We need a carbon border tax to get Britain to net zero March 17, 2020 Later this year, the eyes of the world will be on the UK as it hosts COP26. While delegates won’t convene at the UN’s annual climate change conference until mid-November, the government needs to consider now how it can showcase leadership on climate action. The UK starts from a position of strength. In 2019, it [...]
We should hasten the shift from cash, not try to delay it March 16, 2020 Tucked away far down in the text of the Budget was a commitment that the government would protect access to cash and “ensure that the UK’s cash infrastructure is sustainable”. The fact that the UK could become cashless within a decade has caused alarm among some politicians and pressure groups, who have pointed out that [...]
Boris Johnson needs to deliver his own Mario Draghi moment March 16, 2020 At the start of a crisis, especially one as alien and as fast-moving as the Covid-19 pandemic, governments can count on a certain amount of public support. Quite a high amount, in fact, as has been born out by recent polling revealing high levels of approval for the government’s handling of things so far. But [...]
Our ability to overcome should never be in doubt March 16, 2020 We are being told to prepare for significant changes to our way of life. Within weeks, perhaps sooner, the government will require anyone over the age of 70 to stay in their homes. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, says that when the order comes it will last “for a very long time”, while Public Health [...]
Muppets with knives: Donald Trump and Christine Lagarde have turned the coronavirus crisis into an economic disaster March 16, 2020 “It is hard to soar with Eagles when you work with turkeys.” — Sam the American Eagle, Muppet. As everyone remotely connected with business and government knows, there is a great danger in advancing obviously overmatched people not up to the job. Promoting “muppets” (which, with apologies to Kermit the Frog, is the nickname we used [...]
You’re not the boss of me: Dissecting the aggressive trademark tactics of Hugo Boss March 16, 2020 One of the most critical assets of every company is its brand. In fact, it is so important that the brand value of a company can be greater than its stock market valuation. Since the late nineties, an increasing number of successful companies have been “brand-led” — the concept that the character of the company [...]
Disney’s streaming push is about more than subscriber numbers March 16, 2020 With Disney Plus launching in the UK — and in other European markets — debate rages as to whether we will see the rise of a “Netflix killer”, and which brand will emerge as the ultimate winner. Streaming services have been enjoying their moment in the sun. In the leading US market, subscriber rates for [...]
DEBATE: Is the EU’s approach to regulating artificial intelligence misguided? March 16, 2020 Is the EU’s approach to regulating artificial intelligence misguided? James Lawson, chief AI evangelist at DataRobot, says YES. Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming society for the better. We’re using it to improve services and save lives. Applications range from fighting fraud to preventing forest fires and creating new medicines. The EU’s desire to be the [...]
The sleep conundrum: The UK’s other health crisis March 16, 2020 The UK population is facing a new sort of crisis — and no, this is not Covid-19, but the sleep conundrum. With two thirds of the UK working population struggling with poor sleep, research from Rand reveals that UK employers are losing up to £40bn and over 200,000 working days per year. While this is no [...]
A levelling up agenda cannot afford to overlook the UK’s beating financial heart March 16, 2020 With the strong and unpredictable economic headwinds of 2020, last week’s Budget came at a critical juncture. All eyes were on the new chancellor, in particular on what the Budget might propose to alleviate some of the short-term Covid-19 shocks to the economy. Efforts to support households and businesses, particularly SMEs, through the Covid-19 outbreak [...]