Explainer: Welsh Rugby’s toxicity and can players strike? February 15, 2023 Toxicity in professional Welsh rugby started 20 years ago when clubs became regions, and since then there’s always been points of friction to keep the discourse over the Severn Bridge ticking over. But in the last couple of years the debate and disagreements over minor administrative issues have given way to a dire set of [...]
Hunt must tackle worker shortage hobbling London’s economy, business groups warn February 13, 2023 London’s economy is being hamstrung by a chronic worker shortage that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt needs to tackle at the 15 March budget, a new report from Britain’s biggest business lobby groups highlighted today. Nearly two in three of the capital’s firms are struggling to fill vacancies, according to research carried out by BusinessLDN, Federation of [...]
Pub insolvencies jump 83 per cent as rising energy bills force them to shut up shop February 13, 2023 Britain’s pubs are at “breaking point”, hospitality chiefs have warned, after new figures reveal that the number of pub and bar insolvencies has risen 83 per cent in the last year. According to data published by accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, some 512 pub and bar companies went bust in 2022, up from 280 the [...]
Britain’s abysmal numerical abilities are no laughing matter if we want a strong future February 13, 2023 Britons pass off being bad at maths as a joke, but our lack of numerical skills are a serious challenge for our workforce and our future economy, writes Nicholas Lyons
Cost of living crisis could drive the Bank of Mum and Dad bust, life office warns February 13, 2023 The wealth of parents who have been supporting their ‘adult’ children could be about to dry up, a life office has warned. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), £17bn a year is gifted or loaned annually, almost all from parents to adult children But Canada Life said its survey found that almost half [...]
U20 Six Nations: One to watch from each of the competing nations February 10, 2023 While many are keeping their eyes out for the world class talent in the Six Nations, the Under-20 version is running adjacently. With the same teams involved, this is seen as a quality pathway for the sport’s next stars to shine on the semi-international stage. Here’s one player to watch from each of tonight’s matches, [...]
If Rishi Sunak wants growth, he needs a trade deal with India February 10, 2023 After doing so much to stabilise the UK economy at the end of last year, the Prime Minister has started to shift gears towards a sustainable path to economic growth. Both Sunak and his chancellor Jeremy Hunt have made our future growth a cornerstone of recent speeches. There is much to applaud in this pivot, [...]
We need more than ambulances to help kids’ mental health in the UK February 10, 2023 There are 10 million people in the UK who will need new support for their mental health, 1.5 million of those will be children. So as much as we need the ambulances, we also need to preventative care for our kids, writes Emily Simonoff.
Harry Styles’ Grammys outfit wasn’t radical: Bowie did it better 50 years ago February 9, 2023 If you have an ounce of sense or taste, you will look at the red carpet for the Grammys, if at all, the same way that less enlightened 18th century thrill-seekers paid to be shown round the Bethlem Royal Hospital. Those you observe are to be pitied, to be sure, but you are viscerally aware [...]
A complicated funding model for apprenticeships means we miss the people we need February 9, 2023 The number of new apprentices is on the rise, but the number of people actually finishing their courses is falling, as young people are put off by low wages and low quality courses, writes Simon Eaves