DEBATE: Will the ban on Huawei technology benefit the UK in the long run? July 22, 2020 Will the ban on Huawei technology benefit the UK in the long run? John Longworth, director general of the Centre for Brexit Policy and chairman of the Independent Business Network, says YES. China represents a tiny percentage of UK exports and we are able, in the nick of time, to escape dependence on investment by [...]
Britain deserves a New Deal — with platform workers and digital rights front and centre July 22, 2020 Crises tend to reshape and transform how we work — and Covid-19 is no different. From the extraordinary rise in home working and the reorganisation of physically distanced workplaces, to the sharp rise in unemployment and the existential threat now facing many sectors, the consequences to life and work will long outlast the pandemic itself. [...]
Why you should read the small print on alarmist Covid-19 death projections July 22, 2020 Another day, another lurid, headline-grabbing number of deaths to expect from Covid-19. This time, it was a study from the Academy of Medical Sciences. A second wave, we were warned, could kill 120,000 this winter in hospitals alone. To be fair, this study was a projection rather than a forecast. A forecast is what is [...]
Social licence: How financial markets can switch focus and help solve humanity’s greatest challenges July 21, 2020 If there was ever any question as to whether we value human life more than money, the coronavirus pandemic has surely answered it. The protection of ordinary people, in this country and indeed in almost every country in the world, has come at an extraordinary economic cost. Yet only a minority of people have dared [...]
Hydrogen holds the keys to unlocking a zero carbon future July 21, 2020 Today, we should have been celebrating the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Following their postponement to 2021, the Games will make history for being the first Olympiad to take place outside of the four year cycle since the modern Olympics began in Athens in 1896. They will also make history for another [...]
DEBATE: With one in three of us wanting to keep working from home, is it too soon to urge Londoners back to the office? July 21, 2020 With one in three of us wanting to keep working from home, is it too soon to urge Londoners back to the office? Ben Kelly, a commentator for Reaction, says YES. For months we were told to stay at home and hide from the deadly virus. Unfortunately — for the government and our economy — [...]
The Boohoo scandal shouldn’t shock anyone — modern slavery is a pandemic July 21, 2020 No brand today should be “shocked and appalled” at what happens in its own supply chain, as fast fashion brand Boohoo recently claimed to be. To know so little about the sourcing, processes and practices involved in creating a product you sell should be a crime itself. Tales of UK-based sweat shops and modern slavery [...]
Left out in the cold: The company directors who have fallen through the cracks in the Treasury’s support schemes July 21, 2020 On Friday, the Prime Minister set out the latest steps towards reopening Britain’s economy, providing encouragement for many businesses. Combined with the chancellor’s promise earlier this month of a half-price lunch, the message appears clear: it’s time to get going and move the economy forward again. But as we do, the government should also take [...]
Keep shopping like you did during lockdown July 20, 2020 No, not stockpiling. Nobody wants more stockpiling. But in other ways, lockdown has changed how we shop for the better — and there are valuable lessons we should all learn from this period of disruption. Over the years we’ve grown accustomed to easy access to a huge variety of food. We’re not typically too concerned [...]
The road towards a greener, cleaner Square Mile July 20, 2020 As the UK starts to rebuild its economy in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, it is crucial that the plan is developed with tackling climate change at its heart. We need to shape a greener, fairer and more resilient City. And we want the whole Square Mile to play its part. That’s why last [...]