Britain needs to respond to the ‘kindness of strangers’ July 1, 2022 Britain has always been an attractive place for investors to park their money. The country’s economic dynamism has helped it pull in billions of pounds of investment, mainly toward its world-leading services industry and financial services businesses. Although the City’s banks, insurers and brokers have contributed a great deal to UK growth, the country is [...]
Editorial: Writing off facial recognition could write off our future growth June 30, 2022 In the West Midlands, police developed an algorithm to identify suspected perpetrators of modern slavery in minutes, a process which normally takes weeks or even months, according to Tom McNeil, the Assisstant Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands. Technology transformed their efficiency and ability to curb serious crimes which cost the UK as [...]
Editorial: Heathrow is the gateway to London – it needs to swing itself open June 29, 2022 DURING the pandemic, the travel industry long claimed they should be treated differently. The ensuing chaos at airports, then, was the fault of the government for failing to do so. Heathrow was given special consideration by the Civil Aviation Authority, who allowed it to increase landing fees by more than 50 per cent to £30.19 [...]
Editorial: Is anybody willing to take responsibility for Strike Island? June 23, 2022 Welcome to Strike Island, then. British Airways’ ground handlers – or at least, a chunk of them – are now joining an ever-growing list of unionised workers who have picked walkouts over work amid a heightening cost of everything crisis. Whether it’s wise for union leaders to take their staff out on strike at the [...]
On airports to rail chaos, business just wants somebody to take responsibility June 21, 2022 Well, at least the weather’s looking alright. That’s about the best that can be said for the rest of the week, with rail strikes, flight cancellations and the strong possibility of further industrial action to come. Those who have been asked to work from home may well come back with a healthier tan next week. [...]
Let’s hope the second Brexit battle is less exhausting than the first June 18, 2022 The sequel is rarely as good as the original. Jaws 2, for instance, was beset by problems from the off. Steven Spielberg said he had already directed “the definitive shark movie” and refused to take part – a replacement director, John Hancock, was then booted out, not before complaining that the mechanical shark provided by [...]
Tech week a chance to celebrate London and the City’s most powerful urge: competition June 13, 2022 It is more than a little tempting to think at the moment that nothing in Britain works very well. Anybody with tickets to the Rolling Stones or the cricket in Headingley next week will face a rail strike, families looking to get away for a well-deserved break will need to carry a week’s supplies just [...]
Growth warning should inject some urgency into Tories’ economic plans June 9, 2022 PERHAPS it was the fact that Boris Johnson was so close to losing his own that has converted him to the cause of expanding home ownership. Either way, he’s a welcome addition to the cause to – in the words of the popular twitter meme – build some bloody houses. The question is whether, scarred [...]
Rowe has earned his money with the turnaround of Marks and Spencer June 7, 2022 Steve Rowe’s pay packet as he departs Marks and Spencer is, unsurprisingly, the subject of plenty of commentary. He’s walking into the sunset with £2.6m for his last year of work, a sum that set against an ongoing cost-of-living crisis in the rest of the economy will always raise eyebrows. Yet Rowe has earned every [...]
Boris Johnson clings on – but with no vision for his premiership, it may not last June 6, 2022 So he’s still there. Now what? That’s the question for Boris Johnson and in truth the rest of the Conservative party. It’s usually the case that a no confidence vote, no matter how easily it is sailed through, is the beginning of the end for a leader. As we know, however, Boris is no usual [...]
