Don’t let #MeToo kill the office romance or rob your job of human warmth October 12, 2018 If you believe the daily reports, you’d be forgiven for thinking that rape and harassment are widespread across our offices, shops, universities, and factories. Parliament’s Women & Equalities Committee (WEC) certainly thinks so. It wants the government to reach into workplaces, with an action plan to tackle sexual harassment. At first glance, the numbers don’t [...]
Could YouTube star Joe Sugg win Strictly Come Dancing? October 8, 2018 When Strictly Come Dancing unveiled its 2018 lineup, I imagine there would have been more than a couple of blank faces at the name Joe Sugg. While reality stars frequently feature on the show, Sugg is the first social media celebrity to ever appear. But if Strictly’s core fanbase aren’t familiar with him, plenty of [...]
Heed the business bashing – capitalism depends on it October 8, 2018 A dreadful misrepresentation, a gaggle of braggarts, the worst take on business you could possibly create. Yes, The Apprentice has returned to the BBC for a fourteenth season, and this time, its representation of business has turbocharged the hate and self-regard to gobsmacking levels. “Nation shall speak peace unto nation” is the motto of the [...]
Lloyd’s of London boss hints at ‘acceleration’ of Brussels operation as no-deal Brexit fears mount October 7, 2018 Outgoing Lloyd’s of London boss Dame Inga Beale has said the insurance business is speeding up plans to bolster its Brussels subsidiary unit amid fears that Britain and the EU might not reach a post-Brexit trade deal. Beale told the BBC that she was “accelerating” preparations to transfer contracts from the London insurance market to Brussels on the [...]
Editor’s Notes: A subversive Brexit comedy? It’s about bloody time; art’s in the right place and Conservative party conference diary October 5, 2018 Whenever Brexit is introduced as a subject for comedy, it is invariably the Remainers laughing at the Leavers. I don't say this to make a populist point, it is simply an observation. Think of Radio 4 comedy, BBC panel shows and the stand-up circuit. It’s risk-free to be a Remainer – and laughing at the Leavers, [...]
London office take-up climbs as Crossrail arrival and new hotspots fuel demand October 4, 2018 Demand for office space in Central London jumped in the third quarter of 2018, with take-up in the capital’s commercial property sector showing no sign of a slowdown in the run-up to Britain leaving the EU. Office take-up in the three months to the end of September hit 3.7m square foot, marking a six per [...]
May’s stamp duty tax on foreign buyers forces down FTSE developers’ share prices October 1, 2018 More than half a billion pounds was wiped off the value of some of the UK’s largest housebuilders today, as the City digested news of Theresa May’s planned property tax on foreign buyers. Shares in Berkeley Group, Barratt Developments and Taylor Wimpey all slid in the wake of the Prime Minister’s weekend announcement to slap [...]
Tory civil war deepens as Boris Johnson lays into ‘deranged’ Chequers plan September 30, 2018 Boris Johnson poured salt on the wounds of Tory Party divisions this morning, branding Theresa May’s Brexit blueprint as “entirely preposterous” and “deranged”. In comments that are likely to fuel further speculation about his leadership ambitions, Johnson widened the rift between himself and the Prime Minister by saying: “Unlike the Prime Minister, I campaigned for [...]
Theresa May unable to guarantee no hard Irish border in case of ‘no deal’ Brexit September 30, 2018 Theresa May today was unable to promise there would be no hard border with Ireland if the Brexit talks break down, instead repeating the UK would do “everything it can” to avoid customs checks. Speaking just hours before the Conservative Party conference is due to start in Birmingham, the Prime Minister launched a defence of [...]
An election is the last thing we need – and voters would punish politicians for calling it September 25, 2018 Theresa May’s Brexit negotiations with the European Union are going very, very wrong, and there is now speculation that the UK could be heading for a snap election — cue eyerolls and yawns nationwide. Both the ruling Conservatives and opposition Labour party appear to be considering the possibility of a snap election as early [...]