Why your next marketing crisis is going to be self-inflicted December 16, 2025 Most 2026 plans ignore marketing’s geopolitical exposure, the aggressive monetization of platforms, and the erosion of trust, requiring leaders to shift from chasing reach and automation to strategic discipline, internal alignment, and building direct customer relationships, says Paul Armstrong Most 2026 marketing plans are already built on assumptions that no longer hold, not because the [...]
The secret to Reform’s rise? They don’t put their out of offices on December 16, 2025 Reform used the summer holiday vacuum to further their cause, and it's made all the difference, writes Michael Martins in today's Notebook.
The City is thirsty for more detail from Reform December 16, 2025 Appearing before MPs yesterday, Keir Starmer bemoaned the “consultations, regulations [and] arms-length bodies” that create “a thicket of reasons why you can’t do something.” He was responding to a question from Dame Meg Hillier, the Labour MP who chairs the committee in front of which he was appearing, about whether he had prepared enough for [...]
Why leaking can make for good government December 16, 2025 Mic-drop moments does not a good government make, says Alastair McCapra. He makes the case for political leaking.
British pessimism is stalling growth December 16, 2025 British leaders are now the least optimistic cohort internationally, and it's having a real-world impact on growth, writes David Stevens.
Subsidised jobs won’t fix youth unemployment December 16, 2025 The young do not need moral lectures. They need chances. And chances come from businesses that are free to hire, free to experiment and free to take risks, not from the state, says Matthew Bowles Last weekend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, announced on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg [...]
The City needs more Tiggers and fewer Eeyores December 15, 2025 If we want the world to choose London for financial services, we need to get better at rolling out the red carpet and signposting investors to everything London has to offer, says Susan Langley In my last column, I talked about getting ready for the first ever Lady Mayor’s Banquet. With these big set-piece moments [...]
Labour is weaponising public inquries December 15, 2025 The UK has a record number of public inquiries, but the government appears to approve them selectively — embracing those that blame ideological opponents while delaying or resisting those that might implicate current ministers, writes Eliot Wilson Do you know how many public inquiries are currently taking place or agreed in the UK? I’ll tell [...]
Could Zack Polanski be the Conservatives’ useful idiot? December 15, 2025 Rather than being scared of Zack Polanski, perhaps those on the centre right should learn to stop worrying and embrace the Green Party leader’s potential to unseat Labour, argues James Ford Zack Polanski is many things: failed actor, dodgy hypnotist, one-time chorister, former Liberal Democrat and Rizzle Kicks fan. He is also extremely popular with [...]
Janine Hirt: Brits network differently to Americans December 11, 2025 Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, Janine Hirt, CEO of Innovate Finance takes us through her career in Square Mile and Me What was your first job? I held down several odd jobs while working my way through university, including being a librarian, legal assistant, and a [...]