Sorry Angela Merkel, it’s not that easy to choreograph your own legacy November 1, 2018 There definitely comes a time where a fresh pair of eyes and fresh leadership would be good.” Those are the wise words of David Cameron, when asked whether he’d be running for a third term as Prime Minister just before the 2015 election. Now into her fourth term as German Chancellor, it has taken Angela [...]
Hammond has taken the first tentative steps towards fixing the housing crisis October 31, 2018 How do you solve the housing crisis in a single Budget? You can’t, of course – not with Brexit looming and a Prime Minister demanding that you both signal the end of austerity and reduce the UK’s national debt at the same time. But housing policy is the one single issue that personally and radically [...]
The FCA cannot afford to focus on Brexit alone October 25, 2018 It has been a mixed few months for the City's watchdog. On the one hand, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has delivered long-awaited reforms to the asset management industry, while its chief Andrew Bailey has made several strong interventions in the Brexit debate, such as pointing out the absurdity of EU negotiators attempting to rule [...]
Flying taxis could help smart transport take off October 23, 2018 Flying taxis have this week moved one step closer to take-off, as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) opens a consultation for new rules to govern drone-filled skies. And not a moment too soon. Last month, a drone capable of carrying human passengers was trialled in Gloucestershire, while another British firm is working on electric [...]
How dare MPs be such brazen hypocrites over abuse claims October 19, 2018 Inappropriate touching. Groping. Sexual slurs. Men trying to kiss unwilling women, dragging them into secluded spaces, making derogatory, objectifying comments about their appearance. Telling them to be “sexier”. Similar, though less widespread, harassment of junior men. When the news broke that this toxic behaviour was widespread in Hollywood, it was met with an international outcry and [...]
Is adrenaline the ultimate stress relief? October 15, 2018 Does a shot of adrenaline instead of your morning coffee set you up for a day of enhanced energy, focus, and productivity? You might think that’s an impossible question to answer – but it’s one that staff at the International Quarter London (IQL) in Stratford, in collaboration with the University of Essex School of Sport, [...]
Outrage-induced regulation will not fix the broken audit market October 12, 2018 The audit market is broken. Don’t take my word for it – ask Rachel Reeves, the Labour MP who chairs the BEIS select committee, or Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable, or even the Conservative business secretary Greg Clark, who last month ordered an inquiry into competition in the sector. With such cross-party concerns, it should not [...]
A transition agreement would be enough to calm business nerves October 9, 2018 Two reports published yesterday paint radically different pictures of the future for post-Brexit Britain. This quarter’s Deloitte CFO survey makes for troubling reading. Concern over Brexit is at a record high, with 79 per cent of CFOs expecting a deterioration in the business environment, and just 12 per cent thinking now is a good time to [...]
The Conservative party conference was more SOS than Dancing Queen October 4, 2018 You have to hand it to Theresa May: after last year’s conference fiasco, it took guts to go onstage yesterday jiving to Abba’s Dancing Queen. In the end, her speech wasn’t bad. She has never been the kind of messiah-type figure who can bewitch a hall with her “authenticity” like Jeremy Corbyn, nor a charisma-soaked [...]
The government’s migration blindspot is a missed opportunity October 3, 2018 If there is one message that has been trumpeted by cabinet ministers, MPs, and members at this week’s Conservative party conference, it is that the Tories are and have always been the party of business. From Philip Hammond’s affirmation that “the Conservative party has business at its core”, to Boris Johnson waxing lyrical about the [...]
