Opinion-in-brief: Rishi is rich – he needs to stop pretending otherwise March 30, 2022 Rishi Sunak is, to put it simply, loaded. During the pandemic we chuckled at his £180 smart mug which kept his tea warm, we mocked him gently for his confessions-of-a-Peloton addict-style foibles. Many were a little taken aback when his wife, Akshata Murthy, headed to Loulou’s in Mayfair on the night after lockdown ended – [...]
Despite what we wish, there are no miracle economics Rishi can pull out of his hat March 30, 2022 The economic pressures now known as “the cost of living crisis” were at the core of the criticism of the spring statement last week. Those who once eulogised the Chancellor have now been selling their stocks of Sunak. While much of the commentary is unfair, politics is a trade in which the concept of fairness [...]
Chief execs in Boris Johnson’s position would fall on their sword for rule-breaking March 30, 2022 In the corporate world, there was a slightly different take on “party-gate” than the conventional wisdom of Westminster, which has waited for fines to be doled out to look again at allegations of wrongdoing during lockdowns. The invasion of Ukraine has, understandably, taken over as priority, but it should not be able to fly under [...]
Explainer-in-brief: The real showdown at the Oscars March 29, 2022 While all eyes were on the punch Will Smith served up to comedian Chris Rock, there was another brewing tension at the awards ceremony of the year. Apple and Netflix had been fiercely vying to become the first streaming service to win the Best Picture award, as the number of people turning to online platforms [...]
Letters: Open up OpenBanking, but do it well March 29, 2022 [Re: Competition watchdog to unveil open banking regulatory committee after fintech pressure] We’re glad to see the CMA has published new guidance on the future of Open Banking. It’s not so much a resolution, however, as it is a signal that we’ve entered a critical phase of Open Banking development. There are still fundamental issues [...]
Political stasis on energy policy will throw us further into the Dark Ages March 29, 2022 The foundations of our energy policy in Britain have been thrown into the spotlight as countries around the world look to unwind their reliance on Russia. Reducing oil dependency is a step in the right direction. But as the human, environmental and geopolitical costs spiral, what the UK needs now is a decisive commitment towards [...]
A snap legislative change to isolate P&O exposes the holes of employment law March 29, 2022 First came the heavy-handed sacking of 800 workers via Zoom. Then followed the unnerving performance of P&O chief exec Peter Hebblethwaite in front of a parliamentary select committee. The P&O saga has been a total mishap. Now, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has vowed to change the laws and make it illegal to pay employees below [...]
Nations allowing a deluge of Russian money are a threat to our global democracies March 29, 2022 In the month since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the West has come together to face what could be the greatest military crisis since the beginning of the Cold War. This has clearly wrong-footed Putin and the invasion has not gone according to his plan. This geopolitical explosion has been a long time in the making, [...]
Will Smith should get the sack – his violence wouldn’t be tolerated in an office March 29, 2022 It’s bizarre to think of Will Smith getting the sack. He probably doesn’t ‘need’ work in financial terms, so being let go has a lesser value for him than others, but nevertheless he should be booted out. Yesterday at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Smith physically assaulted Oscars host Chris Rock live on stage [...]
As supermarkets keep costs low, farming bears the brunt of inflation in the middle March 28, 2022 The British farming industry is facing a tumultuous future. The impact of high inflation coupled with the reverberations of the war in Ukraine has left farmers high and dry without access to crucial products. What insiders have termed an “unprecedented crisis” could cause radical change in the British farming sector – an opportunity for some, [...]