National Insurance hikes for social care are a reverse Robin Hood picking the pockets of the young and poor September 4, 2021 The Health Secretary Sajid Javid is pushing for a 1% to 2% rise in national insurance to fund social care and the NHS. The Cabinet are reportedly split on the size of the increase, but not on the idea itself. A manifesto-breaking tax rise of some proportion is expected to be announced next week. The [...]
Amazon’s department store incursion onto the high street will force retail to transform September 3, 2021 Last month, it was reported Amazon was looking to open a chain of large department stores. The online shopping behemoth has always had a reputation for disrupting the high-street, keeping bricks-and-mortar stores and traditional retailers on their toes with a tireless ability to reinvent itself. These are not Amazon’s first in-real-life stores. It already operates [...]
A carbon tax will allow capitalism to save the climate September 3, 2021 The Extinction Rebels are back at their barricades. This week, they smashed windows at JP Morgan’s offices and blockaded London Bridge. Speaking to LBC in the aftermath, Sadiq Khan worried they are alienating the public from their cause. They are certainly an uncompromising lot. Arla, the milk-maker, was a target of their ire. Even the [...]
Whitehall’s patchy record on tech is letting down Britain’s innovative spirit September 3, 2021 The UK is a hub for innovation, yet the government has a patchy record when it comes to the implementation of technology. We are living in an increasingly integrated world and, at least in the realm of international trade, it is essential we have a clear strategy for areas such as the digital economy. The [...]
Britain and India have a wealth of historical ties – now is the time to make it a 21st century partnership September 2, 2021 India has huge growth potential which is yet to be fully realised by UK businesses. Despite the historic ties, the large Indian diaspora in the UK and our familiarity with its food and festivals, India has not received the attention it deserves. There are, of course, hurdles to closer ties between the two nations, but [...]
Al fresco dining in London should be a staple part of an innovative hospitality industry September 2, 2021 London may have had its worst summer weather in a decade but it has nonetheless been one of the best when it comes to al fresco dining in our capital. The sights and sounds of our city streets packed with people catching up with much missed family and friends this summer has been genuinely heart-warming, [...]
Sadiq Khan vs Boris Johnson: it’s time to reset the relationship between the Mayor and No10 September 2, 2021 Being Mayor of London is a powerful political role. Elected to office with the second biggest direct mandate in Europe after the President of France, your name is on the ballot of every single voter in the city, and you are a one-person executive. As a voice for London, with huge convening power, mayors can [...]
Labour shortages make light work of fears of a post-Brexit unemployment surge September 1, 2021 In the two decades before the Brexit referendum, there was a large increase in the number of people moving from the EU to the UK. In the mid-1990s there were less than one million EU citizens living in the UK. By the mid-2010s, this had risen to 3.6 million. The bulk of the increase came [...]
While the lunatic fringe of Extinction Rebellion wages war on itself, the City does the green heavy lifting September 1, 2021 To Extinction Rebellion’s list of enemies – of whom there are now so very many – we can now add the giant panda. You might have thought that the endangered bamboo-bothering bear was an example of the dangers of environmental change. After all, there’s no question that human behaviour has led, in part, to their [...]
Even entertaining a nappy tax exposes No10’s muddled plans for plastic waste and climate change September 1, 2021 When I saw the front page of the Daily Mail over breakfast this morning, I nearly choked on my Shreddies. It’s possible George Eustice did, too, given his department rapidly denied today’s headlines that government is contemplating a levy on disposable nappies. Perhaps someone in Whitehall got the wrong end of the stick. Considering Ministers’ contempt for [...]