Opinion-in-brief: Legislation won’t solve the Facebook problem October 26, 2021 Whistleblower Frances Haugen has revealed troubling details about Facebook’s algorithms and how they foster a polarised environment. While there is a compelling moral case for regulating these harms, legislation will not solve the problem.Facebook already prohibits a wide range of content that is legal but offensive to users. The company uses algorithms to sort through [...]
Letters: making it through the winter October 26, 2021 [Re: Budget 2021] We still need to see strong support for the nation’s 6 million small businesses coming through in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. There has been unprecedented support, yes, but withdrawing this now, all at once, would be a potentially damaging mistake. Firms face a tough combination of higher supply chain costs, higher energy [...]
Editorial: Facebook needs to change to win friends back October 26, 2021 Move fast and break things was once the defining force behind Facebook’s success, but perhaps Mark Zuckerberg may reflect that the mantra was supposed to be about technological innovation – not the social fabric that holds us together. Let’s be clear: Facebook is in a lot of trouble. Regulators are gearing up for a fight, [...]
If Sunak’s budget delivers for financial services, they can deliver for the globe October 26, 2021 At Conservative party conference, the Chancellor promised to deliver an economy based on “good work, better skills and higher wages” and embrace “the agility, flexibility and freedom provided by Brexit”. This will create a dynamic, high-tech economy. Financial services are critical to delivering this ambition. The engine of the UK economy has not only withstood [...]
The cities of the world will give us the entrepreneurs to solve the climate puzzle October 26, 2021 Investment in climate tech companies has increased five-fold since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. This year, there has been venture capital investment in climate tech than in all of 2020. That’s good news – but it’s not enough. Cities have questions to answer for their role in creating pressures on the climate – [...]
Devolution to the regions will power a new industrial revolution October 26, 2021 Ahead of Cop26, the UK has a lot to be proud of on its climate change record. We have shown that climate action can go hand-in-hand with economic growth – as the recent Net Zero Strategy demonstrates. We are making important progress, but we need to make more. Regions like the West Midlands must be [...]
Opinion-in-brief: The perils and profits of rockstar chief executives October 25, 2021 Something strange is happening in boardrooms. Chief executives are stepping into the limelight. Gone is the stereotype of an austere workaholic, replaced by a trendy go-getter who’s just as comfortable pouring over an Excel spreadsheet as they are curating their Instagram feed. There are two prime examples of the archetypal rockstar CEO. Elon Musk went [...]
Trevor Phillips: British history is altered by tearing down statues, not via ‘due process’ October 25, 2021 The tearing down of statues, renaming of streets, and the changing of school curricula without “a rigorous and non-partisan approach” is increasingly altering British history, broadcaster Trevor Phillips warns this morning. A paper written by Phillips and released by the Policy Exchange think tank today claimed there was a “growing trend to alter public history [...]
Rishi Sunak is risking his Conservative credentials if he ignores business rates October 25, 2021 For anyone who watches economic policy, reforming business rates seems rather like changing the House of Lords: everyone agrees it’s absolutely vital, the system needs to be modernised to enhance our productivity, but no one away from the think-tank fringes actually wants to get involved. The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, promised in March 2020 to review [...]
Voter turnout in the City’s local elections will reflect the diversity of the Square Mile October 25, 2021 Over the centuries, the City of London has always adapted to remain a world-leading business ecosystem. The Square Mile is today once again at a crossroads and needs you to help shape its future. We must rise to at least three big challenges: recovery from the pandemic, the UK’s exit from the European Union and [...]