Legalising cannabis would be the ultimate Conservative policy July 5, 2019 What if you were in the running to be the next leader of the Conservatives, and I told you that with a single popular policy, you could return your party to its traditional pro-liberty roots, put the UK at the forefront of a new cutting-edge global industry, and inspire the millennial generation to vote Tory [...]
At last, a sensible immigration plan – and it comes from Boris June 28, 2019 It is not often that I agree with Boris Johnson. But when the frontrunner to be the next Prime Minister announced his immigration proposals yesterday, for the first time in this leadership race I found myself on Team Boris. In a digital hustings, Boris revived an idea that he had trumpeted during the Vote Leave [...]
Calling the data doctor: How Chronomics wants to educate you about your epigenetics June 27, 2019 How old are you? A simple enough question, you may think, but not for Dr Tom Stubbs, co-founder and chief executive of epigenetic testing company Chronomics. Epigenetics is (to quote the Chronomics website) the study of heritable phenotype changes that do not involve alteration in the DNA sequence. It’s essentially how environmental factors – from [...]
Like Boris, Jeremy Hunt should be wary of promising spending splurges June 27, 2019 Earlier this week, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) performed a useful public service, placing Boris Johnson’s spending proposals under the microscope. The less-than-glowing conclusion was that the plans would be immensely expensive, and have the side-effect of helping wealthy retirees more than current workers. Today, the IFS has done the same favour for rival [...]
The City bids farewell to Spreadsheet Phil June 21, 2019 In the drama of the Tory leadership contest, last night was a reminder that it is not only the Prime Minister to whom we will soon be bidding farewell, but the chancellor too. Philip Hammond’s speech at the Mansion House dinner marked his final major address to the City and the effective end of his [...]
The breakup of the UK is not an acceptable price for Brexit June 20, 2019 Whoever wins the keys to Number 10 this summer will walk in on their first day to the inbox from hell. There’s the social care crisis that various governments have been kicking down the road for a decade. There’s the massive housing shortage that has led to vast swathes of the population abandoning their dreams [...]
Love him or hate him, Boris is nicking the Marmite strategy June 14, 2019 Is there any brand in the history of advertising that has come up with a slogan as ingenious as Marmite’s “You Either Love It Or Hate It”? I say this as someone who despises Marmite. To quote the singer Amanda Palmer lamenting her partner’s love of this inexplicable condiment, “it tastes like sadness, it tastes [...]
The next Prime Minister must be more than a one-trick Brexit pony June 14, 2019 The starting gun has fired and Boris Johnson is far out ahead in the race to be the next leader of the Conservative party. Brexit is of course everyone’s priority, but a new report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) reminds us that there are other pressing challenges for the incoming Prime Minister to [...]
Trump forfeited the respect that the presidency deserves June 7, 2019 Show respect for the office, if not for the man. This was the finger-wagging admonishment heard across the UK this week, as the President of the United States graced our tiny island with his presence, and was greeted by crowds of protesters. President Trump, these protesters were sternly reminded, is the leader of the free [...]
Without action, a crisis over pensions looms June 6, 2019 The row over pensions for women born in the 1950s stepped up a gear this week when campaigners headed to the High Court for a judicial review. Women used to retire at 60, five years earlier than men. In 1995, a timetable was drawn up to equalise this, phasing in the increase. However, the changes [...]
