Thames Water’s woes don’t show the folly of privatisation, but a lack of competition June 29, 2023 Thames Water has got itself into this position not because it's in private hands, but because it isn't subject to the improving forces of the market
Don’t write off the Wharf: Docklands district is evolving, fast June 27, 2023 Canary Wharf is changing, even if perceptions are not. HSBC leaving tells us more about the bank than the Docklands.
The Bank of England has mismanaged this inflation cycle from the get-go June 14, 2023 The Bank of England and Andrew Bailey have botched their messaging, their forecasts and their decisions - and we are paying the price
London thrives when it’s dealing with risk – just ask the insurers June 13, 2023 The City is at its best when it's dealing with risk - and regulators and policymakers need to catch up with the idea
LIV Golf and PGA tie-up is proof that competition still works June 7, 2023 To the fairway, then, for the latest example of markets working effectively. The merger of the three biggest tours in the game shows what can be achieved when new entrants disrupt a market – forcing the established players to (excuse the pun) up their game. When LIV Golf – the Saudi-backed, all-singing, all-dancing new form [...]
Britain’s inability to build seems our greatest weakness June 6, 2023 Like hardy garden perennials, politicians have topics they can safely return to again and again – particularly helpful if you have nothing overly new to say. One such is the thorny subject of skills. We have, for years now, been promised some version of a revolution in the way we develop ‘skills’ in the economy; [...]
The west forgot about Crimea. It cannot forget about the rest of Ukraine May 31, 2023 It is perhaps easy to become fatigued by news of the war in Ukraine. It is now fifteen months since Vladimir Putin’s tanks rolled over the frontier for what they thought would be a straightforward victory, an imperial conquest more akin to 1940 or the Napoleonic era than the 21st century. Through sheer bloody-mindedness as [...]
The “shy capitalists” want more of their own money, not toxic culture wars May 30, 2023 Forget Mondeo Man or Basildon Barry, there’s a new electoral figure on the scene: the ‘shy capitalist’ millennial. That, at least, is the conclusion of the latest bit of research by Onward, the newly revved-up Tory think-tank. In short, millennials – those between the ages of 25 and 40 – appear to be the first [...]
If no-one makes a positive case for immigration, don’t be surprised when its opponents triumph May 25, 2023 Today will see the publication of immigration stats which, most likely, will show that the UK’s net migration level has hit a new record. Yes, despite Brexit. The figures will kick off yet another political firestorm. The issue with immigration is that the downsides are felt locally, and the advantages felt nationally. It is all [...]
Transport upgrades are vital to keep London at the top of the financial table May 11, 2023 Ask most of those who are yet to come back to work three or four or five days a week what the biggest barrier is and the answer is usually either the commute being a pain in the neck or being too expensive. So it won’t necessarily shock you to learn that in the aftermath [...]
