DEBATE: With Nick Clegg joining Facebook, can we expect a new revolving door between politics and Silicon Valley? October 23, 2018 With Nick Clegg joining Facebook, can we expect a new revolving door between politics and Silicon Valley? YES, says Leon Emirali, an entrepreneur and investor. Stifling regulation, immense political upheaval, and very deep pockets have created the perfect environment for a politics/tech merry-go-round. For the Silicon Valley giants, it makes perfect sense to use their [...]
The power of choice: Why May must back flexible right to buy October 23, 2018 He may not be well-known now, but former MP Noel Skelton probably had one of the most profound impacts on the guiding philosophy of the Conservative party. His series of pamphlets in the aftermath of the First World War explained clearly how the expansion of education and political rights, without the same expansion of economic [...]
A luddite levy on online shopping won’t help the high street October 23, 2018 Time and time again over the past few months, we’ve heard prominent figures in the retail world call for a special sales tax on online companies to help prop up their struggling sector, from the Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis, to the New West End Company that represents Selfridges and Marks & Spencer. Chancellor Philip [...]
Out of the loop: Virgin boss Branson steps down from Hyperloop role October 22, 2018 Sir Richard Branson quit his role as chairman of Virgin Hyperloop One tonight, in a move that comes days after Saudi Arabia said it was scrapping a planned deal with the company following the billionaire’s decision to freeze his ties with the kingdom. In a statement this evening the company, which plans to build a [...]
Craft beer brand Brewdog is trying to mature after a tough year of marketing disasters October 22, 2018 It’s been a tough year for Brewdog, much of it the brand’s own fault. Tone-deaf advertising campaigns and PR mishaps have frustrated its fans and “equity punk” investors (I speak from personal experience – I’ve been a shareholder since 2015). The Scottish craft beer brewer, founded in 2007, is as well known for its marketing stunts as [...]
Elon Musk says first Hyperloop tunnel to open in the US in December October 22, 2018 Entrepreneur Elon Musk has said the first testing tunnel of his Hyperloop transport system is almost fully completed, and will be open to the public later this year. Manufactured under his firm Boring Co., Hyperloop is a network of high-speed transit tunnels designed to maximise the efficiency of public transport at a lowered cost. Musk said on Twitter [...]
Do you want to save the turtles? Don’t ban plastics – ban littering October 22, 2018 Like any good Londoner, I used the fantastic summer weather to kayak from Limehouse to Hackney, discovering that part of the city by water. As a fairly experienced river and sea kayaker, I was taken aback by how full of litter London’s waters are. At around the same time, the national and global debate on [...]
Theresa May ‘drinking in last chance saloon’ as MPs demand she appears in front of influential 1922 committee October 21, 2018 Theresa May is facing a fight for her leadership as she was warned she is "drinking in the last chance saloon" and MPs lashed out at the the Prime Minister over her Brexit negotiations. Conservative MPs have demanded May appears before the 1922 committee on Wednesday night to be grilled on Brexit and the state of the Government, according to [...]
World leaders push back against Saudi account of journalist’s death October 21, 2018 The backlash against Saudi Arabia over the death of Jamal Khashoggi stepped up again yesterday, with world leaders uniting to condemn the Gulf kingdom’s claims that the journalist and critic died in a “fist fight” at its consulate in Istanbul. German chancellor Angela Merkel described Khashoggi’s killing as “horrific”, saying events “still haven’t been cleared [...]
Britain should only allow extended Brexit transition to prevent Irish backstop, says Brexit secretary Dominic Raab October 21, 2018 Brexit minister Dominic Raab has said the UK should reject an extended transition period unless the EU abandons its demand for an Irish backstop. Theresa May's suggestion that the UK could remain attached to the European Union after December 2020 could only be an "alternative" to the backstop suggestion, Raab wrote in the Telegraph. Read [...]