Explainer-in-brief: Where the world was the last time inflation was this high May 19, 2022 Yesterday the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that UK inflation had hit 9 per cent, reaching the highest level since 1982. This year we have slowly emerged from the pandemic, witnessed the Kremlin’s ongoing war in Ukraine, and we’re facing a dire cost of living crisis. But what was going on last time that [...]
The prodigal daughter returns: a love letter to the Northern Line after four long months May 17, 2022 Being grateful for the Monday morning commute is normally the purview of yoga bloggers or influencers, not journalists. But yesterday was a moment to rejoice as the Bank branch of the Northern Line finally reopened its doors after four long months of stasis. The closure of the Moorgate to Kennington service was announced last year [...]
London’s housing supply is not fit for purpose, and we need a bit of bravery to fix it May 16, 2022 The housing market in London is extremely hard to navigate. Students looking for a flat to rent with two or three friends often have to give up on the idea of a living room for reasons of price. Older couples who might want to relocate after the kids have moved out often don’t, because there’s [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Inside Nato’s Nordic expansion and enlargement policy May 13, 2022 Finland has announced it wants to apply to join Nato within days, while Sweden is also considering the option. The two countries bordering Russia aim to strengthen their security in the aftermath of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. If the two countries send their applications next week, Nato should accept them quickly, but the full [...]
Queen’s Speech starts to tip the scales for renters May 12, 2022 This week’s Queen’s Speech has been heavily criticised for failing to ease cost of living concerns, and for letting down struggling families and vulnerable groups in our society. And fairly so. Progress has been made, however, on one crucial area of concern for millions of people – “no fault” evictions. Their official name is Section [...]
Opinion-in-brief: Putin scrambles to salvage war campaign replacing spies May 11, 2022 Vladimir Putin has replaced Russia’s main spy agency – the Federal Security Service (FSB) – with military intelligence chiefs who will now oversee intelligence operations in Ukraine. The individuals appointed are part of the GRU, the service allegedly behind the Salisbury poisonings in 2018, and heavily involved in operations in the Donbas and in Syria. [...]
Explainer-in-brief: UK and EU at loggerheads over Northern Ireland May 10, 2022 The Northern Ireland protocol saga is back following Sinn Féin’s extraordinary assembly election victory last week. The Democratic Unionist Party has said it won’t return to government and form a coalition unless the protocol is scrapped. The post-Brexit agreement between the UK and the EU – meant to regulate checks of goods travelling between the [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Finally putting Net Zero into action May 9, 2022 The Queen’s Speech, taking place tomorrow, will set out the government’s agenda for the next year. It will include an energy bill focused on speeding up the path towards net zero. Proposals are expected to include measures to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2030. The bill should also include the creation of a system operator [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Why won’t Germany just go nuclear? May 6, 2022 Germany pushes ahead with plans to decommission all nuclear plants
Explainer-in-brief: The cost of delays of the Elizabeth line May 5, 2022 The Elizabeth line is finally due to open on May 24, the week before the Queen’s jubilee. Given the line’s name is an homage to the Queen’s legacy, this almost sounds like perfect timing. In reality, the line has been troubled by four years of problematic delays. It was meant to launch in December 2018, [...]
