Explainer-in-brief: Why the 1922 committee’s decisions matter July 7, 2022 The 1922 committee, the parliamentary group of Conservative backbenchers, will hold elections next Monday. Among those who are considering running there’s Steve Baker, Andrew Bridgen, Aaron Bell and others who have been critical of the prime minister in the past. All Tory backbenchers will be able to vote for the eighteen places on the executive. [...]
We are better off with a new leader than a Boris bunkering in No10 July 7, 2022 Governments, like children, are best seen and not heard. This administration has been in an almost permanent state of tantrum since day one. It is hard to conclude Boris Johnson has the power to lead his party, this government or the country. The second to last thing an embattled Britain needs is another leadership contest distracting from what could, with mismanagement, turn into a full-blown economic crisis, if it has not already done so.
Sink or swim: The peril of floating as an online media firm July 7, 2022 The excitement surrounding Buzzfeed’s IPO was palpable. It had a loyal following of millennials, millions of investment, and a private-market value of around $1.7bn (£1.4bn). Last summer, Buzzfeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti said the float was about “taking the next step in BuzzFeed’s evolution, bringing capital and additional experience to our business”. He said [...]
The bloodletting of Boris Johnson was a question of quitting before or after midday July 7, 2022 Whoever created the term the “Great Resignation” had likely not planned to be a soothsayer for Boris Johnson’s government but, if there are still any staff left in No10 this morning, they should offer their services as a superforecaster. Yesterday, five cabinet ministers resigned in one go, on one piece of paper, and that was [...]
Whoever leads the No11 regime must learn spending will only fuel inflation July 7, 2022 The year ends with a two. We have a Prime Minister who reset Britain’s relationship with Europe and has suddenly appointed an inexperienced Chancellor. The new regime in Downing Street now promises tax cuts in the face of high inflation. Am I mad, in a coma, or has the Tory Party travelled back in time? [...]
Sajid Javid’s speech is one for the history books for everything but its substance July 7, 2022 Sajid Javid’s resignation speech, delivered to a packed House of Commons yesterday, was, in truth, not very good. His language was leaden. Cliches abounded. Metaphors were mixed and invariably, to use George Orwell’s term, “dead”: so overused that they “have lost all evocative power.” The delivery too was poor. At the critical moment, the climax [...]
Letters: Property woes keep going July 7, 2022 [Re: Homeowners look to flog properties as UK house price growth slows, yesterday] The slight easing of the property market is a welcome sign for those who have been priced out during the relentless rise in house prices over the last few years. Likewise, the fact that homeowners with multiple properties are looking to sell [...]
Explainer-in-brief: World leaders, ranked by emission output July 6, 2022 In a world where we strive to live more sustainably, you’d expect world leaders to lead the way. Unfortunately, it seems like they can’t give up their private jets. And those tend to produce quite a bit of Co2 emissions. According to data from Pack & Send, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came in first [...]
Tax the childless? We need to build a country economically fit for families July 6, 2022 Last weekend, something unusual occurred – a demographics expert went viral. Not usually the purview of front-page news, a piece by Dr Paul Morland, of Oxford University, on how Britain could improve its falling fertility rate provoked accusations of Nazism and of treating women as incubators. Certainly, some of Morland’s suggestions were stupid, some even [...]
Universities follow perverse incentive models out of touch with the labour market July 6, 2022 THE days tick by to the summer ritual of the announcement of A-level results. Yet panic is already spreading among those wanting to start university in the autumn. The number of applicants has risen by 5 per cent this year, according to the university admissions service (UCAS). In addition, many universities are cutting back the [...]