Covid hits hospitality: Restaurant brands will need to go back to basics to get punters through the door June 19, 2020 It is the little things, isn’t it? The familiar greeting from a favourite waiter. A glass of pinot overlooking the Thames. Bread baskets upon chequered cloth. The first coffee of an early morning brunch; the spontaneous late night pizza. The people watching. The buzz of conversation. It all feels so long ago. As normality, or [...]
AIM shows signs of life as it celebrates its 25th birthday June 19, 2020 As AIM prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary today, the junior market is proving remarkably resilient and adaptable. Faced with Covid turbulence, AIM has so far performed well in comparison to other markets, helping to cushion investors from the worst effects of the downturn. In the first five months of 2020, the AIM all-share index [...]
DEBATE: Is now really the time to be focusing on tariff-free trade with Australia? June 18, 2020 Is now really the time to be focusing on tariff-free trade with Australia? Matthew Lesh, head of research at the Adam Smith Institute, says YES. The launch of the UK-Australia trade talks this week are an important opportunity for a global Britain. Britain abandoned her antipodean cousins by joining the European Economic Community in 1973. [...]
With some flexible thinking, the government can help SMEs reopen for business June 18, 2020 As shop doors opened once again this week and queues began to build, we caught a glimpse of what the coming months will be like for “non-essential” shops. Already, it is clear that while Brexit might mean Brexit, reopening certainly does not mean reopening for many businesses across the UK. As the next phase begins, [...]
Happy returns: Can employees refuse to go back to work? June 18, 2020 As London comes out of hibernation and employees begin to return to work, companies are being confronted with the true scale of the challenge of running a business in the middle of a pandemic. Employees, meanwhile, are feeling anxious that their workplace might remain unsafe. But is turning to the law the best way to [...]
China hawks risk accelerating the outcomes they are trying to avoid June 18, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic is leading to a clear hardening of western attitudes towards China. The origins of the virus in Wuhan, coupled with suspicions that the Chinese government suppressed awareness of the initial outbreak, have emboldened sino-sceptics and heightened fears of growing Chinese influence. Yet blanket hostility risks accelerating the emergence of the aggressive and [...]
A new ‘superfund’ scheme for pensions June 18, 2020 Pensions minister Guy Opperman announces a significant step towards transforming retirement saving The consolidation of defined benefit pension schemes into “superfunds” has the potential to deliver more secure retirement incomes for workers, while allowing employers to concentrate on what they do best: running their businesses. That’s why I welcome the Pensions Regulator’s interim regime for [...]
There can be no route back to normality for ableist commuter culture June 17, 2020 “Do not expect to return to the transport network you were used to.” We’re all used to hearing that there will be no return to “normal” life any time soon. So it’s no surprise that Transport for London (TfL) has broadcast the same message about our commutes as some tentatively plan to return to the [...]
DEBATE: Was Boris Johnson right to merge DFID and the Foreign Office? June 17, 2020 Was Boris Johnson right to merge the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)? Lauren McEvatt, managing director of Morpeth Consulting and a former government adviser, says YES. The merger of DFID and the FCO is overdue. For too long the UK government has been operating too many strands of [...]
Welcome to the blended office June 17, 2020 Since the scribes of ancient kings worked together under a sunshade, we have had offices. Offices survived the Black Death, the Red Death, Spanish Flu, and Ricky Gervais. Offices aren’t about to disappear — but they may now be changing more than ever before. We should be ready for change, but do not be surprised [...]