Build back better? London won’t be building at all if construction can’t recruit the workers it needs November 26, 2020 “Build back better” has become the government’s mantra as it seeks to lift the country out of its Covid slump. Ever since Boris Johnson announced an “infrastructure revolution” back in the summer, with a raft of commitments on building hospitals, schools and transport projects, the construction industry has been held up as central to the [...]
Eurostar is our green gateway to Europe — we cannot abandon it November 26, 2020 As the end of the EU transition period looms, the UK must be able to showcase the strength of its post-Brexit trading role, whatever the outcome of negotiations. Our connectivity with Europe, even as a standalone nation, is crucial to demonstrating this. Yet Eurostar, the most iconic connection between the UK and mainland Europe, is [...]
Editorial: No-deal Brexit and London lockdown would compound economic catastrophe November 25, 2020 It is hard to shake the suspicion that Rishi Sunak’s spending review is a political response to an economic catastrophe. Cutting foreign aid because of these exceptional circumstances makes sense. Time to tighten the belts, as they say. But then taking the saving and putting it into a pork barrel levelling-up fund? Those are political [...]
Think short-term for lockdown but not for investing November 25, 2020 The UK’s second lockdown means everyone’s winter plans have been torn up and thrown away. Even seemingly modest weekend activities – going to a museum, meeting a friend for lunch – are now off the table. As many of us learnt during the first lockdown, the trick is to focus on what is possible in [...]
De La Rue in talks to produce ‘Covid passports’ November 25, 2020 De La Rue is in talks with governments and pharmaceutical companies about producing ‘Covid passports’. The banknote printer is also in conversations surrounding security seals and tracking systems to guarantee that vaccines and tests are genuine, according to the Telegraph. At the unveiling of the group’s interim results, chief executive Clive Vacher said: “We do [...]
Sunak’s tough choices: a sobering assessment November 25, 2020 Rishi Sunak’s spending review was a sobering assessment of not only the challenges facing the UK economy, but also the enormous economic damage created by the pandemic and the numerous lockdowns around the country, with the budget deficit for 2020 expected to come in at £394bn. The Chancellor said that the UK economy was likely [...]
Khan: Nothing to help London in any meaningful way in spending review November 25, 2020 London mayor Sadiq Khan has given a damning verdict on the chancellor's spending review, saying there was nothing in it to would help London
OBR: ‘No-deal’ Brexit to wipe 2 per cent off GDP – with finance worst hit November 25, 2020 Official forecasts suggest a “no-deal” Brexit will hit the UK economy to the tune of two per cent next year and scar the economy for years to come. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts that real GDP will be 1.5 per cent lower in five years than its current central GDP assumption if London [...]
UK borrowing to hit record £394bn as economy shrinks 11.3 per cent November 25, 2020 Government borrowing is set to soar to a peacetime record of £394bn this year while the economy will contract at the fastest pace since the 1700s thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, according to bleak predictions from the UK’s budget watchdog. The figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) show that unemployment is expected to [...]
Spending review live: Sunak pledges cash for city centres and transport but aid and public sector pay cut November 25, 2020 Spending review live: Sunak pledges cash for city centres and transport but aid and public sector pay cut