Small business advisers, your country needs you July 9, 2020 Like a rallying cry in 1940s war-time Britain, thousands of the UK’s business advisers have been called up to do their bit for Britain’s small businesses as part of a timely initiative we are launching today. The national effort is asking accredited advisers to sign up and lend their expertise for an hour a month [...]
DEBATE: Is Rishi Sunak’s stamp duty holiday the right move? July 9, 2020 Is Rishi Sunak’s stamp duty holiday the right move? Clive Docwra, managing director of property and construction consultancy McBains, says YES. Raising the level where stamp duty tax kicks in to £500,000 is great news for the London property market. With the average cost of a home in the capital standing at close to £600,000, [...]
Five steps to put digital at the heart of Britain’s recovery July 8, 2020 If, at the start of this year, you’d have told me that I was going to celebrate my brother-in-law’s thirtieth birthday via Zoom, I would probably have asked you what Zoom was. I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that I would have ministerial meetings, museum tours and even makeup lessons on the platform. But the world [...]
The costs of lockdown could far outweigh the benefits July 8, 2020 Radical leaders such as Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand and Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland have gained plaudits through their relentless focus on eliminating Covid-19. But this comes at an obvious economic cost. Tourism is some 15 per cent of New Zealand’s GDP, and major destinations such as Queenstown in the Southern Alps have been devastated. [...]
How systemic risk is shaking the market’s foundations July 8, 2020 Adversity, like necessity, is the mother of invention. Firms are seeking novel ways to adapt to the challenges of Covid-19 and the likely increase of remote working even after the pandemic subsides. Some problems are easier to solve than others. In the easier category, new solutions are needed to replicate the spontaneous interactions that arise [...]
The idea that it is somehow grubby to care about the economy in the face of a global pandemic is nonsense July 8, 2020 Today, chancellor Rishi Sunak will make an announcement to the House of Commons about the shape of the government’s coronavirus support over the coming months. Sunak faces a tough choice as the country starts to open up while trying to keep infection rates as low as possible. There is no easy way out of the [...]
Small businesses are counting on Rishi Sunak for a jobs-first approach to recovery July 8, 2020 A cut to stamp duty? A drop in VAT? A cash incentive to take on apprentices? While we have seen glimpses of what today’s economic update from Rishi Sunak will hold — notably an ambitious support package for the arts sector and funding for traineeships — a great deal remains unknown. One thing we do [...]
DEBATE: Do we need a government rescue plan to save UK universities? July 7, 2020 In light of the new IFS report, do we need a government rescue plan to save UK universities? Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, says YES. It has been months since our own research identified a funding black hole for universities of around £2.5bn in income lost from tuition fees and [...]
Hail the micro-mobility revolution July 7, 2020 As an investor, whether you’re investing in established industries or cutting-edge tech, one of the first questions you ask yourself is: “What do we have to believe for this to be a success?” You have to believe there’ll be sufficient demand for a product; that the leadership team has the drive to go the distance; [...]
To avert an unemployment crisis, the government must act now and equip workers for the post-pandemic world July 7, 2020 Tomorrow, the chancellor will rise to make his economic statement with the country teetering on the edge of the worst unemployment crisis since the Great Depression. Around 10 million people face the possibility of losing their jobs. Clearly not all of them will, but as the furlough scheme unwinds, half of businesses say they expect [...]