Covid changes could electrify entrepreneurial Britain, so let’s give SMEs the support they deserve June 16, 2020 We have always been a nation of small businesses. The UK’s 5.9m SMEs account for 99 per cent of all our businesses. They give us jobs, they’re a familiar neighbourhood face — and in the age of coronavirus, new Barclaycard and Enterprise Nation research has found that some are not only surviving, but getting ready [...]
I helped write the manifesto — and now our skills agenda is more important than ever June 16, 2020 With Britain now facing economic challenges that were inconceivable just a few months ago, it’s worth reflecting on some of the ideas we will need to spur economic recovery in today’s very different world — including from the manifesto we wrote before the December 2019 election. I remember vividly that collective sense of elation as [...]
How AI technology is leading the charge against Covid-19 June 16, 2020 The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has, until now, often been limited to specialised areas such as medical imaging and electronic health records. But with the Covid-19 pandemic introducing new, unexpected complexities for health systems to address, the benefits of AI are finally being realised in the mainstream. From helping us better understand [...]
DEBATE: Are shoppers ready to go back? June 15, 2020 Are Brits really ready to go back to the shops? Georgina Nelson, chief executive and founder of TruRating, says YES. While it would be hard to argue that there won’t be some degree of caution as non-essential retail opens its doors again this week, from the evidence we’ve seen, there is a desire to get [...]
Watch out for too much money — and the return of boom and bust cycles June 15, 2020 Money is growing at record rates in peace time the US, at least by modern standards. The quantity of money in the US (as measured by M3) rose by 7.5 per cent in April 2020. With further strong money growth in May, the annual rate of growth of money has shot up to a shocking [...]
A green light for sustainable investments June 15, 2020 The aftershock of the Covid-19 pandemic will be felt by the economy and our financial markets for years to come, despite the encouraging signs of businesses beginning to open up. Friday’s figures revealed that the economy contracted by 20.4 per cent in April, while the Office for Budget Responsibility recently warned that the crisis could [...]
With China’s mask off, the last days of Hong Kong are upon us June 15, 2020 There is something terrifying about watching freedom die. As a historian, whether contemplating the end of Athens, the last days of the Roman Republic, or the horrors of the French Revolution devouring its children, as a well-wisher to liberty I always feel an ineffable sadness as freedom is snuffed out. And that is precisely what [...]
The stage is set for the City to lead the post-Covid fintech revolution June 15, 2020 The 2008 global financial crisis marked a watershed moment for the financial services sector. For the global economy to recover, it needed to innovate. Investment in technology and its application across the entire financial system — what we now refer to as “fintech” — has since transformed the industry as we know it. Fintech will [...]
We now have a unique opportunity to end rough sleeping in London for good June 13, 2020 Where do we go from here? It’s a question many of us are asking ourselves, as lockdown measures are gradually eased and we start to move from dealing with the day-to-day impact of the pandemic to looking towards the longer-term future. For the nearly 1,400 rough sleepers who have been accommodated in London hotels, paid [...]
No more ‘Cinderella sector’ — we need to invest in further education for Londoners June 12, 2020 Like the rest of the UK, London’s economy has taken a body blow from Covid-19, with unemployment rising steeply and a widespread take up of the Job Retention Scheme (“furlough”). Some London industries have managed to stay active and engaged during lockdown, such as finance and business services, but a vast range — from accommodation [...]