Welcome to the Great Green Delay, and Khan’s Ulez expansion is the first victim July 26, 2023 As Sadiq Khan’s expansion of the Ultra Low Emission zone became a flashpoint for the Uxbridge by-election, other green policies face being quietly shelved, writes Comment & Features editor Sascha O’Sullivan.
IMF warns Germany and UK will be G7’s laggards this year despite upgrades July 25, 2023 Britain is on course to register the second weakest growth in the clutch of rich countries this year, beaten only by Europe’s economic powerhouse Germany, which will be the only advanced economy to contract this year, the world’s lender of last resort has signalled today. UK output will expand 0.4 per cent this year, the [...]
The Notebook: Neil Clifford on dyslexia, profit with purpose and the greatest American asset July 24, 2023 Where interesting people say interesting things. Today, it’s Neil Clifford, chief executive of London luxury brand Kurt Geiger Profit with purpose is keeping us on the right track I left school in 1983 with a single qualification to my name: an O-level in art. I was dyslexic, but I didn’t find that out until years [...]
Starmer’s ULEZ meddling shows Labour still has a lot to learn July 24, 2023 Only the Labour Party could turn a night in which they overturned a 20,000 majority Tory seat in Yorkshire into an almighty row over a tax on fewer than 10 per cent of outer London’s cars. The Conservatives’ narrow victory in Uxbridge, which had at least something (but by no means all) to do with [...]
Brits want to stop the boats, but they also want closer trade ties with the EU July 24, 2023 Sunak's new laws to stop illegal immigration via boats on the Channel is overwhelming popular among voters, but those same people also want a warmer relationship with Europe, writes Eliot Wilson.
Bank bosses to discuss account closures with Treasury – reports July 23, 2023 Bosses of the UK’s major banks and financial firms have been called in for a meeting with City minister Andrew Griffith over the closing of bank accounts. According to a report from the BBC, the Treasury has drafted a letter to banks saying the issue of “client de-banking” had raised “significant concern” in parliament. Griffith [...]
It’s still a tall order for the Conservatives to take an electoral sweep of London July 21, 2023 Uxbridge voters found something they disliked more than the Conservatives - ULEZ.
UK borrowing falls as debt pile revised to under 100 per cent of economy July 21, 2023 The Government’s debt pile was bigger than the country’s economic output in June – the first time this has happened for more than 60 years, official data shows. Public sector net borrowing hit £18.5 billion last month, down from £20 billion a month earlier, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. It pushed the total [...]
You win some, ULEZ some: A mixed bag of by-election results but what does it all mean? July 21, 2023 Well, it was quite a night. Three by-elections, three very different constituencies, and – at face value at least – something for everyone. If you’re catching up now, the headlines are: Rishi Sunak dodges a triple defeat, as the Tory Party held onto Uxbridge, while Labour won big in Selby and the Lib Dems took [...]
Explainer: What’s going on with Farage’s bank account July 20, 2023 Coutts, a prestigious private bank owned by Natwest, is under pressure after it emerged that Nigel Farage’s bank account had been closed, ostensibly for his political opinions alone. The story has caused a furore and, with politicians wading in, it could even spark a set of new rules which would prevent banks ‘debanking’ customers with [...]