As Britain embarks on a new trading chapter, the City is looking east July 13, 2020 The City of London’s international interconnectedness has always been fundamental to its success as one of the world’s leading financial centres. And with more than 250 foreign banks here employing tens of thousands of people, I welcome the recent easing of travel restrictions to and from the UK as another step towards the City’s Covid-19 [...]
An open letter to the PM: Britain must build Sizewell C — nuclear sits at the heart of a green recovery July 12, 2020 An open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, business secretary Alok Sharma, and chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak We are writing as engineers, nuclear experts, scientists and concerned citizens to applaud your commitment to fighting climate change through energy policy, in particular the commitment to proceed with new nuclear construction at the same time [...]
Nicola Sturgeon talks a good game, but Scottish independence would be a catastrophe July 10, 2020 For everything Boris Johnson does, you can be certain Nicola Sturgeon will announce something different. While Boris blusters, Nicola states clearly and simply why and how her policies to protect Scotland are going to happen. Where Boris is distracted, she is focused. She’s a highly effective politician, who misses no opportunity to distance Scotland from [...]
Lockdown Generation: Without support, young people face a health crisis as well as an economic one July 10, 2020 What do you remember about your first job? The friends and connections you made? The skills you learned? The feeling of being able to support yourself financially? It is well known that all these factors can shape our career trajectories. That they are involved in shaping your future health outcomes and development is less widely [...]
With its own Magnitsky Act, Britain can make it clear that international wrongdoers are not welcome here July 10, 2020 The new government sanctions regime, which has seen restrictions imposed on around 50 individuals accused of orchestrating human rights abuses, is a major step in Britain’s post-Brexit place in the world. Dubbed the “Magnitsky Act”, after the Moscow lawyer murdered after uncovering a massive tax fraud, this approach allows the UK to pursue a new [...]
The quiet crisis: IR35 and the UK’s forgotten freelancers July 10, 2020 In a crisis which has shaken so many aspects of our lives, it can be hard to get some issues heard above the noise. News that would once have made headlines seems to slip almost unnoticed under the radar. One such development was the quiet confirmation that changes to IR35 self-employed taxes will come into [...]
When it comes to government business support, one size does not fit all July 10, 2020 When it comes to getting noticed, unfortunately size does matter. There are millions of micro businesses (those made up of fewer than nine employees) across the UK, which play a crucial role in our economic health. In the months to come, their ability to be nimble will be vital in helping this country navigate through [...]
Boris Johnson must resist the urge to build, build, build back the same July 9, 2020 My (increasingly bushy) eyebrows raised somewhat last week when Boris Johnson stood in front of his podium with his latest three worder “build, build, build” and his promise to cut red tape around infrastructure – and raised even further when the chancellor promised to cut stamp duty during his economic statement delivered yesterday. It is [...]
We can’t rebuild an economy on half-priced meals — we need a productivity revolution July 9, 2020 If Joe Wicks or Couch To 5K have helped you shed a few pounds during lockdown, chancellor Rishi Sunak may have just undone all your hard work, tipping the scale in favour of eating out a lot more in August. For every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the Eat Out to Help Out scheme will entitle [...]
They’ve kept our shelves stocked, now it’s time to stand up for our seafarers July 9, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has been a desperately worrying time for many people all over the country, in virtually every sector. Thousands of lives have been lost and the global economy has been set back by many years. But there is another pandemic taking place behind the scenes — a hidden pandemic that may cause myriad [...]