COP26 one week down: Optimists and cynics on the climate summit’s progress so far November 8, 2021 The first week of the climate summit has brought some major commitments but critics say they are just more hot air. A range of high-profile climate activists have already labelled COP26 “a failure” but other voices are warning their message of doom could be as bad as denying climate change altogether. Here is a guide [...]
University students could be key to solve the hiring crisis November 8, 2021 As the UK hopes for a more normal Christmas this year, businesses fear they’ll be left understaffed as job vacancies total over one million. Companies are scrambling to solve the short-term hiring crisis with various incentives, but a long-term solution could be the under-utilised workforce of hundreds of thousands of students. Students tend to have [...]
Letters: We need your help, Sajid Javid November 8, 2021 [Re: Backbench Business Debate, 4th November] Three years ago, the then Home Secretary Sajid Javid took steps that saved my daughter’s life. Now I need his help again. My daughter, Jorja, was born with a severe form of epilepsy, which left her suffering more than 30 seizures a day. She was admitted to intensive care, [...]
Editorial: Time to up MPs’ pay to attract the best and the brightest (yes, really) November 8, 2021 The argument to increase MPs’ pay is perhaps not best made in the immediate maelstrom of a good-old-fashioned Tory sleaze scandal. But the Owen Paterson affair – in which the MP resigned after a most extraordinarily chaotic 24 hours last week – does point, perhaps, to something more substantive. Put simply, becoming an MP is [...]
Clear targets are needed to make the Square Mile a more inclusive workplace November 8, 2021 If you take a walk through the Square Mile’s streets you will see people coming together from a range of backgrounds, and will hear a vast spectrum of accents and languages. This diversity and openness are major assets for the City. They help create a melting pot of different ideas, encouraging innovation and an entrepreneurial [...]
Letters: SMEs need cash for climate November 5, 2021 [Re: Small businesses look to Cop26 for fiscal support, 2nd November] The Federation of Small Business (FSB) report stated SMEs want more financial support and policy to help them become more sustainable. We agree, but financial products that marry both commercial competitiveness and ESG-related benefits have not been forthcoming. Not addressing this could derail the [...]
China’s coal addiction is an obstacle to real progress on climate change November 5, 2021 China’s love affair with coal has drawn the chagrin of the West. The most fitting analogy for coal and China is one where coal dependence is an ex from which Chinese officials just can’t quite let go. When the going gets tough, coal is a reliable fallback. Despite knowing better, China’s leaders never seem to [...]
NFTs could be the inclusive solution to the modern problem of digital ownership November 5, 2021 Though first conceived in 2015, the year when non-fungible tokens (NFTs) truly became a mainstay of the tech zeitgeist is 2021. Rarely a week passes by without major news of the latest star to invest on an eye-watering sale. September closed with news that the viral meme “Side Eyeing Chloe” sold for $75,000. Photoshop recently [...]
Back to basics: Why Tesla is not like Google and Apple, and it will never be November 5, 2021 Tesla’s market value broke the $1tn mark on 25th October, turning the car-maker into the sixth company to join that exclusive club together with Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and briefly Facebook. But it is so easy to get caught up in the hype that we sometimes forget basic economics. Many commentaries have been outlining “Tesla’s [...]
Editorial: Bank marched markets up the hill – it can’t be angry they were disappointed they were told to go back November 4, 2021 Bank of England governors have a recent history of not always delivering it comes to guidance. Famously, former Bank chief Mark Carney was labelled an “unreliable boyfriend” for routinely failing to deliver on his words. Current boss Andrew Bailey seems to be eyeing up Carney’s crown after the Bank yesterday decided to hold rates at [...]