Working families need a clearer roadmap out of lockdown May 21, 2020 It is nearly nine weeks since I picked up my primary age children from after school club and told them all schools were closing. Despite the fresh air, pleasant surroundings and the late afternoon sunshine, the news was sitting uncomfortably in my stomach. That week in March was already proving grim, with increasingly frantic news [...]
Protecting the UK from the flaws of the Eurozone May 21, 2020 The Eurozone is half-complete. Control over the euro currency is centralised, but member state financial arrangements are individualised, creating almost intolerable tensions. That much is well known. What is not so well known is how this set-up operates to the detriment of the UK in three crucial ways. First, the value of the euro is [...]
Tech-savvy businesses will define the new normal May 20, 2020 As the UK starts to turn a corner in its response to the coronavirus pandemic, the role of leadership and technology will be crucial in helping businesses and communities overcome the challenges that lie ahead. We’re already seeing businesses re-imagine their operational models, revenue streams, and supply chains. Decisions and innovations which previously took weeks [...]
Insurance is a jewel in the City crown May 20, 2020 As the relatively new Member of Parliament for the City, I have been finding my way around the incredible range of financial services which London offers the world – and insurance and reinsurance are definitely jewels in the crown. So, the publication of the third edition of the London Matters report this week was a [...]
Coronavirus: The future fund needs a 2.0 May 20, 2020 The month between the announcement of the Future Fund – part of the government’s billion-pound package of financial support for innovative firms hit by the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic – and its opening for applications today has seen concerted lobbying from those concerned that it will fail to work as intended. I share those [...]
Wellbeing must be at the heart of Britain’s ‘back to work’ efforts May 20, 2020 The coronavirus crisis has turned millions of us into home workers. While the new regime has worked well for some, for others it has been more challenging. For many people, work and home life have been positively rebalanced now that lengthy commute times are non-existent, but others feel isolated, miss the buzz of an office [...]
Understanding what’s driving market reactions is vital May 20, 2020 Our lack of understanding of the coronavirus has added to the challenges confronting politicians and policy makers in recent months, and this in turn has fed the uncertainty impacting financial markets. There are six broad areas influencing markets: the virus itself; the economic picture; the corporate outlook; policy; second-round effects; and lessons from the past. [...]
Crisis could be a chance to change education for the better May 20, 2020 In the mid-19th century, Japan was an impoverished feudal backwater. A fleet of American warships totally humiliated their navy, and compelled Japan to sign a highly disadvantageous treaty. Within a matter of just a few years, the Japanese completely transformed their system of government and industrialised very rapidly. This is just one of many historical [...]
Shakespeare: Primed and ready? May 20, 2020 Budget fast-fashion retailer Primark has been one of the biggest players of the high street since rapidly expanding in the UK during the mid-noughties. According to YouGov Ratings data, Primark is sixth most popular fashion and clothing brand among Britons, while YouGov Profiles data shows two thirds of all Brits would consider purchasing clothes from [...]
Bailout shows the need for a TfL rethink May 18, 2020 We will probably never know exactly how close we came to TfL going bust and services across London not running last week. Unless, of course, when today’s bailout agreement expires in September, there isn’t another crunch. The capital’s transport network has had another log thrown on the fire, but central Government remains in control of [...]