This government’s oversight risks destroying my business June 11, 2020 Despite my strenuous efforts to find some help (submitting evidence to the Treasury Select Committee, writing to the chancellor, the economic secretary to the Treasury, the Welsh secretary, and the first minister of Wales), this government stands on the brink of bringing my business down. My business was not “in difficulty” before Covid-19 struck, it [...]
Coronavirus unemployment could take seven years to rebound, says think tank June 9, 2020 Levels of unemployment could take seven years to be restored to pre-coronavirus levels, according to a leading UK think tank. Torsten Bell, chief executive at The Resolution Foundation, said today there had been “way too much talk of a v-shaped [economic] recovery” and that based on historical precedents it will take almost a decade for [...]
Is the government brave enough to let markets fix the social care crisis? June 9, 2020 We have all seen, with the direst of consequences, the deficiencies of the current social care system. As Covid-19 has raged through the UK, tens of thousands have died in under-resourced, under-invested, and ill-designed care homes. With the focus in those early weeks on protecting the NHS at all costs, central planners sent potentially infectious [...]
Coronavirus: New fund launched to create apprenticeships in London June 9, 2020 A new fund has been launched by City Hall and a leading London think tank to provide retraining opportunities to London businesses affected by coronavirus. The London Progression Collaboration – run by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and the Greater London Authority – launched the fund today, with £500,000 already pledged by companies [...]
An introduction to social mobility: What is it and why is it important? June 8, 2020 On Thursday 4 June over 100 people gathered online to explore the issue and ask the question ‘An introduction to social mobility: What is it and why is it important?’ in the first of The Lord Mayor’s Appeal’s Power of Inclusion series, which this year focuses on social mobility. The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor [...]
Exclusive: Islington is the number one hotspot for new UK startups June 7, 2020 Islington is the UK hotspot for new startups, creating 18,590 new businesses in the last year, according to figures from UHY Hacker Young. Startups are turning to Islington as a cheaper alternative to the Silicon Roundabout, a popular tech hub in North-East London. Islington overlaps parts of the Kings Cross redevelopment, Dalston and on the [...]
We live in interesting times, but kindness matters too June 7, 2020 There is hardly a day goes by that I don’t think of the old curse: ‘May you live in interesting times.’ The saying comes – appropriately enough, you might say – from China. But whatever one’s suspicions about the Xi Jinping administration and its role in the current crisis, I have always liked the saying. [...]
Survive and thrive: Spencer Matthews’ low-alcohol brand is Clean-ing up June 5, 2020 London’s businesses have been forced to weather a storm they never saw coming, but many have pivoted to new ways of doing business. Today, City A.M. talks to the reality TV star-turned-entrepreneur Spencer Matthews about his Clean Liquor Company, selling low-alcohol spirits on Instagram and global ambitions For any business, at any time, consistently increasing [...]
BBC appoints Tim Davie as new director general June 5, 2020 The BBC has named Tim Davie as its new director general, bringing to an end months of speculation over the successor to outgoing boss Tony Hall. Davie, who is currently chief executive of BBC Studios, will take up the role in September. Davie is one of the corporation’s longest-serving executives and stepped in as acting [...]
Face coverings mandatory on TfL network from 15 June June 4, 2020 It will be mandatory for commuters to wear face coverings on all English public transport networks from 15 June, including on Transport for London (TfL). Transport secretary Grant Shapps made the announcement at today’s press briefing, adding that non-compliance would lead to a refusal of travel and fines. Shapps said there would be exemptions for [...]