Markets hold the key to climate solutions October 22, 2019 One of the odder elements of our climate debate is the unwillingness of any political party to champion the green progress Britain has made recently. After all, last year more than half of the UK’s energy came from nuclear or renewables — a remarkable achievement. Yet politicians, for once, seem strangely reticent to shout about [...]
Tax cuts, not just increased costs, should be on Chancellor’s agenda September 30, 2019 Sajid Javid acknowledges that he is in no small part a product of the City’s big bang. Faced with closed shops in some of the more traditional banks, this British-Asian outsider worked his way up the chain first in an American bank and then in a German one. Many in the Square Mile reckoned they’d [...]
Nuance doesn’t go viral, but attacks on journalists certainly do September 19, 2019 The Supreme Court hearing that has made headlines this week is a case of the most profound constitutional importance. In the words of the government’s defence lawyer it invites judges into the “forbidden territory” of politics. Those taking on the government are convinced of their role as the defenders of liberty. The barristers appearing in [...]
Peckham judged the world’s eleventh coolest neighbourhood September 18, 2019 “This time next year we’ll be in the top ten” Peckham has been named the world’s eleventh coolest neighbourhood in the 2019 Time Out Index. The south London hotspot may still be more globally famous for the antics of Del Boy and Rodney but a new generation of chefs, baristas and bartenders are turning it [...]
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 [...]
Brexit: What do the public think will happen next? September 5, 2019 No-deal Brexit is the most likely outcome from parliament’s current stalemate, according to the public. The UK is expected to crash out of the EU without a deal, 72 per cent of Brits believe, Yougov’s survey of 1,639 people found. The pollster asked people what outcomes they believe are most realistic, rather than what outcome [...]
Politicians must tread carefully on M&A intervention February 20, 2017 It is common in business and politics today to talk about "signals". Brexit is either a signal of our desire to cut ourselves off from the world, or a sign that we’re set to become a kind of expansionist high-seas merchant. From immigration to Donald Trump, foreign policy to international aid, perceptions are increasingly being [...]
Sadiq Khan’s successful pro-business campaign is heartening for us all – but the work is just beginning May 9, 2016 It is fair to say that relations between the Labour Party and business are in a slightly odd place at the minute. The nervousness is perhaps understandable, considering that both the leader and shadow chancellor of the party continue to describe themselves as socialists. In these interesting times – and to be fair to those [...]
#WomenInStem needs to be more than a well-meaning hashtag February 11, 2016 London’s innovation economy is firing on almost all cylinders; not for nothing is it regularly ranked at the top of league-tables like Nesta’s European Digital City Index. It is an almost unequivocal good news story, and one that we should be unashamedly proud of. Amidst these sunlit uplands though lies one particularly concerning dark cloud. [...]
The Trade Union Bill is welcome, but with a few changes it could be even better January 5, 2016 Despite the occasional headlines, industrial disputes at businesses are rare. Indeed, acceptance of slow wage growth by employees during the recession was one of the reasons the UK avoided the devastating job losses that have crippled many continental economies. But we again start the year with the threat of industrial action hanging over the UK. [...]
