We’re not reliving the 1970s yet, but today’s decisions will keep us out or drag us back June 22, 2022 In the current wave of discontent, rail unions, along with teachers, NHS and other public sector unions, are asking for increases which match inflation. They are still, just about, in single figures and a long way from the 20 per cent-plus of 1975. But only eighteen months previously, at the end of 1973, inflation had still been in high single figures.
Transport for London’s haphazard funding model must now be made fit for the future June 22, 2022 SINCE the pandemic wiped out much of Transport for London’s fares income, London’s transport network has faced an existential crisis. The Elizabeth Line’s opening was a rare upbeat moment in a miserable couple of years of uncertainty for the city.
Letters: Strikes are on all our heads June 22, 2022 [Re: Time for some leadership not just rhetoric amid industrial unrest, yesterday] Whilst I agree with the general tone of the piece on the rail dispute, It should be noted of course that much of the £16bn that was pumped into the railways was in order to keep a significant level of service running which [...]
Explainer-in-brief: What Macron’s losses in parliament mean for France June 21, 2022 French President Emmanuel Macron finds himself in an unenviable position this week, as he starts picking up the pieces after an extraordinary defeat in the parliamentary elections. With a slim majority of 245 seats, it won’t be easy for the government to introduce any groundbreaking policy. Right-wing leader Marine Le Pen, who was defeated at [...]
To turbocharge our own EV revolution we must ensure affordability for all June 21, 2022 The starting cost of a brand-new Nissan LEAF, the electric vehicle launched at Nissan over a decade ago, is just shy of £30,000. For roughly the same price, you can pick up a used Aston Martin DB9 with around 50,000 miles on the clock. Of course, we are comparing apples with oranges, but it highlights [...]
Risk-averse investors need a bit of bravery to prove the UK is fertile soil for tech firms June 21, 2022 Are you a glass half empty or half full sort of person? What about when it comes to investing? With surging inflation, struggling economies, and slumping share prices, you would be forgiven for saying the former. But before we all become too pessimistic, it is important to remember that these are market issues – not [...]
An online sales tax would be a small hassle for Amazon, but a hard blow for our shops June 21, 2022 The Treasury is considering whether to introduce an online sales tax (OST) as a “means to rebalance the taxation of the retail sector between online and in-store retail”. A decision is expected in autumn – probably as part of the Chancellor’s Budget. If the government has any sense, it will run a mile from taking [...]
Letters: Our chance to shine June 21, 2022 [Re: Brexit offers opportunity to unlock City’s potential, MPs say, June 16] Results of the report published by a cross-party group of MPs last week provide the best Brexit-related news in a while. Now London must deliver on its potential to cast off the regulatory shackles and reinvigorate its global reputation as a centre of [...]
Explainer-in-brief: what difference would agency workers make in the rail strikes? June 20, 2022 The biggest rail strikes in thirty years kick off this week. The government has been unable to conduct successful negotiations with the rail union RMT and is now scrambling to look like it’s doing something. Last week, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps suggested agency workers might be brought in to replace rail staff during the strikes. [...]
The disarray of Johnson’s government exposes a disdain for Britain’s rules June 20, 2022 When Christopher Geidt joined the Royal Household in 2002, he could scarcely have imagined that he would, two decades later, be front-page news. Yet that is what happened last week: Lord Geidt’s resignation as independent adviser on ministers’ interests was the political story of the week, and its implications are still emerging. What does it [...]