Debate: Do Boris Johnson’s bumbles in his speech to business leaders really matter? November 23, 2021 Barry Johnston of Purpose Union says Yes The last time I heard someone talk about Peppa Pig and make car noises, it was my two year old nephew. It appears he’s now moonlighting as the Prime Minister’s speechwriter. As we are all repeatedly reminded, Johnson lionises Churchill, so it’s odd he is so cavalier with [...]
Mass sporting events help bring the UK together and trumpet our shared values November 23, 2021 Britain’s Roger Bannister beating John Landy in the so-called ‘Miracle Mile’ in Vancouver, Canada. Tanzania’s Filbert Bayi crushing the field by blasting out of the gates in the 1,500m in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Commonwealth Games certainly has form in creating history for people and places. Who will capture our imagination next year in Birmingham? [...]
Political drama has served as a distraction from the crises facing British businesses November 22, 2021 This last two weeks in many ways saw high political drama. A governing party that tried to rig the system so one of its own could continue in a second job that is clearly against the rules. The revelation that a sitting Conservative MP received £133m for test kits which had to be recalled. And uproar across our northern regions when a long standing political promise to deliver rail was outright broken. [...]
Channel migrant crisis and Priti Patel’s Australian obsession November 22, 2021 Last week, Priti Patel blamed freedom of movement within the European Union for the number of migrants crossing illegally into the UK from France. She was also careful to keep the French in her bad books, saying they were simply too under resourced to deal with the problem. The number of migrants making the perilous [...]
London needs to have the powers to control its own destiny – and transport November 22, 2021 It is no longer headline news that Transport for London is facing a financial crisis. Last week the mayor of London revealed the network needed £1.7bn over the next 18 months simply to balance its books, and at least £1.3bn every year to make essential upgrades on the Tubes, trains and buses. This summer, Tfl [...]
Close up the floodgates: It’s time to protect ourselves from the future’s rising water November 22, 2021 The highly anticipated Cop26 conference has finally finished and the thousands of delegates have returned home. But the real work on tackling the impacts of climate change is only just beginning. For the City of London, acknowledging our place in the world financially – as well as geographically, on the banks of the River Thames [...]
The private sector should step in to tackle homelessness November 19, 2021 This winter will be a perfect storm for homelessness, with rises in rent, energy and food prices . During the pandemic, the government provided temporary emergency relief for frontline homelessness. While the government is always liable, it is the private sector that is largely responsible for housing. Privately run housing associations have been providing the [...]
Supping with the devil: Germany must wake up about Nord Stream 2 November 19, 2021 As far back as the 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer put it very well in political risk terms when he said in “The Squire’s Tale” of Canterbury Tales, “He who sups with the devil should have a long spoon”. In mercantilist Germany’s case—where its foreign policy is all too often only an excuse for its export-driven [...]
It’s about time for Rishi Sunak to make his mind up on road tax for electric vehicles November 19, 2021 Britain is firmly on the front foot towards a transition to electric vehicles. Last week, as he unveiled a new design for charging stations, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he hoped they would become as iconic as the black cab. The government’s newly announced zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate will set electric vehicle sales targets [...]
A Churchillian answer to the Covid-19 debt: what we need is emergency consols November 19, 2021 The budget numbers are stark: taxes rising to their highest since the 1950s, government debt hitting 97 per cent of the national income, and that’s if we’re lucky. Much of the problem is down to the cost of pandemic measures—furlough, welfare, business loans and lower lockdown tax revenues—of around £550bn, equating to £20,000 for every [...]