says Emma Revell If there’s one thing we can count on in the perma-crisis that is British politics, it’ll be that our screens will be filled with updates from weary political correspondents and [...]
Here’s how to fix London listings July 23, 2026 We need a whole of government effort to halt Britain’s companies falling prey to overseas bids, says Andrew Griffith Mitie’s takeover by rival facilities management group OCS marks the London Stock Exchange’s eleventh £1bn takeover so far this year. That’s before the Prologis bid for Segro. The cry will go up about the London Stock [...]
The physical capital paradox: why the best performing asset class is the least owned July 23, 2026 Investors are ignoring the superior performance of commodities despite their critical role in the AI buildout, says Jeff Currie The best performing asset class of this decade is also the most under owned. Since October 2020, when we first called for a decades-long super-cycle in commodities, the broad commodity indices like the S&P GSCI are [...]
Get ready for new energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh’s war on London’s drivers July 23, 2026 You may not have heard of Miatta Fahnbulleh, but she has a long history of writing bonkers papers for lefty think tanks proposing more low traffic neighbourhoods and ultra low emmissions zones all across London, says Arthur Reynolds If you thought Ed Miliband’s departure from the energy department marked the end of Labour’s eco-lunacy, I’ve [...]
On this day: the birth of Michael Foot July 23, 2026 On 23rd July 1913, Michael Foot was born. He would go on to become a Labour leader known for his eloquence, his rigid socialist ideology and his jackets. What lessons does his career offer for Andy Burnham? Asks Eliot Wilson Michael Mackintosh Foot was born on this day in 1913 in Plymouth. He would rise, [...]