Truss and Sunak must put future food affordability before farmers’ votes August 5, 2022 As the Tory leadership race drags on, promises and policies of all kinds have been thrown at us, served with a side of U-turns reminiscent of the very same Johnson government both contenders used to be a part of. While Sunak had a change of heart on VAT and energy bills last week, Truss embarrassed [...]
Don’t blame shops for prices if leaders can’t stop inflation August 5, 2022 Inflation is soaring and the UK’s food and drink manufacturers are under incredible pressure. No one can remember such sustained, relentless price rises across all our inputs – everything, from energy and ingredients to transport and wages, is more expensive. With food price inflation now at 9.8 per cent, everyone is asking: how much further [...]
Dealmakers circle British firms as UK tops inward investment August 4, 2022 International dealmakers have set their sights on British firms this year with the UK now the top target in Europe for inbound and domestic investment, research today reveals.
UK defence and aerospace firms risk being outpaced in STEM skills shortage August 4, 2022 The UK’s defence and aerospace sectors are continuing to be squeezed by a shortage in STEM talent, leaving ‘high-trust’ businesses vulnerable to being outpaced by overseas counterparts. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills revealed earlier this year that 43 per cent of STEM vacancies were hard to fill due to a shortage of applicants, [...]
We will resign ourselves to geopolitical irrelevancy unless we re-invest in science August 4, 2022 As the Conservative leadership contest ploughs on through the summer and the final two candidates talk tax cuts and public spending neither are addressing the full extent of the UK’s economic woes. Many of the long-term problems the economy faces have been caused by successive governments’ underinvestment in science and innovation. For the last three [...]
New prime minister must up R&D funding or risk ushering in ‘low skilled’ economy August 4, 2022 The next prime minister must up the UK’s spending on science research and development (R&D) or risk losing its standing as a global leader, Tory-backed think tank Onward has urged today. In a report, supported by several MPs including former science minister George Freeman, Onward said the lack of spending risks damaging the UK’s core [...]
Tory leadership: Truss has 32-point lead over Sunak in new members poll August 3, 2022 Liz Truss has opened up a 32-point lead over Tory leadership contender Rishi Sunak in a new members poll as the pair get ready to face another hustings event tonight. The Conservative Home poll of Tory members had Truss on 58 per cent and Sunak on 26 per cent in a further sign the foreign [...]
Battle for Number 10: From tax to NHS, here are all the promises Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have made so far August 3, 2022 Yesterday, Liz Truss has this morning performed a screeching U-turn on a policy to pay regional public sector workers less than their London counterparts. it came after a severe backlash from Tory MPs and Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen. The embarrassing move comes as Truss and her rival Rishi Sunak continue to flesh out their [...]
UK pharma industry still suffering skills shortages despite progress August 3, 2022 The UK’s pharmaceutical industry is still suffering from skills shortages, despite recent progresses, the UK’s industry body warned today. “We’ve made progress in addressing some of the skills gaps that pharmaceutical companies have faced in recent years, with rapid improvements in areas such as biological and chemical science,” director of corporate affairs at the Association [...]
Letters: An Israeli flavour of tech success August 3, 2022 [Re: UK in talks with Israel for post-Brexit trade deal as £34bn contract up for grabs, July 20] A new trade deal between Britain and Israel, focusing on the enormous potential in the latter’s services industry, will augment the UK’s booming tech scene through competition. The Israeli tech ecosystem, with over 6,000 active start-ups, is [...]