DEBATE: Should a General Election follow the appointment of a new Tory leader and Prime Minister? March 29, 2019 Should a General Election follow the appointment of a new Tory leader and Prime Minister? Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, says YES. There is no constitutional requirement for anyone who takes over as Prime Minister to call a General Election, although one could be forced upon them were they to [...]
It’s not about copyright – the EU is trying to destroy the internet March 29, 2019 One of the feistiest debates in the classically liberal community revolves around the concept of property rights, especially in the digital age. I realise that, for many, this may not seem the sexiest topic, but at least this column isn’t about Brexit, so stay with me. Those who broadly share a similar, free-market worldview can take [...]
Asking the people is the only way to end this Brexit nightmare March 29, 2019 THERE is no doubt that, regardless of the high-minded principles which most politicians claim to hold, the actual reality of politics is often a grubby business. Complete victories for any given position are rarely seen. Instead, compromises are usually hammered out on a subject through a mixture of what is possible for different parties to [...]
Watch out high street banks – Apple has a credit card and is out to steal your supper March 29, 2019 Every day, new competitors are coming out of the woodwork and vying for a piece of the high street banks’ pie. This has forced the big banks – some kicking and screaming – to evolve, and at a pace that they’ve never before experienced. Change is not a new concept for consumers when it comes [...]
Mark Kleinman: Chairs face revolt over independence day March 29, 2019 Who’s the odd one out on this list of veteran FTSE-350 bosses? As chairs of Babcock International, Domino’s Pizza and GVC Holdings, Mike Turner, Stephen Hemsley and Lee Feldman find themselves among the first victims of governance reforms decreeing the end of their ability to act independently after nine years on the board. In the [...]
Small businesses warn of falling revenues and recruitment freeze as uncertainty continues beyond original Brexit date March 29, 2019 The number of small businesses pausing recruitment and reporting falling revenues has reached record levels as Brexit uncertainty continues beyond the UK’s original departure date. The Federation of Small Businesses’ (FSB) latest survey for the first quarter of the year revealed the extent to which uncertainty has held firms back. Read more: The financial services [...]
City Moves for 29 March – who’s switching jobs at Neom, The City Mental Health Alliance and Aon? March 29, 2019 Who’s on the move today? Neom Wellbeing and beauty brand Neom has appointed Emmanuel Osti as chairman. French-Italian Osti was managing director of L’Occitane from 2000 until 2015. During that period the company grew from a brand turning over close to €50m (£42.9m) to a multi-channel business with sales of more than €1bn and over [...]
Lyft valued at $24bn as it prices shares at $72 ahead of New York float March 28, 2019 Ride-hailing app Lyft has priced its initial public offering (IPO) at $72 per share ahead of its float on the Nasdaq tomorrow, giving it a valuation of more than $24bn (£18.4bn). The pricing is at the top end of the firm’s target range, which Lyft increased earlier this week in a sign of strong investor [...]
It’s make your mind up time for the UK over Huawei security saga March 28, 2019 It’s been a bad week for beleaguered Chinese tech giant Huawei. In an eagerly-anticipated report published today, UK spies concluded they can only provide “limited assurance” that the risks to national security from Huawei’s products have been mitigated. The findings are in line with last year’s report, but the lack of progress has raised eyebrows. One cyber [...]
Homes switch energy supplier at record rate as consumers face massive price hike next week March 28, 2019 Over 4.5m households changed their gas supplier last year, hitting an all-time high, while electricity switches were at their highest point since 2008. The number of domestic homes that switched electricity supplier hit 5.4m, a 5.5 per cent increase on the year before, figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) show. [...]