Coronavirus: Government must be more imaginative to save small businesses April 27, 2020 The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILs) was launched to much fanfare, with people lining up to praise the far-sighted, generous nature of the programme and proclaim how much it would do for small business. A staggering £330 billion was set aside for interest-free loans, with the Government willing to sit behind 80 per cent [...]
China is fighting a Cold War. Has the West realised it yet? April 27, 2020 Beneath the endless conferences and diplomatic niceties, at root international diplomacy is always the handmaiden of power politics. As the 16th century English diplomat, Sir Henry Wotten, so aptly put it, an ambassador can be defined as ‘an honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of his country.’ But the eternal contest for [...]
Coronavirus: The City’s third sector has shone amid pandemic April 27, 2020 The coronavirus outbreak is an unfolding global health emergency that requires us all to play our part. We are seeing people from all walks of society across London and the UK coming together to tackle COVID-19 – be it through fundraising activities, volunteering in the community, or by simply checking in on a lonely neighbour [...]
Coronavirus: Firms must adapt to survive April 26, 2020 As companies slowly transition from shock to survival during what is arguably history’s biggest peacetime crisis, it is becoming increasingly clear that the coronavirus pandemic has the potential to completely transform how the world does business. During an initial ‘Shock Phase’, which started around the middle of March and ended towards the middle of April, [...]
We must understand China to manage the threat of this rising superpower April 24, 2020 Tom Tugendhat MP is Chair of the Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee As the world gets to grips with Covid-19, it is increasingly clear that this unprecedented crisis will have a huge impact on almost all aspects of our lives. And while some changes may take years to fully appreciate, others are already staring us in [...]
Coronavirus: Healthtech needs a route to market April 23, 2020 In just a few weeks the healthtech sector has made 10 years of progress, underlining why this week’s decision by the Chancellor to create a fund to support our innovative tech startups is necessary. Most entrepreneurs position themselves as problem solvers but in healthtech we are seeing hundreds of tiny companies, often working with world-leading [...]
A letter from France: Coronabonds are inevitable April 22, 2020 The coronavirus outbreak has led, perhaps understandably, to countries becoming more inward looking in an effort to try to contain the impact on the virus on their economies and societies. But once the fog has lifted and the reconstruction efforts begins, solidarity, rather than nationalism will be the name of the game. While the idea may shock our British cousins, and give them another reason [...]
Earth Day: 50 years on, there is impressive progress to cheer April 22, 2020 As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and the birth of modern environmentalism, we should pause to give each other a virtual “high five” for the impressive environmental progress society has accomplished during this span. We should also think about the ways we can make the next 50 far more effective. Case in [...]
Coronavirus: Pret will see the benefits of doing the right thing April 22, 2020 The coronavirus crisis has required businesses to alter their COVID-19 strategy frequently in line with changing government advice. Some businesses have had more success than others with striking a good balance and doing the right thing in the eyes of the public, particularly at the start of the crisis in March. One brand which has [...]
Coronavirus: NHS staff are let down by bureaucracy April 22, 2020 The praise for health workers dealing with Covid19 is universal. From cleaners and porters to the most distinguished consultant, all have played their part. But they are working in an administrative system almost Kafka-esque in its lunacy. An early example was when NHS workers turned up to be tested at the huge PHE complex at [...]