Donald Trump has come at just the right time for Theresa May January 26, 2017 Tomorrow, Theresa May will become the first world leader to meet President Donald Trump. It is unlikely to be a meeting of minds, but it will certainly be a meeting of huge significance. Both the President and the PM have spoken in recent weeks about the importance of the special relationship and of their desire [...]
Editor’s notes: Brexit debate has given us some tragic and hilarious voices January 20, 2017 Plenty of column inches are devoted to hard economic and policy analysis of the unfolding Brexit debate – including plenty in this paper. So today I’m going to indulge in a more light-hearted approach to the topic, and will instead take a look at the people who entertain me the most in these bold new times. [...]
May’s plan for Brexit is bold and ambitious January 18, 2017 Critics of the Prime Minister (and of the whole notion of Brexit) had clung for months to the charge that she didn't have a plan and that the government was in chaos. Yesterday, the PM shot their fox. It is, of course, still possible to oppose Brexit, but no longer possible to claim the government doesn't [...]
Philip Hammond offers hard truths to the Germans January 16, 2017 While much of the weekend’s focus has been on what Theresa May could announce in her big Brexit speech tomorrow, it was her chancellor, Phillip Hammond, who made one of the more interesting interventions of the weekend. In an interview with a German newspaper Hammond poured cold water on the idea that the UK might [...]
Editor’s notes: Carney can see what EU officials refuse to: that they need the City January 13, 2017 Mark Carney isn’t the kind of man to lose his temper in public. Perhaps he isn’t even the kind of man to lose his temper at all. Still, if he was ever to come close to doing so it may well have been at this week’s Treasury Select Committee hearing, where he once again came up [...]
Now the Tories give run around on immigration January 11, 2017 Making a mess of immigration policy isn't an endeavour restricted to the Labour party. As much as we enjoyed their festival of confusion yesterday regarding the free movement of workers, the Tories have now given us a clear reminder that politicians of all stripes are capable of getting tangled up in this sensitive area of policy. [...]
Economists need to start playing catch-up – here’s why January 9, 2017 Last week was something of a cathartic one for the economics profession, as the Bank of England’s chief economist, Andy Haldane, conceded that those who engage in forecasting need to adapt to regain the trust of politicians and the public. Since last summer’s referendum, experts from the OECD, IMF, Bank of England and the Treasury [...]
Editor’s notes: The great Civil Service myth, and why it’s time to shake things up… January 6, 2017 Though probably not on your daily reading list, Dominic Cummings (former adviser to Michael Gove and a top dog in the official Leave campaign) writes a fascinating blog. In between posts on artificial intelligence, super-computing and advanced physics, you’ll find reflections on his time working at the Department for Education as Gove’s senior adviser. If you [...]
Editor’s 2016 review: It’s been a year of momentous political change, but there’s every reason to look to the future December 22, 2016 Attempting to reflect such an extraordinary year with just a handful of our own front pages was always going to be difficult, but I thought we’d give it a go. The front page of City A.M. is (to borrow a phrase from our marketing department) the front door of our brand. The choice of splash, [...]
Union leaders are their own worst enemy December 19, 2016 As the country prepares to power down for Christmas, a number of trades unions are flexing their muscles and powering up their strike activity. As PWC’s Tom Kerr Williams notes, for unionised labour “a good time to react is at Christmas when most employers will be under pressure to keep customers happy”. One can't deny the [...]