Joe Biden ‘will not prioritise’ UK-US trade deal November 9, 2020 Joe Biden will reportedly not prioritise UK-US trade deal discussions in the first 100 days of his presidency. The president-elect has shown little interest in the talks and will focus instead on domestic legislation, an adviser to his campaign told the Telegraph. The Democrat would also face hurdles appointing his US trade representative to lead [...]
Joe Biden’s business in-tray: The President-elect’s most pressing issues November 9, 2020 President-elect Joe Biden will be entering the White House at a time when the US is facing stark crises on multiple fronts. The US is seeing a third wave of Covid with almost 240,000 deaths recorded, the economy is in a deep recession and the US’ federal climate policy is in need of reform. City [...]
Joe Biden must not let anti-capitalist climate zealots capture his presidency November 9, 2020 As the world prepares for the coming Biden administration, a fundamental question looms both for Americans and for the wider world: which Joe Biden will govern as President? He has long defined himself as a moderate, a centrist, a bipartisan consensus-finder — but recently his Democratic Party has moved significantly to the left, and in [...]
Building back a greener City — and a greener world November 9, 2020 It is essential, even as we readjust to lockdown over the next few weeks, to not lose sight of another of humanity’s great challenges: tackling climate change. As one of the world’s foremost financial centres, London has a huge role to play in supporting the development of a more sustainable global society, and is well-placed [...]
The government must stop treating us like a nation of prospective criminals November 9, 2020 Despite the Prime Minister previously cautioning the “misery” that a second national lockdown would invariably cause, last week MPs voted for the imposition of new restrictions. A difficult period looms. The new measures criminalise family meetings, deny individuals the freedom of assembly, prevent religious ceremonies from taking place, and give the police the power to [...]
Marketing in the age of Tron: How to stand out in cyberspace November 9, 2020 In the 1982 sci-fi classic Tron, computer whizzkid Kevin Flynn discovers that his company’s Master Control Program (MCP) has expanded into a powerful virtual intelligence. Hungry for power, the MCP is illegally downloading personal, business and government programs and information to increase its own capabilities. As Flynn confronts the data-guzzling antagonist, MCP uses an experimental [...]
Scottish Widows pulls £440m from investments in ESG push November 9, 2020 Pensions provider Scottish Widows has announced it will pull millions from companies failing to meet its ESG standards. The £440m divestment from companies that “pose significant ESG” risk is the firm’s latest sustainable push, and is one of the largest exclusions policy by an institutional investor yet. The divestment seeks to protect almost 6m customers [...]
Housing market fends off significant hit of second lockdown November 9, 2020 While the second lockdown in England has had a detrimental effect on the country’s hospitality and leisure industries, the housing market is having an entirely different experience. The early impact of the second lockdown is bearing little resemblance to the hit it took in March, according to estate agent Knight Frank. UK house prices have [...]
Young Britons worst hit by Covid lockdowns, says new study November 8, 2020 Young people have been disproportionately affected by the UK’s Covid lockdowns and other restrictions, according to a new study. A study by NatWest/Centre for Social Justice found 20 per cent of all Britons saw their income fall this year, with 27 per cent of young people reporting decreases. Debit card spending on local services, such [...]
Boris Johnson maintains Brexit deal ‘is there to be done’ November 8, 2020 A post-Brexit trade deal is still “there to be done” despite the final deadline looming next month, according to Boris Johnson. Johnson, who spoke to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday, said “the broad outlines are pretty clear” and that the EU chief “totally agrees with me”. A statement from Downing Street yesterday [...]