The disarray of Johnson’s government exposes a disdain for Britain’s rules Eliot Wilson When Christopher Geidt joined the Royal Household in 2002, he could scarcely have imagined that he would, two decades later, be front-page news. Yet that is what happened last week: Lord Geidt’s resignation as independent adviser on ministers’ interests was the political story of the week, and its implications are still emerging. What does it [...]
The Conservative Party under Johnson has given up its devotion to freedom Eliot Wilson It was country music legend Toby Keith who observed that “Freedom don’t come free”. Nevertheless, when the Conservative Party adopted the Manchester liberalism of Margaret Thatcher nearly 50 years ago, it was willing to pay the price. Freedom, in all its forms, became a touchstone of the Conservative brand, pursued not only for its beneficial [...]
Walking in London: Now is the time to rediscover the capital, by foot london by foot One of the perverse effects of lockdown was to get people walking more. Public transport was off-limits, but exercise and a change of scenery was necessary to stave off cabin fever, so citizens of the capital found themselves strolling the city streets in a way they hadn’t before, with many taking the opportunity to look [...]
Our auto industry must let go of nostalgia even as it revives DeLorean June 6, 2022 Last week, we were bombarded with fond memories and childhood nostalgia as the famed DeLorean car make was revived. A new model, trading on those most powerful of marketing tools, will be released. Former Tesla executive Joost de Vries has bought the rights to the famous name and set up the gullwing-doored Alpha5 as a [...]
Great transport means opportunities – we just need to learn how to fund it May 30, 2022 It will not have escaped your notice that Transport for London opened a new part of the network last week. The Elizabeth line, which began life as Crossrail in a 1974 rail report, currently runs in three separate stages across the capital. It will eventually extend from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield [...]
Johnson could use the meal deal moratorium to finally find some values May 23, 2022 A week ago the government announced that it was delaying the introduction of a ban on so-called BOGOF (buy one, get one free) offers on food and drink high in salt, fat or sugar. The prohibition, intended to help reduce overconsumption and therefore obesity, was deferred, according to the Department of Health and Social Care, [...]
Sadiq Khan could be leading the way in deserting the foolish war on drugs May 16, 2022 Those who like to think they take the long view of history will tell you that the “war on drugs” started in 1971, when Richard Nixon declared illegal narcotics to be public enemy number one. Yet its lineage extended far further back than that: in the US, Congress banned alcohol for nearly 15 years from [...]
We must design tech legislation fit for free markets and open trade rules May 9, 2022 Late last month we saw a grand statement of principles by a global coalition of economic powers. The United States, the 27 member states of the EU, the United Kingdom and 32 other countries around the world signed the Declaration for the Future of the Internet, a rather ornately presented summary of the philosophical approach [...]
Westminster has much to learn from the resilience of post-pandemic London May 3, 2022 Last week the City AM Awards 2022 were held in the Guildhall, the ancient seat of government for the City of London. There was an air of celebration, and many dinner jackets and evening gowns were being worn for the first time in months, if not years. There was unanimity on the message which everyone [...]
Priti Patel’s single minded focus on the Channel has let talent leave our shores April 25, 2022 Immigration is an issue which cuts through. We have seen this with the firestorm following the announcement about how future migrants crossing the Channel will be diverted to Rwanda. The Home Office has pursued it with distinctive single-mindedness, precisely because of its political pull. One of the most powerful slogans of the Brexit referendum campaign [...]
