How the school fee hike is hitting Londoners hardest January 20, 2026 Means-tested bursaries are based on assets, not just income, meaning many Londoners who live in high value properties but don’t have much to spare are missing out, says Henry Vaughan Last year’s addition of VAT to school fees has taken its toll on parents and the independent school sector alike. Figures released by the Independent [...]
Financial services are not prepared for AI risks January 20, 2026 The Bank of England, the FCA and the Treasury must be proactive in protecting the system against this rapidly developing technology’s potential worst-case scenarios. If not, they are exposing the stability of the UK’s financial system to significant risks, says Meg Hillier It feels like discussion and debates about the AI revolution have reached fever [...]
Robert Jenrick was the last sign of life the Conservative party had January 19, 2026 In booting out her erstwhile rival, Badenoch may have won herself a day’s worth of positive headlines but has done deep damage to the Conservative Party. She has lost an effective media performer with a detailed policy brain and extensive government experience: exactly the sort of battle-hardened but repentant ex-minister Reform were crying out for, [...]
We are educating our children to be redundant in a digital world January 19, 2026 AI need not be our downfall. Used wisely, it can be the catalyst for a new age of human flourishing, if, and only if, we rise to the challenge of conscious leadership, says Anthony Seldon We hear regularly about the future of humanity being under imminent threat from environmental extinction, nuclear war (more threatening now [...]
Donald Trump won’t annex Greenland – this is part of his standard playbook January 19, 2026 Trump has a standard political playbook, and his Greenland threats are right on script, writes ex-US Embassy specialist Michael Martins.
U-turn on ID cards reveals a deeper flaw in Starmer’s Labour January 19, 2026 With his latest U-turn, Keir Starmer has taken a controversial policy which nonetheless had a substantial support base and made it deeply unpopular. It’s of a piece with his whole approach to government, says Eliot Wilson Last week the government announced – or perhaps admitted? – that the digital ID unveiled last year will not [...]
If the government is serious about growth it should approve Shoreditch Works January 19, 2026 Shoreditch Works will deliver new homes, jobs and beautiful buildings that will improve the neighbourhood – so why is a Labour council on the edge of Keir Starmer’s constituency set to reject it? Asks Nicholas Boys Smith Like it or not, some development is inescapably controversial. Wind turbines leering over a cherished landscape; ticky-tacky, could [...]
Rachel Reeves is acting like the mayor in Jaws – and small businesses are suffering January 19, 2026 The FTSE may be at an all-time high, but Reeves should not pretend all is calm when the waters are extremely choppy for small businesses, says Andrew Griffith Embattled ministers love good news to boast about on social media or in a TV studio, and this government’s most embattled minister, Rachel Reeves, is no exception. [...]
This is the City’s message for Davos January 19, 2026 The UK is committed to advancing shared priorities at the World Economic Forum, showcasing the City of London’s role as a leading global financial centre through key policy initiatives, leadership in green finance and AI, and significant economic contributions to the country, says Chris Hayward As 2026 gets underway, geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty continue [...]
Tories will become irrelevant if they keep losing in London January 16, 2026 If the Conservative party can no longer rely on the votes of the Yuppies of today, it will have to become a very different beast to have any chance of continued relevance, says John Oxley The year might have only just begun, but already London’s big political battle is on the horizon. May will see [...]