An inclusive market economy is well within reach post-Brexit February 13, 2020 In his Greenwich speech last week, the Prime Minister persuasively set out how the Brexit process must carry with it a Canada-style free trade agreement, resting on the “indispensable principle of comparative advantage.” For Boris Johnson, this means embracing free trade to raise living standards and lift people out of poverty, while casting aside the [...]
Want to encourage downsizing and free up the housing market? Reform stamp duty February 13, 2020 With the first post-Brexit Budget fast approaching, there are huge hopes, expectations, and indeed demands across industries and sectors — but perhaps few areas are more important than solving the housing crisis. As Boris Johnson’s team focuses on delivering their manifesto promises, including building 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s, it’s worth remembering that [...]
After New Hampshire, the search is on for someone – anyone – who can take on Trump for the Democrats February 13, 2020 It was Harold Wilson, the Labour Party’s mid-twentieth century great hope and conjurer of election victories, who first coined the phrase “a week is a long time in politics”. How America’s Democrats could use a politician of his skills and standing as they examine their last week. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. At [...]
DEBATE: Should the Treasury consider a ‘mansion tax’ to help fund spending commitments? February 13, 2020 Should the Treasury consider a ‘mansion tax’ to help fund spending commitments? Robert Palmer, director of Tax Justice UK, says YES Do you know who pays more in council tax: me in my two-bedroom flat in Kentish Town, or the owner of the £160m penthouse at the top of 1 Hyde Park? Astonishingly, the answer [...]
How should Waitrose move on as Ocado deal comes to an end? February 12, 2020 Supermarket chain Waitrose has announced an overhaul of its products and a new advertising campaign to retain customers this summer when its deal with delivery provider Ocado comes to an end. Ocado’s partnership with Waitrose comes to an end in August, and a new deal with Marks & Spencer will be delivered shortly after. As [...]
Coronavirus has exposed the flaws of our globalised system February 12, 2020 We cannot yet be sure how many lives have already been tragically lost to the coronavirus outbreak, nor how many are still to be lost until the epidemic is brought under control — if that proves even possible. At the time of writing, the estimated death toll is over 1,000. What we do know is [...]
Let the Iowa fiasco serve as a warning — new technology isn’t always the answer February 12, 2020 Last week, the entire world witnessed the shambles of the vote counting in the Iowa Democratic caucus. It should have been straightforward — but adding all the votes up in a consistent way took a whole week. The list of errors is as long as your arm. In some precincts, for example, the total number [...]
Have the economic benefits of post-Brexit free ports been overhyped? February 12, 2020 Have the economic benefits of post-Brexit free ports been overhyped? Adrienne Buller, senior research fellow at think tank Common Wealth, says YES. Free ports are a white elephant — a symbolic gesture from the government in lieu of meaningful investment in “levelling up” regions outside London. There is little evidence to support the idea that [...]
Western governments should have been ready for Huawei February 12, 2020 In the late 1990s, I represented Lucent Technologies, a firm focused on delivering telecommunications equipment which had been spun out of AT&T. At the time, in addition to the more familiar competitors such as Nortel Networks and Alcatel, we faced an additional threat — a relatively new Chinese competitor called Huawei. Huawei was able to [...]
If artificial intelligence is going to revolutionise the NHS, people need to be educated on its uses February 12, 2020 As Boris Johnson tries to reposition the Tories as the party of the NHS, with a £34bn-a-year long-term funding bill, the health service’s future will be in the minds of many. Its workforce is under relentless strain as it seeks to deliver world-class healthcare to the population, and many staff are overwhelmed. As the debate [...]