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 [...]
Green spending has become a stalemate between the Treasury and private capital October 25, 2021 If a four-pack of toilet rolls costs £2, but an eight-pack costs £3.5, is it sensible to keep buying the smaller pack? What if you want a pack that costs more, say £10? You’ve only got £2, but your better-off flatmate has £8. They’ll spend if you do, but won’t if you don’t. Is it [...]
Senior KPMG partner responds to Sadiq Khan’s COP26 call for London to get more powers October 22, 2021 Anna Purchas, a senior Partner at KPMG in London, wrote to City A.M. today as she responded to our article ‘Sadiq Khan will use the upcoming COP26 to vouch for cities like London to have greater powers and funding.’ Dear City A.M., I read with interest that our London mayor Sadiq Khan will use the upcoming [...]
Analysis: Sunak’s wiggle room for spending in the Budget is closing in on him October 22, 2021 Next week’s budget and spending review’s tax and spend decisions will determine the government’s economic policies for the rest of this parliament, and the amount that departments have to spend. The spending pressures on the chancellor are intense. However, Rishi Sunak’s room for manoeuvre may well be narrowing. Sunak has already faced down the biggest [...]
Opinion-in-brief: Zuckerberg’s rebrand could give Facebook a new lease of life October 22, 2021 It’s easy to see why Zuckerberg would be keen to introduce a new name to the Facebook group given that the social platform is only the tip of the iceberg. It’s the storefront money maker that finances an entire ecosystem of projects. At present, Facebook sees itself as a tech company, yet consumers don’t really [...]
Britain’s foreign policy rests on a new incarnation of the ‘Anglosphere’ October 22, 2021 Exactly twenty years ago I was one of a very small group of people to formulate the concept of the Anglosphere in international relations. It found that seven out of 10 of the world’s freest economies were former colonies of an eighth. For better or for worse, Bahrain, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, [...]