Rishi Sunak needs to tell a story if he wants to keep a hold on the economy March 23, 2022 In an interview with the Sunday Times earlier this month, Gordon Brown gave a quote that was both reflective of his past failings and the challenge that lies ahead for Rishi Sunak. “I’m afraid we didn’t win the argument. You learn as you get older, or at least more experienced, that the facts are not [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Fuel duty cuts and road taxes will drive us forward March 23, 2022 In 2011, then-Chancellor George Osborne cut fuel duty by 1p and froze it. It has stayed at 57.95p per litre ever since. Now as motorists face the second petrol crisis in five months – after crucial shortages in October last year – Rishi Sunak is expected to cut fuel duty again in his spring statement. [...]
As Omicron sweeps through again, Britain has finally learnt to live with Covid-19 March 23, 2022 A huge third wave of Omicron cases is sweeping the country. This will be readily apparent in the everyday lives of many people. Family members have it, work colleagues have gone down, small restaurants and service businesses must close for a few days through staff shortages. According to the reliable Zoe Covid data produced by [...]
Editorial: The West wants a united front against Putin, but Germany and France have their limits March 23, 2022 It has become a truism to say that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has seen the west unite in ways that were unheard of even a few years ago. So the argument goes, countries across Europe and north America have rallied fast to the cause of freedom, no matter the consequences – spiking energy bills, [...]
In a bid to crack down on Big Tech, we cannot forget the small players and individuals March 23, 2022 A bill poised to erode free speech in both the UK and around the world was put before Parliament last week in the form of the long-awaited Online Safety Bill. The 225-page legislation proposes solutions for a wide range of online abuses, from child sexual exploitation to fraudulent advertising, while promising to hold Big Tech [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Boris Johnson hits the nuclear option March 22, 2022 Yesterday, Boris Johnson met with bosses from the nuclear industry to discuss the future of the sector. It was part of the Prime Minister’s bet on nuclear power, to phase out Russian gas and oil. This includes everything from small modular reactors to big power plants. As Johnson gets ready for the publication of the [...]
Going Nuclear: Can Boris Johnson really ramp up nuclear power? March 22, 2022 Nuclear power requires a clear strategy - with an established pipeline of funding - to contribute to the UK's energy strategy.
Letters: Give me an A for Aria March 22, 2022 [Re: Inbound boss of Cummings’ brainchild ARIA withdraws, March 17] The Government’s prized new innovation agency, ARIA, is off to a shaky start. Like most people in the UK’s R&D space, I was excited when the Government announced that they were launching ARIA. The initial plans certainly ticked a lot of the right boxes, with [...]
A ‘policy light’ spending review must still grapple with cost of living woes March 22, 2022 Chancellor Rishi Sunak wants onlookers to pay little attention to Wednesday’s spring statement. Policy-light has been the line from the Treasury. Very few have been tempted into believing the Chancellor will sit on his hands and Sunak’s announcements tomorrow are set to finally reveal his true preference for the level of state intervention in the [...]
Without private investment, the housing crisis will keep spiralling out of our hands March 22, 2022 In the UK there is a chronic shortage of new homes and a lack of capital to invest in making our existing housing more sustainable. Politicians and policymakers have been plagued by this in the UK and across the globe for years, if not decades. The government has an ambitious target of 300,000 new homes [...]