Blocking the Microsoft and Activision deal leaves gamers – and the UK – out in the cold May 19, 2023 On Monday, EU regulators approved Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, leaving the UK and US alone in their choice to stall the deal.
Explainer: Who will pay £10bn to fix the sewage scandal? May 18, 2023 Imagine some multi-billion company was throwing untreated sewage into your local river, then got caught, said they were sorry, and asked you to pay to clean it up. Welcome to Britain in 2023. Water UK, the industry body for water companies, today apologised for all the raw sewage spillages, and committed £10bn to be spent [...]
The London Stock Exchange has now passed the zenith of its global influence May 18, 2023 In an effort to eliminate financial risks through regulation, we've also eliminated returns. The London Stock Exchange is suffering the consequences of such a risk-averse approach, writes Roger Clarke
Let’s be honest, China won’t beat the West as it ignores the problems on its home turf May 18, 2023 The absence of free speech and political accountability has an economic impact in China. Beijing will stay important, but it won't surpass the West, getting older before it gets richer, writes Matthew Lesh
Ministers don’t seem to want a competitive tech sector, just a feel-good hill to die on May 18, 2023 If you were hoping for legislative proposals, which, at the very least, are honest in what they think of themselves, last week’s paper released by the government entitled “smarter regulation”, was as lacking in humility as it was in political nous. If you think about smart motorways and smart meters and all the other things [...]
Explainer: Keir Starmer picks housing as his trump card May 17, 2023 Today Keir Starmer was on a mission to steal the spotlight from Michael Gove’s new laws on renters’ rights. As the Levelling Up Secretary was bringing his much-delayed Bill to Parliament, the leader of the Opposition was on a broadcast marathon to outline his plan for housing. “We’re gonna back the builders, not the blockers”, [...]
PMQs Sketch: Prince Harry, avenged by the Spare red-heads May 17, 2023 Oliver Dowden and Angela Rayner, both ginger, both second-in-command, faced off in Prime Minister’s Questions in an almost flirtatious double act.
Anti-protests laws and voter ID are a sure way to disillusion young Britons May 17, 2023 Protesting is a great way for young people to engage with democracy. If you take that right away, while making it harder for them to vote, you end up with youth disengagement, write Alastair Campbell and Maddie Smith
Artificial intelligence won’t destroy your job, just look at Octopus Energy’s use of AI May 17, 2023 Many worry that AI will steal our jobs. But just look at how Octopus Energy uses it, and you'll see that AI, like any other wave of innovation, also brings new jobs and opportunities, writes Paul Ormerod
If lawyers can ditch billable hours, we can get rid of the facade of time sheets at work May 17, 2023 The UK has a better chance of winning Eurovision than improving efficiency as long as we continue to be slaves of proving our worth by clocking our effort on time sheets, writes Simon Neville.