The big business class-only problem: Why high-end services like La Compagnie don’t take off in Britain September 7, 2016 Sir Richard Branson’s trademark “devil may care” attitude is evident when he talks about founding Virgin Atlantic. He has said: “In the ’80s my gut feeling was that airlines were crap. I hated spending time on planes. I thought we could create the kind of airline I’d like. So we got a secondhand 747 and [...]
Delays on a new runway decision are costing the UK up to £1m an hour in emerging markets trade, according to a new study September 7, 2016 Delays in decision making on airport expansion are costing the UK as much as £1m ever hour in lost trade with emerging markets, according to a new analysis. Sir Howard Davies first recommended expansion at Heathrow last July, but since then the government has failed to approve the plan, and is currently set to return [...]
Wake up, Britain: Your post-Brexit future is brighter than you realise September 6, 2016 This is an extract from a speech to be given at the Institute for Turnaround Conference in London on 8 September 2016. Britain's future is brighter than the British realise. This is perfectly obvious to outsiders but the British can’t believe it. Britain has been for some time the second most compelling investment destination after [...]
London is still number one for fintech – and now we’re going global September 6, 2016 Ten weeks on from Brexit, the City is back to business following the summer, and the fintech community is as busy as ever working through its plans for an ever-changing world. While the uncertainty of Brexit may loom for some time, London is still the number one fintech hub on the planet. We have created [...]
Levison Wood: The real-life Indiana Jones tells us his travel reading list September 6, 2016 British explorer Levison Wood has walked the length of the Nile, the world’s longest river, journeyed along the Himalayas, the world’s highest mountain range; and this year he embarks on an ambitious new project to the Americas. He has two best-selling books, two hit TV series and several acclaimed photography exhibitions under his belt. Along [...]
Brexit is a chance for London to renew itself once again as a great global city September 5, 2016 London is a phoenix-like city. It has reinvented itself time and again, rising from the Great Fire, the Plague and the Blitz. Compared to those, Brexit is a mild cold. The capital now needs to renew itself once again. It produces 22 per cent of the UK’s GDP and 30 per cent of its tax [...]
The London option: Britain’s EU deal must guarantee our city’s business pre-eminence September 5, 2016 In my last piece for City A.M., just 10 days after the referendum, I said that, by working together, we can keep London open for business and leading in the world. Over the past nine weeks, I’ve been meeting as many business leaders as possible, across all sectors, from startups to global corporations. Sadiq Khan and I [...]
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announces new bus ‘Hopper’ ticket will launch next Monday 12 September September 5, 2016 London commuters will get more bang for their bus tickets from next Monday onwards, when the new 'hopper' bus fare system is launched. From Monday 12 September, passengers will be able to change onto another bus or tram for free within one hour of touching in at the start of their journey. It will be automatically given [...]
Four improvements which need to happen before Oxford Street can be pedestrianised September 5, 2016 Sadiq Khan is under pressure to remove buses from Oxford Street to clear the way for happy shoppers – but before Oxford Street is pedestrianised there are a lot more changes the London Assembly have in mind. The London Assembly's Transport Committee wrote to Sadiq Khan today, suggesting ways to help the pedestrianisation of the street happen. Here are [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan must axe “empty” Oxford Street buses to push ahead with pedestrianisation September 5, 2016 Plans to ban vehicles from Oxford Street must begin with a dramatic reduction in “empty” bus services through the crowded area, according to the London Assemby's transport committee. London mayor Sadiq Khan has made pedestrianisation of Oxford Street a key part of his mayoralty, and his hoping to complete the project by 2020. However, critics [...]