Working from home? You still need to dress to impress March 26, 2020 Chaps, if you’ve very recently begun working from home for some reason, you may be finding it difficult to adjust. The lack of shape to your day, the upsetting of your usual routine, can be disorientating. Sure, your initial idea that you’d be able to lie on the sofa in nothing but your briefs, dipping [...]
Coronavirus: The government’s job retention scheme needs some more tweaking March 26, 2020 With businesses ordered to close and workers to self-isolate, the government is attempting to protect the wages of those impacted to avoid them breaking quarantine to go job-hunting. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), which offers payments to affected workers of 80 per cent of income, capped at £2,500 a month, provides some security, but [...]
Debate: Are the emergency powers granted to the government in the Coronavirus Bill too long-lasting? March 26, 2020 Yesterday, the Lords passed the Coronavirus Bill, which gives the government never-before-seen powers in a bid to halt the outbreak. However, they will only be reviewed every six months. City A.M. asks whether this is too long-lasting. Yes, says Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch Emergency powers are needed – but with an emergency [...]
Coronavirus crisis is putting the public good back at the heart of commerce March 26, 2020 Conservative chancellors are not usually known for their inspirational quotes. Rishi Sunak, however, channelled the mood of the nation when he unveiled his bold package to tackle the coronavirus crisis. Ending his speech on a stirring note, he set out how history would judge our response, highlighting the acts of kindness and decency that would [...]
Coronavirus: Pursue profit at all costs or stand by your staff? The world has its eye on business March 26, 2020 How times have changed. It is remarkable to think that it was just eight weeks ago that business and political leaders from around the world gathered in the Alpine town of Davos. The 50th World Economic Forum was dominated by discussion of the climate crisis, global trade and artificial intelligence. US President Donald Trump declared [...]
Coronavirus: The tax questions facing those stuck in the UK March 26, 2020 Covid-19 is impacting everybody in one way or another, including those who were not expecting to be UK tax residents but now find themselves unable to leave the country. City A.M. asks Helen Jones, a tax partner at BDO, the key questions that need answering for those stuck in Britain during the pandemic. What residency [...]
With every crisis comes an opportunity, so what should a post-coronavirus UK work towards? March 25, 2020 The world is in crisis. All over the world, governments and businesses – and most importantly people – are slowly adjusting to a world that seemed implausible only a few weeks ago. Yet here we are. And if there is any certainty now, it is that we are unlikely to emerge from this to return [...]
Electric cars can transport Britain to a greener future March 25, 2020 As the UK lockdown begins, now is a chance to pause, to take a step back, and consider how our world moves forward when the Covid-19 crisis is over. Right now, we are all staying at home, but when we can travel once again, what does the future of transportation look like? Britain is still [...]
This pandemic may lead to more trade barriers, but is that such a bad thing? March 25, 2020 The current crisis dominates everything, from trade to everyday life. But, within a relatively short space of time, it will pass. What next? What will be the “new normal” after coronavirus? A key policy aim across the west for many decades since the Second World War was to reduce barriers to international trade. But it [...]
Debate: Is it appropriate for businesses to invoke a ‘wartime spirit’ during the coronavirus outbreak? March 25, 2020 As the coronavirus outbreak curtails practically every aspect of our daily lives, some have compared efforts to fight it to the fabled “wartime spirit” of World War II. Is this appropriate, asks City A.M.? Yes, says Rob Nowell, global marketing director at Edge by Ascential Around 80 years ago, World War II caused entire sectors [...]