Blame the coalition for rising childcare costs: London’s mayor must get a grip January 14, 2015 I’m A dad to two wonderful teenage daughters, so I know that being a parent in London can be challenging. Like most Londoners, my job is hectic. I often leave home before my girls are up in the morning, and in the evening, votes and constituency meetings mean I don’t get home till late. My [...]
Blame the Green Belt for Britain’s dire housing crisis: Reform is long overdue January 13, 2015 The UK, and particularly London, is in the midst of what should be seen as a housing crisis. According to LSE professor Paul Cheshire, new build houses are about 40 per cent bigger in the Netherlands and 38 per cent bigger in Germany than they are in England. And yet housing goes for 45 per [...]
Eurozone QE will be the most inefficient yet – CNBC Comment January 12, 2015 THE MARKET is expecting confirmation of a QE plan from European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi very soon. Indeed, CNBC learned yesterday that the ECB will more than likely base its highly-anticipated sovereign bond buying on the size of contributions made by national central banks. But whatever form it takes, it will almost certainly [...]
Angela Merkel and Syriza are about to open Pandora’s box: Watch out, Eurozone January 11, 2015 It is not often that I feel sorry for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Having lived in her country since 2006, for me she is the most overrated of modern politicians, having accomplished almost nothing in terms of substantive policy achievements, while somehow being lionised for her lack of ambition. She is the archetype of this [...]
Britain’s future lies in a reformed EU but the Tories are putting that at risk January 8, 2015 When the British people cast their votes on 7 May, they face a real choice. Do they want a Britain hankering for the past, or preparing for the future? Do they want a Britain closed to the world, or open to opportunity? Do they want an economy and a country that works only for a [...]
Britain’s future lies in a reformed EU – but the Tories are putting that at risk January 8, 2015 When the British people cast their votes on 7 May, they face a real choice. Do they want a Britain hankering for the past, or preparing for the future? Do they want a Britain closed to the world, or open to opportunity? Do they want an economy and a country that works only for a [...]
The billionaire philanthropist: Chemical magnate Jon Huntsman talks egg boxes and saving lives January 4, 2015 Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” That is what Jon Huntsman Senior, the self-made billionaire who has given away over 80 per cent of his wealth, said to me when I asked him what message he would like to send to today’s wealthy. [...]
Keeping chocolate prices down: A huge greenhouse in Reading could save the world’s cocoa supply through new genetic material January 2, 2015 With demand for chocolate outstripping supply at an unprecedented rate, its price is set to soar in 2015. But a giant greenhouse in Reading has come to the rescue, and could stop chocolate from becoming the preserve of the very wealthy. The International Cocoa Quarantine Centre has been in operation for one month and [...]
The four most shocking things that happened in 2014 December 23, 2014 1. THE RUSSIA SAGA (Source: Getty) Russia flexed its muscles at the beginning of the year, taking the opportunity during the uprising in Ukraine to plant pro-Putin flags in the Crimea region, triggering a string of catastrophic events to unfold. And it’s likely we’re far from seeing the final act of this epic Russian novel play [...]
UK closes in on full £4.5bn repayment from IceSave December 18, 2014 The remains of failed bank Landsbanki yesterday paid another £1.36bn to the UK government, returning money that the Treasury paid out during the financial crisis. Landsbanki’s online UK arm IceSave had attracted deposits from 230,000 Britons through attractive interest rates, with firms, councils and savers putting their cash into the accounts. But when it crashed, [...]