Government decision to scrap Erasmus scheme will harm UK’s bottom line January 10, 2020 The UK has always lagged behind its European neighbours in foreign language learning, and the vote this week to eradicate the Erasmus scheme will only slow that adoption further. For many, Erasmus was an opportunity to live and learn a new culture and language, free from class and income boundaries. The programme gave the UK’s [...]
Weekly Grill: Chris Leach, chef founder of Manteca, on rediscovering bananas and being interrupted by Ross from Friends January 9, 2020 Who are you and what do you do? My name is Chris Leach, and I’m chef founder of Manteca, a new restaurant on Great Marlborough Street, which I’m opening alongside David Carter of Smokestak. We’ve just finished a residency at 10 Heddon Street, so Manteca will be an evolvement of that. Tell us about Manteca Manteca [...]
Eddie Jones must look to Ben Spencer and Dan Robson to answer England scrum-half dilemma January 9, 2020 Eddie Jones has hinted he could make a number of changes when he names his England squad for the Six Nations in 11 days’ time and I’m intrigued to see where he goes. It is the start of a new Rugby World Cup cycle and, while I don’t think he will make immediate wholesale alterations, [...]
City Hall needs a major shake-up if it is to deliver for London January 9, 2020 The immense challenges facing London are growing by the day, and meeting these requires not just a proactive national government but an effective administration at City Hall. The political power of the capital’s own local government is so often underestimated, but there can be no doubt that the mayor of London has the money and [...]
January transfer window: Why Premier League clubs could hold off splashing the cash in mid-season January 8, 2020 The hype and bluster surrounding the Premier League transfer windows, and the shorter January version in particular, is well established. Rumour, counter-rumour and 24/7 rolling news with reporters in club car parks were designed for such occasions and have become ingrained in football culture. All the window means in practice, however, is that after five [...]
Questions raised over Rory Stewart association with church under fraud cloud January 8, 2020 Mayoral candidate Rory Stewart has been criticised for associating himself with a church being investigated for fraud by the Metropolitan Police and the Charity Commissioner. Croydon-based SPAC Nation was set up by former gang members to try and combat knife crime in BAME communities. Read more: Rory Stewart rails against ‘unnecessarily high’ skyscrapers in the [...]
Millennials drive record Rolls-Royce sales as luxury car firm targets youth January 7, 2020 Rolls-Royce’s high-end, luxury cars may not immediately come to mind as the playthings of the younger generation. But thanks to a concerted push to appeal to younger buyers, the 111-year-old company has managed to bring the average age of its clientele down by 13 years over the last decade to just 43. Read more: Aston [...]
‘Don’t be evil’: Google abandoned motto and lost its way, says former exec January 6, 2020 Google’s former head of international relations has hit out at the company’s human rights record and corporate culture in a blog post detailing why he left the tech giant. Ross LaJeunesse, who left Google in May last year after 11 years at the firm, claimed that “standing up for for women, for the LGBTQ community, [...]
Sports technology in 2020: the key trends to watch this year January 6, 2020 Drama is the currency of sport but if current trends continue in 2020, below-the-radar work will be the stuff really making the hard yards. Last year, forward-thinking organisations have been focused on leveraging newer media platforms better and tailoring engagement better, often with a social slant. Two stand-out performers were AS Roma, which used the [...]
Why more and more fund managers are turning to shareholder activism January 6, 2020 According to Greta Thunberg, “the danger is when politicians and CEOs are making it look like real action is happening, when in fact almost nothing is being done.” She may find some unlikely bedfellows in the Square Mile. Active fund managers have endured a torrid time of late. The Woodford saga and M&G’s decision to [...]