West End Christmas intake to be squeezed by pandemic and cost of living at £1.55bn November 3, 2022 West End Christmas intake is set to be a quarter up from last year but still almost 30 per cent down on pre-Covid levels. Around £1.55bn is set to be splashed out in the heart of London’s shopping district, as the capital bounces back from the pandemic in a restriction-free Christmas. The cost of living [...]
Let’s be honest, we need to stop the boats if we want positive immigration in Britain November 3, 2022 If the public perceives the UK has lost control of its borders, they are likely to trigger demands for more closed border policies.
Ben Wallace denies he threatened to quit over defence spending pledges November 2, 2022 Ben Wallace has denied claims he would resign if not given a vastly larger defence budget as he appeared to row back on Liz Truss’ previous target. The defence secretary told a Westminster committee that Truss’ promise to spend 3 per cent of UK GDP on defence by 2030 was only “an aspiration”. The Ministry [...]
Homeowners told property values may get 11.3 per cent boost as Sunak restores stability November 2, 2022 The housing market could benefit to the tune of 11.3 per cent where house prices are concerned, as a result of the greater stability brought on by the appointment of Rishi Sunak as prime minister, a City firm told this paper today. Property lending agency Octane Capital analysed property market performance across the UK market [...]
All Rishi Sunak’s Tory leadership policies now under review November 2, 2022 All of Rishi Sunak’s pledged policies during the Tory leadership contest are now under review, Number 10 has said. The Prime Minister’s spokesperson today said “we’re looking at all” of his campaign promises from just two months ago and “considering whether now is the right time to take them forward”. Number 10 also told journalists [...]
Sunak’s Cop-27 attendance is a facile row that sums up too much of our politics November 2, 2022 Little could more perfectly sum up the facile nature of our energy and climate debate – and indeed often our politics – than the confected row about whether or not Rishi Sunak attends Cop-27 in Egypt this month. Does anyone, honestly, believe that the Prime Minister’s attendance is going to make one iota of difference [...]
The City is a green machine but ESG claims must be scrutinised properly November 2, 2022 Greenwashing, virtue-signalling and corporate guff are setting back the City’s environmental agenda Is it pro-bird? Is it anti-plane? Or is it just a bubble? That’s the question that many in the City have been asking themselves over the past few months about those three little words: environmental, social, and governance. The rise of ESG was [...]
Rishi Sunak WILL attend COP27 after all November 2, 2022 Prime minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed he will attend the COP27 conference in Egypt. In a tweet sent this morning, he said he would be at the climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh, after much speculation as to whether he would travel. Initially he said he wouldn’t because he needed to focus on domestic commitments, [...]
Not all is doom and gloom: a recession is not the only possible scenario facing Britain November 2, 2022 The prime minister and the Chancellor are struggling to “balance the books”. Around £50bn might be needed from a combination of cuts to spending plans and increases in taxation. This has led to a chorus of voices squealing about austerity creating a major economic recession. The argument goes back to Keynes, writing in the aftermath [...]
Sunak must bet big on our semiconductor industry – or we’ll lose out to competition November 2, 2022 Rishi Sunak’s in-tray is overflowing with crises: from the cost of living to supporting Ukraine, from settling the UK’s long-running dispute with the EU about Northern Ireland to the fate of his controversial home secretary. But the prime minister also needs to address long-running issues which his predecessors have neglected. Among these is how to [...]