Investment slump amid higher interest rates risks finally sparking UK recession June 6, 2023 A mix of factors are buffeting the UK economy right now. Spending power is being crushed by high inflation eroding family finances. House prices are coming off their heady heights as sellers drop prices to source buyers amid higher mortgage rates. External demand is thinning in response to weak consumer confidence amid a global cost [...]
We need a good dose of optimism in our politics – especially about climate June 6, 2023 Voters want more optimism in our politics - especially when it comes to climate - even if it can feel un-British. Younger voters especially are much more optimistic than our politicians, writes Adam Hawksbee
London deserves a mayor who champions hospitality for both residents and tourists June 6, 2023 London is a city steeped in history, from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace. It has been the home to thespian greats who have performed in venues in the West End and in Shakespeare’s Globe. It’s also the major European city with the highest number of green spaces. If culture isn’t for you, then [...]
The CMA decision to block Microsoft’s Activision deal could cost us dearly in the UK June 6, 2023 The CMA decision to block Microsoft from acquiring Activision could be detrimental in the long-run: it could scare off other companies who will choose to set up shop elsewhere, writes Jason Chapman
Explainer: What’s behind a potential price cap on essential food June 5, 2023 Now, it’s been so long it’s almost hard to remember when it started, but the price of pretty much everything has been going up in the UK for months on end. Food was always the most painful item area to go up in price – with the “eat or heat” tragic dichotomy predominating last winter. [...]
The Covid-19 inquiry should be a battle for Johnson, not for the Cabinet Office June 5, 2023 With the Boris Johnson Covid-19 inquiry saga, the Cabinet Office picked the wrong hill on which to die. Its fight with the inquiry poses questions about morality and transparency, writes Eliot Wilson
We won’t reach a climate solution without all our partners in Asia – including China June 5, 2023 To reach climate solutions, especially involving financial services, we need to engage with all Asian countries - including China. Without a dialogue with big emitters, we won't achieve the results we want, writes Nicholas Lyons
A healthy motor industry for the UK needs gigafactories like the one Tata will build June 5, 2023 The Tata gigafactory could be an opportunity to reflect on what the government should and shouldn't do to support the vital, but hard-pressed, British motor industry, writes Geoffrey Owen
Succession: CMA would block a Waystar merger just like Microsoft – and it hurts Britain June 2, 2023 No spoilers, I promise. Succession builds towards its climax. Logan Roy, played by a full tilt Brian Cox, is trying to finalise a merger between his media conglomerate Waystar Royco – a hybrid of News Corporation and Disney – and the up and coming tech business GoJo. Imagine the final scenes. Months of globe-trotting negotiations [...]
Explainer: The British circus around Europe to strike migration deals June 2, 2023 Not many people would expect to spend their Friday morning scrolling through Robert Jenrick’s Instagram account. For those who don’t know him, he’s the Minister for Immigration, Suella Braverman’s right-hand man. Jenrick doesn’t like migration very much – and has made that clear through various statements of various tastelessness. He claimed that “uncontrolled migration threatens [...]