As Rishi wades through the cost of living crisis, static growth is waiting in the wings April 6, 2022 The short-term pressures on Rishi Sunak have continued to grow in tandem with the cost of energy and everyday essentials. Conservative MPs are increasingly panicked about being saddled with a label of being “high tax Tories”. But underlying all of this is a much more worrying phenomenon. Since the financial crisis of the late 2000s, [...]
London’s open economy was exploited by corrupt money, now we must make it our strength April 6, 2022 For centuries, London has been a haven for people fleeing persecution, war, famine, and other catastrophes. From the French Huguenots of the 18th Century to Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis, we have a strong and proud tradition in this city of welcoming, integrating, and supporting refugees. It is in London’s DNA and an integral part [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Macron gears up for the first hurdle of the election April 5, 2022 France will head to the first set of polls this Sunday, with Emmanuel Macron widely expected to be re-elected – but not without a challenge. He currently sits with a projected 27 per cent lead, followed by right-wing Marine Le Pen who has around 20 per cent, hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon with 15 per cent and [...]
Letters: Housing, interrupted April 5, 2022 [Re: House price growth hits highest level since 2004 with record average of £265.3k, March 31] New figures released by the Nationwide house price index defy premature predictions of slowing prices in early 2022. An increase in average house prices of 20 per cent in the last two years is a shocking figure which coincides [...]
Inflation is pushing prices up – but anticompetitive cartels could be too April 5, 2022 Tough times prompt more crime. It is a truism which, as usual, contains a measure of fact. Prices have been rising for months and a spike in fuel costs worldwide has created a perfect storm for cartel activity and prompted an unprecedented reaction from the world’s leading competition agencies. One major concern is companies taking [...]
Is the MBA going out of fashion? It might do if it doesn’t adapt for tomorrow’s tech kids April 5, 2022 Go to business school, get an MBA and take the fast track to success in finance or consultancy. It’s been a popular route for students and employers alike for decades, and in 2021 more than half of graduates took this path. But business students have begun to shun this, as the lure of working for [...]
As consumer confidence plummets, we face a cultural reckoning over British pubs April 5, 2022 In the months ahead, people across the country will be tightening their belts and doing all they can to maintain their quality of life despite rising costs all around them. So it wasn’t completely surprising when yesterday, PwC’s new consumer sentiment survey reported the steepest decline in consumer confidence since their tracking began, 14 years [...]
Letters: Digital VAT can be an opportunity April 4, 2022 [Re: Digitalisation of VAT for small businesses, April 1] The next phase of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT came into force on Friday, and it’s fair to say that not every small business will have welcomed it with open arms. Already facing a laundry list of challenges, they now need to comply with HMRC’s [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Behind the upcoming energy strategy April 4, 2022 As we brace ourselves for higher energy bills this month, the energy strategy is expected to finally come out this week. Boris Johnson has made clear that his juice of choice is nuclear, setting the goal of getting a quarter of the country’s electricity from nuclear power. Yet nuclear can’t be the only homemade source, [...]
As we cosy up to Qatar, the West must face the moral maze of the Middle East April 4, 2022 Last month I wrote about the prospect of Dubai challenging London’s place as a great global financial centre. But Britain’s delicate dance with the Middle East does not end there. The emerging relationship between Europe and the United States on the one hand and the oil-rich emirate of Qatar on the other poses a multitude [...]