DEBATE: Who has the most to gain from tonight’s TV debate? November 19, 2019 Who has the most to gain from tonight’s TV debate: Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn? Lauren McEvatt, managing director at Morpeth Consulting, says BORIS JOHNSON. The spectre of Theresa May’s decision to dodge the debate in 2017 looms in the minds of Conservative strategists. It was a move that proved her poor leadership. Just taking [...]
The secret to how people really become MPs November 19, 2019 The election is 23 days away, and the close of nominations last week has confirmed the runners and riders: 3,322 people seeking a place on the green benches. Yet despite the enthusiasm of the thousands, from Advance Together (five candidates) to the Young People’s Party UK (three candidates), most seats remain a foregone conclusion. Unless [...]
No amount of spending will save the NHS if we don’t reform it first November 19, 2019 If there is one thing you can count on during a General Election, it’s that the NHS will be ground-zero of the political battle. Labour will scream that the health service is not safe in Tory hands, while the Conservatives will trumpet their undying love — and investment in — our NHS. The backdrop for [...]
John Lewis, Ikea, or Aldi — which 2019 Christmas advert is the winner? November 18, 2019 From clumsy dragons to evil sprouts, here’s our review of the festive adverts from some of the UK’s biggest retailers. M&S Food: This Is Not Just Food… This Is M&S Christmas Food The premise of this entire advert hinges on presenters Paddy McGuinness and Emma Willis, who swan around a Christmas market for 1.30 minutes as [...]
The City is wise to wince at McDonnell’s statism November 18, 2019 This newspaper has, in the past, given credit to John McDonnell for his honesty and for his openness with the City. We may not have welcomed his ideas, but we’ve often acknowledged that he has at least been upfront about his plans for government and has ventured into City boardrooms to explain his thinking more [...]
Sajid Javid: My pitch to the businesses of Britain November 18, 2019 Britain’s 6m businesses are the lifeblood of our economy. They have driven employment to record highs, with wages outstripping inflation. And they have made our country a hotbed of furious innovation in products and services. We would all like to see higher economic growth — after a decade of recovery from the last Labour government [...]
You just can’t keep the staff these days… November 18, 2019 As we enter the next phase in political campaigning, and Christmas parties are interrupted by the forthcoming election, HR departments might want to brace themselves for the next potential wave of uncertainty. According to 16,000 UK workers recently surveyed by Totaljobs and Universum, over half of employees expect to move jobs in the next 12 [...]
DEBATE: Is there a case for Labour’s ‘free broadband’ proposals? November 18, 2019 Is there a case for Labour’s ‘free broadband’ proposals? Miranda Hall, a researcher at the New Economics Foundation and co-author of forthcoming report on digital infrastructure for Common Wealth, says YES. Without internet you can’t look for a job, receive childcare and housing benefits, or keep in touch with friends. But across the UK, digital [...]
Business cannot afford to sleep through this election November 18, 2019 Things can only get better — 1997, and not only a song for D:ream but an anthem that swept Tony Blair’s New Labour from obscurity to office. His hand-written message to the nation was “do it”. Do what? None of us knew, but who cared? The country opened its heart in droves at the ballot [...]
Creative monetary policy alone won’t spur sustainable economic growth November 18, 2019 The latest decision from the European Central Bank to reactivate quantitative easing to revitalise the comatose Eurozone economy has been met with scepticism — this time even by central bankers in the Eurozone. The doubters within the central banking community are now openly voicing their disagreement with such monetary policy tools. Monetary policy in the [...]