Could Elon Musk and Nigel Farage upend British politics? December 5, 2024 Labour’s majority is enormous, but it only gives us the appearance of stability. All the evidence suggests their support is broad but shallow and their victory was as much a question of good luck and good timing as it was a literal vote of support for Labour’s policies. The Tory party is basically neck and [...]
Starmer needs a rethink, not a relaunch December 4, 2024 It doesn’t take a huge stretch of the imagination to picture a communist bureaucrat issuing a decree: “Comrades, I can announce today that four years from now 92 per cent of routine operations will be carried out within our new national target of just four and a half months – realising a goal that has [...]
The City needs to fall in love with risk again December 3, 2024 Back in March, in a meeting room somewhere in the labyrinth of offices that makes up the Square Mile’s political headquarters at the Guildhall, the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen and the Communications and Corporate Affairs Sub Committee met to consider a report on a potential area of focus for a potential new Lord Mayor [...]
Business leaders brace for a cold winter December 2, 2024 Temperatures are set to fall again as a mid-week cold snap muscles in, bringing icy winds to accompany the latest batch of chilling economic data. Several business organisations have just released their latest research, and the findings ought to chill the blood of complacent government ministers. Since the Budget, City AM has reported daily on [...]
Ministers are in denial over the Budget’s impact on jobs and growth November 28, 2024 Well, that didn’t last long. Barely 48 hours after the Chancellor told the CBI conference that the tax-hiking Budget was definitely a one-off, Keir Starmer declined to echo her comments and instead left the door wide open to another round of tax increases and borrowing. We ought to have some sympathy; no Prime Minister can [...]
Critics circle under-fire watchdog November 27, 2024 What unites firebrand socialist MPs and stalwarts of the Tory establishment? The answer – somewhat unbelievably – is the state of our main financial regulator. The Financial Conduct Authority is heading into a cold winter with storms swirling on all sides. It faces fury from parts of both the Square Mile and Westminster for hamstringing [...]
Reeves played fast and loose with business leaders’ trust November 26, 2024 Not long ago, Rachel Reeves would have been right at home in a room full of business leaders and employers. During the election campaign it was comfortable territory for the aspiring Chancellor who reassured the private sector at every turn that Labour would be “the most pro-business government the country has ever seen.” Now, just [...]
Substance must overtake style if Jaguar’s to stay in the race November 25, 2024 Jaguar, whose corporate rebranding exercise sparked a wave of mockery and confusion last week, has met the backlash with a plea for people to “reserve judgment.” This optimistic request suggests that, despite the achingly progressive sentiment behind the carmaker’s new attitude, it doesn’t really understand the internet. Asking social media users to reserve judgement is [...]
Starmer’s war on farmers will end in tears November 20, 2024 Farmers are busy people, often completely immersed in a lifestyle and a sector that demands their total attention and dedication. They kept going throughout the pandemic. They’ve been untroubled by the great working-from-home debate. They’ve put up with policy changes, regulatory reform, subsidy reform, Brexit checks, weather events, supply chain disruption, Whitehall bureaucracy, rising costs [...]
Meet the City AM Dragon Awards Winners 2024 November 19, 2024 You would be forgiven for thinking that the most important Mansion House event was the Chancellor’s annual speech to City leaders but, with apologies to Rachel Reeves, she’s just been upstaged. Last night 200 leaders and founders from a staggering array of businesses, charities and organisations gathered at this iconic Square Mile venue for the [...]
