Letters: Tech giants need to be flexible November 18, 2022 [Re: Elon Musk fends off daily losses with jobs and ticks, Nov 6] The latest series of lay-offs from Big Tech companies and Twitter show that the tech bubble is bursting. Many more businesses may follow suit. The pandemic called for companies to hire tech talent in swathes as they raced to adapt. That digital [...]
Explainer-in-brief: A housing crisis claiming lives November 17, 2022 The revelation that the death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020 was caused by extensive mould in his family house has rocked a nation locked in a permanent housing crisis. Giving a statement about this tragedy in Parliament yesterday, Secretary of State for Levelling up Michael Gove said that “every single person in this country, [...]
There’s no sugar for spending cuts, but we must avoid the salami slicer November 17, 2022 Later today, the UK’s chief financial officer, Jeremy Hunt, will share his plans to balance the books and keep the UK solvent or, at least, investable. Managers everywhere will find this relatable. Most of us have needed to reduce costs, whilst keeping the show on the road, during recent years of pandemic, followed by this [...]
Let’s be honest, we can’t blame today’s financial pain on Liz Truss’s mini budget November 17, 2022 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement is expected to contain a gloomy mixture of tax hikes and spending cuts. We will be told this is absolutely necessary to plug the fiscal hole left by the Truss government. The latest estimate is that the government is looking for up to £60bn a year by 2027-28. Last weekend [...]
London pays its way in the economy, Treasury needs to remember to pay us back November 17, 2022 After three prime ministers in as many months, it’s been hard to keep up with the government’s positions. Fracking, triple lock pensions, levelling up – out, in and out again – like a kind of policy hokey cokey. Today, at least, we will get some clarity on the fiscal plan of the new government, after [...]
Letters: Running away from the banks November 17, 2022 [Re: Computer says no: Frustrated businesses screaming for fresh cash struggle to get bank loans, Nov 15] As the cost-of-living crisis rumbles on, the computer says no attitude of the traditional banking system is causing huge issues for SMEs who need access to finance to survive and grow. When the going gets tough and businesses [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Rishi Sunak’s Great Wall of China November 16, 2022 Sunak is likely to pay more attention to the potential economic and trade benefits of a working relationship with China.
Appease the markets and his own party? Jeremy Hunt has a frightful task November 16, 2022 Tomorrow, Jeremy Hunt needs to deliver a plan that both wins the confidence of the city – and the financial markets – and is politically palatable. This comes off the back of a narrative which has converged around terms like “black holes” and “difficult decisions”. The emerging theme is that there is a gap in [...]
We’ve been using digital identities for years without impinging on our civil liberties or freedom November 16, 2022 I hate to break this news, but we have had digital identities in the UK for several years now.
Everyone wants a pay rise, but we will have to pay with cuts to jobs or services November 16, 2022 The nation seems to be in the grip of an epidemic of cognitive dissonance. Where is Matt Hancock when we really need him to impose a lockdown and save us from this menace? Two major events have put huge strain on the public finances. The pandemic led to government borrowing of some £400bn, around 20 [...]