Opinion-in-brief: Britain’s businesses need tech to succeed September 23, 2021 For Britain’s 6 million small businesses, simply surviving these last two years has felt like winning. The challenges have been ceaseless: retaining staff, serving customers digitally, managing cash flow across multiple lockdowns. These have been heavy burdens to bear. But they have fought to keep their businesses afloat. Nearly two thirds watched their revenues fall [...]
The tale of Big Tech’s reckoning was spelled out by Rockefeller’s downfall September 23, 2021 The Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter described an effective free market as a “gale of creative destruction”. Old companies and outdated ideas would be cast aside by the market’s pursuit of the new, and the consumer would be the winner. It is little surprise then that incumbents tend to do all they can to arrest the [...]
Housing take two: Is Michael Gove ready for the test? September 23, 2021 Earlier this month, Boris Johnson’s took a sledgehammer to his cabinet. In the reshuffle Michael Gove took up the gauntlet as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, after Robert Jenrick was sacked following a series of blunders. It’s a tough remit. Where we live is not just about square footage: it shapes who [...]
Editorial: The Special Relationship needs shared goals more than a trade deal September 23, 2021 So the prospect of an all-singing, all-dancing Broadway show of a trade deal with the United States has been . After three prime ministers, as many presidents and a whole lot of grandstanding, Boris Johnson has been forced to admit it was more an ambition than a geopolitical reality. During the Prime Minister’s time with [...]
A tale of two cities: I love London but I need it to embrace diversity and love me back September 23, 2021 I love London unconditionally. It is my home and it fills me with pride when I say I’m a Londoner. But I’d like this thriving democracy to look into its black and ethnic communities and find the diversity of its history. I grew up in Hackney and Dagenham. Leaving aside the “Dagenham is Essex” debate, [...]
Bank of England’s reputation is at stake in the interest rate tragicomedy September 22, 2021 Misplaced expectations often lead to wasted time. Pip, Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot, and even England fans crying out for the arrival of Jack Grealish during Euro 2020. These stories teach us that banking on something to happen can lead to opportunities going amiss. The Bank of England could be lumped into that group [...]
West Midlands’ transport system will follow London’s lead September 22, 2021 While Westminster was abuzz with all the reshuffle gossip last week, my eyes were immediately drawn to the renewed focus on the levelling up agenda. With a new high-profile cabinet minister in place and a re-named department, it is clear the Prime Minister is intent on delivering the vision he laid out in his speech [...]
Boris Johnson’s endurance on immigration will be put to the test by labour shortages September 22, 2021 I always loved interviewing Stuart Rose. He was great company and if you stayed quiet long enough after asking a question, he’d give you a quote that made his press officers wince. Unfortunately for the former M&S chief, his honesty caused his downfall in Westminster when – as a Remain supporter during the Referendum campaign [...]
Whitehall needs to butt out of businesses’ rules on home working September 22, 2021 Good news, British workers! If you want to work flexibly, by adjusting your hours or working from home, then a consultation document due to be published on Thursday may give you the right to request it from day one. If an employer dares deny it, they’ll need to explain why and suggest an alternative working [...]
Editorial: Transport for London needs a funding model fit for a modern capital September 22, 2021 On the tube, mind the gap is supposed to be a cautionary warning for absent-minded tourists. Alas over the course of the pandemic it’s become something rather more serious – a constant, if pithy, reminder of the black hole at the heart of Transport for London’s finances. London is a great global city, but the [...]