We should be creating a Right to Build not reviving more Thatcherite dreams May 5, 2022 This week, Boris Johnson mooted the idea of breathing new life into the Thatcherite right-to-buy policy. As the Conservatives face down the barrel of fierce local elections, headline-grabbing policies are a useful tool. With the new right-to-buy scheme, up to 2.5 million households could be able to buy their homes at a discounted price of [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Inside the debate over retail investors May 3, 2022 Retail investors have historically been excluded from accessing IPOs and investing in public floats. Critics of retail investors say they lack the knowledge, security and funds of institutional investors pose a threat to the stability of financial markets. There are fears inexperienced individual investors might start panic selling at the slightest hint of a dip, [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Voters, get your id at the ready April 29, 2022 The government will have the final say on the controversial topic of voter ID after the elections bill was passed. It will make the local elections the last time voters can cast a ballot without photo ID. The list of documents accepted includes passports, driving licences, and travel passes for older people such as the [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Russia’s sanctions a ‘badge of honour’ on 287 MPs April 28, 2022 Russia returned the favour yesterday, sanctioning 287 MPs for playing a key role in implementing sanctions against the Kremlin and for fuelling what Putin’s foreign ministry defines as “Russophobic hysteria”. Back in March, the Foreign Office had imposed 386 sanctions on members of the Russian Duma. Boris Johnson, foreign secretary Liz Truss and defence secretary [...]
Up in West Cumbria, the battle for coal has yet to find a winner April 27, 2022 In West Cumbria, a long stretch of coast right by the green hills of the wealthy Lake District, people have been worrying about jobs for a long time. So when the plans for the first new deep mine since the 1980s were first announced, most locals rejoiced. Fast forward to today, the plans haven’t yet [...]
Explainer-in-brief: A mass exodus or sticking around for Twitter anarchy? April 27, 2022 Elon Musk has officially bought Twitter – or as some put it, free speech – for USD$44bn. Not everyone is happy: several high-profile users have promised they will leave the platform, worrying that with no checks in place it will become a place rife with hate, misogyny and offensive content. Because it’s currently such a [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Boris Johnson’s partygate purgatory April 22, 2022 As Boris Johnson was in India yesterday, MPs were busy debating whether he should be referred to the Privileges Committee for having allegedly misled Parliament on partygate. The opposition claims that Johnson lied to MPs when he said no rules had been broken. The government initially tried to stop the Labour motion, putting an amendment [...]
Our judicial system is failing as courts and the profession lose their lustre April 21, 2022 As we finally emerge from the worst of the pandemic, things like the Nightingale Courts might be a fading memory. Much like the Nightingale Hospitals, they were set up to deal with urgent cases and individuals who couldn’t have their needs addressed remotely. In the case of the courts, they were a genuine commitment to [...]
Our high streets need a new lease of life but forced auctions could be fraught with uncertainty April 20, 2022 This week, the government unveiled plans to revitalise high streets up and down the country. Under the new policy – which will only be revealed in full during the Queen’s Speech next month – landlords will be forced to rent out shops that have been vacant for more than six months. The aim is to [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Johnson gets his own version of Denmark’s Aliens Act April 19, 2022 Last week, Boris Johnson unveiled a deal with Rwanda on migration. People coming to the UK to claim asylum can now be relocated there while their request is processed. The UK is not the first country to do this. Last summer, Denmark passed the controversial Bill L 226 – the “Aliens Act” – that allows [...]
