Britain’s productivity has been battered by the scarcity of affordable homes in cities February 15, 2022 Londoners are feeling the squeeze. The Bank of England has forecast the biggest annual fall in living standards for at least three decades: energy costs are surging, and rents are going up by 5.5 per cent. The high cost of housing leads to a worse quality of life in familiar ways, through lower disposable incomes, [...]
Young people are coming back to London but population is still lower than pre-pandemic peak February 15, 2022 Young people, who left London in the midst of the pandemic, are coming back to the UK’s capital city, according to research from the Greater London Authority (GLA). Analysis by the GLA suggests the number of people aged 18-29 dropped sharply at the start of the pandemic, as thousands of young people left London to [...]
DWF CEO Sir Nigel Knowles says big pay rises are not a solution to legal sector’s recruitment crisis February 14, 2022 Sir Nigel Knowles, the former Co-CEO and co-chairman of DLA Piper, has said that offering young lawyers huge pay rises will not fix the legal sector’s recruitment crisis. In a letter to the Financial Times, Knowles said “offering more and more money to young people is only a sticking plaster” as he argued law firms [...]
Young workers cooped up in flats have budgets squeezed by home working February 14, 2022 Young renters cooped up in small flats amid working from home orders during the pandemic have had their budgets squeezed, revealed official figures released today. Almost every person in the UK living in rented housing was hit with higher energy bills, according to research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Younger workers just starting [...]
Super Bowl ads: Which showpiece commercials were the best? February 14, 2022 There’s nothing remotely like the Super Bowl in the UK – and the commercials aired during the game are unlike any commercials on the planet. With an audience of more than 100m watching from home, the Super Bowl ads are a big deal. They cost a lot to make and even more to air – [...]
Britain’s most wanted: ‘Do not approach Paul Robson’ warn police as manhunt launches for dangerous sex offender February 14, 2022 Police have said a manhunt has been launched for a convicted sex offender who “presents a particular danger to women and young children”. Paul Robson, who is serving a life sentence for attempted rape and indecent assault, absconded from an open prison in Lincolnshire and was reported missing at around 7am on Sunday, Lincolnshire Police [...]
Jo Whitfield’s leave from Co-op is an exercise in privilege as well as change February 14, 2022 Last week, Jo Whitfield, the head of the Co-operative Society’s food arm, announced she would be taking four months of unpaid leave later in the year to help her sons through their A-level and GCSE examinations. On the one hand, the Co-op was lauded for its progressive and flexible approach to employment, and for allowing [...]
Smith proved himself as England get Six Nations campaign back on track February 14, 2022 It wasn’t brilliant and it wasn’t woeful, but the result stuck to type: another England win against Italy in the Six Nations and a yet another loss – their 99th in the competition – for the Azzurri. While England’s 33-0 victory was expected, however, there were moments of magic in Rome that signalled a brighter [...]
Wuthering Heights at the NT: Emma Rice finds gold on the moors February 13, 2022 There can be little sympathy for any theatre-goers expecting a traditional retelling of Wuthering Heights in this new version at the National Theatre. Emma Rice is the controversial director who proved too ‘out there’ for Shakespeare’s Globe, her tenure as artistic director cut short after a backlash by the theatre’s more conservative members, who weren’t ready for [...]
A matter of when not if for the Met Commissioner February 11, 2022 In truth it was a matter of when, not if. Dame Cressida Dick simply had to go – her force long ago lost the faith of Londoners. For some, it began with the heavy-handed response to the vigil for Sarah Everard, when the force violently broke up a peaceful protest at the murder of a [...]