Global cooperation is under threat – here’s how to revive it September 9, 2019 Now is a difficult time for international cooperation. The Amazon is ablaze, and world leaders seem powerless to save the planet’s lungs from careless destruction. The global economy is teetering on the brink of a downturn, with a US-China trade war showing no signs of abating. Meanwhile, the UK is set to launch in November [...]
Tax radicalism would give the economy a boost September 9, 2019 While keeping a close eye on Westminster (again) today, traders will also be aware of a number emerging mid-morning from the Office for National Statistics. To little fanfare, ONS wonks will reveal the first official evidence of whether or not the UK is already suffering from a technical recession. July’s GDP reading must be taken [...]
Is your star employee all they’re cracked up to be? September 6, 2019 YOUR star employee brings in the money, keeps the customers smiling, and boosts your online reviews. On the surface, they are driving your business forward single-handedly. You can’t imagine things without them. They’re indispensable, and the thought of them leaving brings you out in a cold sweat – the firm would never survive. But is [...]
Neither tragic nor hero, Boris is simply in thrall to the Brexit fates September 6, 2019 When a Prime Minister who has spent his career leaning heavily on his classical education – peppering speeches with references to Pericles, the sword of Damocles, and how the EU subjecting Britain is like the Romans trampling over Carthage – loses his first four votes, his majority, and 23 MPs in the space of four [...]
Britain cannot afford to ignore Labour’s interventionist agenda September 6, 2019 For the past three years in Westminster, it’s been difficult to think more long-term than the next few hours. Nearly every day has dragged us further into uncharted political territory. Meaningful votes, Brexit extensions, and leadership contests have been making and shaping history – though it would be fair to say that for all the [...]
DEBATE: Is the UK economy already in a recession? September 6, 2019 Is the UK economy already in a recession? Dr Victoria Bateman, lecturer and fellow in Economics at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, says YES. Recession. It’s the only thing as guaranteed as death and taxes. Brexit or not, we all know we’re due one. But how low will we go – and for how long? [...]
Business must look beyond no-deal prep and plan for a globally competitive future September 6, 2019 A brand new chancellor, same old challenge. It’s the issue that brought us to Brexit, and the one that will underpin its impact: flatlining UK productivity. Sajid Javid and Philip Hammond may not be on the same side this week, but both chancellors entered Number 11 to confront this same priority. On Wednesday, Javid stood [...]
The special relationship should be celebrated September 6, 2019 Amid all the division and uncertainty of our current political challenges, one thing has remained constant: London’s standing as a beacon of international commerce. Money, people and ideas from all over the world continue to arrive and thrive in our capital city in much the same way as they have done so for hundreds of [...]
If nothing else, the Lords at least offers some good debate September 6, 2019 Watching a debate in the House of Lords can lift the spirits. Admittedly, this isn’t always the case. After all, the place is so rammed with political cast-offs and the dregs of quangoland that following its proceedings can often feel like a punishment. However, during moments of great constitutional or legal significance it is to [...]
M&S’s FTSE exit is a symbol of its terminal decline September 6, 2019 Archie Norman, the Marks & Spencer chairman, put a brave face this week on the retailer’s demotion from the FTSE 100. Nothing to see here, he said: the business was exactly the same on the day after its relegation. Focusing on it was the reddest of herrings. In a sense, he is right – but [...]