Here’s how to make sure Great British Railways stays on track July 29, 2025 If Labour must steam ahead with its plan to renationalise the railways, there’s a few things it must do to make it a success, says Emma Revell One of the least surprising and most ideologically consistent aspects of Labour’s first year in office has been the impetus behind Great British Railways. The new body, which [...]
London must prepare for new climate extremes July 29, 2025 Floods, extreme temperatures, wildfires… the new London Plan must not treat planning for freak weather as an optional extra, says Emma Howard Boyd London and New York are officially the world’s most globally connected cities. Not only are both classed as ‘supercities’ but they are also the world’s only combined financial, commercial and cultural superhubs, [...]
Great British Railways risk repeating British Rail mistakes July 28, 2025 Plans for the government’s flagship rail reform body, Great British Railways (GBR), risk reviving the failings of the past if urgent changes aren’t made, a leading think tank has warned. A new report from the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) cautions that the structure of GBR could stifle innovation, reduce accountability, and discourage competition, particularly [...]
Fans and athletes both lose in sport’s endless entertainment loop July 24, 2025 New tournaments, expanding global championships, tours of dubious sporting merit and very little rest – isn’t it time we gave our athletes a break, asks Ed Warner? If only the world wasn’t spherical, maybe then we wouldn’t have lost the sporting seasons. As it is, summer bleeds from northern hemisphere to southern, which sends winter [...]
UK sees ‘small burst’ in hiring in sign of growth July 24, 2025 The UK labour market saw a “small burst” in demand for jobs in June but postings remain below levels seen last year, fresh data has found, with brutal tax rises introduced in April by Chancellor Rachel Reeves weighing on employers. In new jobs figures published by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and Lightcast, the [...]
Kemi Badenoch shuffles deckchairs on the Tory Titanic July 23, 2025 Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet reshuffle saw plenty of promotions for yesterday’s men – but the party is on an inevitable course towards an electoral iceberg, says William Atkinson Over the weekend, I re-read London Fields, by Martin Amis. (This paper’s Opinion and Features Editor introduced me to the late author two years ago, and of [...]
Christopher Ward: US sales surge for luxury watchmaker July 23, 2025 Sales at luxury watchmaker Christopher Ward jumped by 50 per cent in its latest financial year fuelled by huge growth in the US. The business, which was founded by Christopher Ward, Mike France and Peter Ellis in 2004, has posted a turnover of £45.3m for the year to 31 March, 2025, up from the £30.5m it achieved in [...]
Japan’s Transition Finance – A Roadmap For UK-Japan Collaboration On Net Zero July 22, 2025 Returning to London this week, I was struck not just by nostalgia but by the current heatwave – a powerful reminder that climate change can no longer be dismissed. From Tokyo to London, the growing frequency of record-breaking summers has become a shared reality, fuelling the urgent need for global action. The UK and Japan [...]
Labour’s war on business is a gift to Nigel Farage July 22, 2025 Labour’s paralysis is driving business away from Britain and paving a path to power for Nigel Farage and Reform, says Alexander Temerko The government of Keir Starmer has internalised a culture of hesitation so completely that inaction is no longer perceived as a flaw, but as a mode of governance. Over the past year, a [...]
The discrete joy of guerrilla swimming in the Thames July 22, 2025 Guerilla swimmers are defying the authorities to go swimming in the Thames – don’t listen to the gloomsters telling you it’s not safe, says James Bethell Swooshing down the Thames past the pubs and bridges on the powerful tides in the warm summer water is utter bliss. We met at a pub for some chat, [...]