If Britain is to hit net-zero, we need the City to step up its green finance ambitions March 2, 2020 The unveiling of the COP26 Private Finance Agenda at Guildhall last week was a landmark moment for our climate change efforts as a nation. The annual UN conference, this year taking place in Glasgow, will convene global leaders to discuss the world’s most pressing issue. And as policymakers gear up for the pivotal event, it [...]
Is there a solid case for the proposed boost to UK defence spending? March 2, 2020 Is there a solid case for the proposed boost to UK defence spending? Chris Ross, senior vice president at Barracuda Networks, says YES. It’s time to face up to the reality that we live in an increasingly dangerous world, with cybercrime, global tensions, and sophisticated terrorist attacks placing a huge burden on the security services. [...]
Keir Starmer is reminding Labour what winning looks like February 28, 2020 For Labour members, the interminable leadership contest has been a never-ending ordeal. Increasingly desperate pleas from the candidates have been interrupted only by a line of unwatchable TV debates. For everyone else, it has barely registered. Coronavirus, floods, and the internal battles within Downing Street have far overshadowed the question (as Have I Got News [...]
DEBATE: Should the Heathrow expansion go ahead? February 28, 2020 Following a court ruling in favour of environmentalists, should the Heathrow expansion go ahead? Dr Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chamber of Commerce, says YES. Business communities across the UK will be bitterly disappointed that plans for a world-leading hub airport are now at risk. Without expansion, firms risk losing crucial regional connectivity [...]
How coronavirus could cause a global recession February 28, 2020 Covid-19 has dominated news headlines since mid-January. The human and social costs have been heavy, disrupting the normality of life primarily in China but also around the world. Now the recent outbreaks in Italy, Iran and South Korea have ignited fears of a global pandemic, and in response major equity indices have plummeted by nearly [...]
The City must stop complaining and start talking about the opportunities of Brexit February 28, 2020 Too much of the discussion around Brexit’s impact on the City has treated it as something of an inconvenience that must be “managed”. This is perhaps understandable — business rarely likes change, certainly not on this scale. But it’s time that we start talking about the opportunities Brexit will present to the City. The conversation [...]
Aviation expansion is a no-brainer February 27, 2020 It’s 1968, and the Harold Wilson government’s official Roskill Commission begins to look into the possibility of a third airport for London. Heathrow is increasingly full and anybody with any foresight can see that aviation traffic is only going to become more important in the modern economy. His recommendation is an airport in Buckinghamshire, but [...]
Activists shouldn’t be too quick to celebrate the court’s Heathrow decision February 27, 2020 When thinking about yesterday’s Court of Appeal ruling on the Heathrow expansion, it’s important to remember what it is not. The Court of Appeal threw out objections about noise and air pollution. And they made it clear that they were not ruling on whether Heathrow expansion should happen – that is a decision for parliament. [...]
Chancellor Rishi Sunak needs to step back and rethink IR35 February 27, 2020 When Philip Hammond announced in 2018 that IR35 would be extended to the private sector, he heralded it as a move that would “open a new chapter in our country’s economic future”. But fast-forward two years, and the new chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is still facing a huge headache over the tax legislation changes, effective from [...]
Time to champion Europe’s broadcasters for the next generation February 27, 2020 Over the past decade, television, and the way we watch it, has changed beyond recognition. The explosion of global digital services like Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime and social distribution on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat mean we’ve never had more choice about what to watch and how to watch it. On our smart [...]