Ballooning infrastructure costs could be quelled if Whitehall embraced clear data October 4, 2021 Infrastructure is one of the government’s latest passions. It could be, in ministers’ eyes, a foundation for Global Britain and a way out of the economic decline that Covid-19 has brought in its wake. We have a National Infrastructure Strategy, and the prime minister, announcing it last summer, admitted it sounded “positively Rooseveltian” and pledged [...]
UK talent pools will run dry without easier immigration October 4, 2021 The UK’s credentials as a leading global financial centre are undisputed. Our time zone, language, and regulatory system all contribute to this unrivalled status. Over the centuries the sector has combined tradition with innovation and shown openness and willingness to change and adapt. This has made the Square Mile an attractive arena with unique strengths [...]
Opinion-in-brief: Boohoo makes a bid for the Land of the Free October 1, 2021 Boohoo is a great example of how moral pronouncements don’t always match behaviour. While shareholders have criticised the workhouse chic of the clothier’s factories, it has not made a dent in consumers’ appetite for fast fashion. Yesterday’s revenue numbers show that trend isn’t changing, with an almost ten-fold increase in sales and operating profits in [...]
Instagram Kids exposes the fallacy of Big Tech’s self-regulation October 1, 2021 “Who watches the watchmen?” asked the Roman poet Juvenal. To Big Tech watchers, the question is simpler: have the watchmen been watching at all? Technology is remarkably under-regulated. For years, regulators blithely waved through a series of mega-mergers, failing to act for lack of proof that free products can harm consumers. Meanwhile, a single piece [...]
Just-in-time supply chains have left us dependent and with just-not-enough October 1, 2021 In the peak of the pandemic, songwriter Justin Vernon, known as the haunting voice of Bon Iver sang a searing lyric: “You at the corner store, you were stocking up before the storm.” As we watched hours of queues at petrol stations, we were reminded once again it was those who had filled up their [...]
Small businesses will bear the burden of climate costs and reap few rewards September 30, 2021 Climate is Covid on steroids, so says Mark Carney, the former Governor of the Bank of England. While the world has grappled with, and seemingly started to defeat, this coronavirus pandemic, the next challenge is going to be even harder. The upcoming Cop26 conference in Glasgow is a bellwether moment for the fight against global [...]
Editorial: A decent Labour opposition can be good for the Tories, too September 30, 2021 In December 2019, this newspaper ran an editorial which – in no uncertain terms – said that a Labour party led by Jeremy Corbyn didn’t deserve your- our readers – votes. The party had descended into a pit of anti-semitism, infighting and backstabbing. If Theresa May once warned the Conservatives they had become seen as [...]
British banks in Hong Kong have traded away their principles September 30, 2021 Hong Kong has been a crucial economic gateway between East and West for decades. As one of the biggest markets in the world, the city has punched well above its weight on the international business stage. With recent political and social upheaval and repression, however, that reputation is changing. Despite a shift in the global [...]
Labour conference: Now comes the hard part for Keir Starmer September 29, 2021 Fourteen heckles, seventeen standing ovations and 90 minutes of Sir Keir Starmer speaking about tools, looms and robotic exoskeletons. That was how the Labour conference ended today, with a speech that finally finished the Corbyn-era and put the party back on the long road to government. Let us not forget that last year’s conference had [...]
Let’s talk Aviva: Smaller but richer insurance firm is looking to grow again September 29, 2021 It has been an interesting couple of months for insurance firm Aviva. The City giant sacked its fund manager and was dragged into a leasehold agreement affair it had hoped to avoid. Nevertheless, following a year of cutting costs and selling foreign assets, Aviva feels confident about the future. The company is firmly on investors’ [...]