Health on the high street December 15, 2020 This year has presented a new set of challenges to the high street, which have the potential to change the face of this British institution as we know it. Even before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, recent years have seen hundreds of thousands of retail jobs lost and a huge number of much-loved stores [...]
Foreign aid isn’t charity, it’s an investment in our own prosperity December 15, 2020 When he announced his decision to cut UK foreign aid spending from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of GDP, chancellor Rishi Sunak, argued that the sum was hard to justify to the British people during a pandemic. In fact, it is not so hard. Aid is not charity, and its benefits are neither [...]
Why flexibility will hold the key to resolving the skills crisis once and for all December 15, 2020 Debates about skills in the UK have long ebbed and flowed, but there has been a steady trend towards dedicated funding and qualifications shaped to what employers say they need for specific occupations. This now includes the apprenticeship levy — a tax on large employers that can be recovered if they fund apprentices — and [...]
Sadiq Khan: London’s hard-hit businesses need more support in Tier 3 December 14, 2020 The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, responds to the news that London is set to enter Tier 3 restrictions from Wednesday. The Government has decided to move London into Tier 3 from one minute past midnight on Wednesday morning. This is incredibly disappointing for our businesses who have suffered so much already this year. But [...]
DEBATE: Should national exams in 2021 be cancelled? December 14, 2020 Emily Horton, fellow at Year Here and former journalist for The London Student, says YES If we want to avoid the further exacerbation of the already existing educational inequality gap, 2021’s GCSE and A-level exams should be cancelled. The pandemic has led to many of Britain’s poorest students missing out on as much as half [...]
We must all work together to stay safe and keep London out of Tier 3 restrictions December 14, 2020 With the festive period now underway and a Covid-19 vaccine being rolled out across the country, this feels like the light at the end of the tunnel for many people. I am proud to say that this includes some of the Square Mile’s older, most vulnerable residents, many of whom have endured a tough year [...]
Beyond Brexit, the EU is circling the drain December 14, 2020 The astronomer and prolific author Carl Sagan put it perfectly about the merits of analytical logic — what I often refer to as my superpower — when he said: “For me, it is far better to grasp the universe as it really is, rather than to persist in delusions, however satisfying and reassuring.” I am [...]
Why it’s too soon to scrap the office December 14, 2020 The fraction of the UK workforce currently working from home stands at around a third — far above pre-pandemic level of just five per cent. Productivity seems to have remained largely stable since the great shift to remote work. And it has proved popular with many workers, who have seen immediate benefits such as greater [...]
The 15-minute city: How to make London greener, cleaner, and more resilient December 12, 2020 2020 has been the year that has exposed how vulnerable our cities are. Living through lockdowns has brought to the fore issues which we have been sweeping under the carpet, particularly in London: lack of access to green spaces, distance to essential amenities such as shops, and the need for better pedestrian and cycling options. [...]
A year on from the election, Boris is ensnared in the classic Conservative leadership trap December 11, 2020 It seemed like all of Boris Johnson’s plans had come together. The Red Wall had tumbled, turning Labour heartlands blue for the first time in history. The Prime Minister would return to the Commons with 364 MPs backing him and his oven-ready Brexit deal. He had vanquished his own party rivals, outplayed a divided Commons, [...]