Turn the volume down: London could be revolutionised by the silent automation of the noisiest parts of city life July 22, 2021 Cities have always been the future. Development is nearly always metropolitan, regeneration usually urban. London is one of the world’s major cities, and we might expect it to be one of the fastest to bounce back from the turmoil of the last year. But will a post-pandemic world view cities in the same way? Covid [...]
Arcane taxes on junk food is all pain with almost no benefit July 16, 2021 Some people are born lucky. They can eat junk food all day long without putting on any weight. Others develop rolls of fat after a few packets of crisps. The former can live blissfully without these concerns. The latter must struggle every day – either with obesity or self-control and exercise – to stay in [...]
How to build an ethical business July 12, 2021 The demand for businesses to be ethical is rising. But how can companies ensure that sustainability does not come at the cost of financial stability? Christian Koch investigates. This article was written before the coronavirus pandemic had escalated in the UK, Europe and the USA and first appears in the April 2020 issue of CA magazine. [...]
Brexit minister hits back at Elton John: ‘He had his first hits before the UK became EU member’ June 29, 2021 Elton John became successful before the UK joined the bloc, Brexit minister Lord Frost said today, as he hit back at criticism from the singer over post-Brexit visa rules for musicians in the EU. Sir Elton has previously warned of a “looming catastrophe” facing the UK music industry because of new travel restrictions on touring [...]
Exclusive: ‘Allow yourself to f*** up once in a while’, says Speak2Impact founder and TED talk writer Susie Ashfield June 9, 2021 Susie Ashfield started out as the voice of middle-class products on day time television; everything from Channing Tatum’s latest blockbuster to Jersey Royal Potatoes. Alongside her voiceover work, she worked as an insurance broker in the City, managing a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals, including celebrities and business high flyers. Seeing a gap in the market [...]
Haldane: Rishi ‘played a blinder’ but inflation fears are very real June 9, 2021 The threat of inflation is very real for chief economist at the Bank of England Andy Haldane, who this morning said the UK could “overshoot” its inflation target for longer than planned. Speaking on LBC this morning Haldane said there are “punchy pressures on prices” across the UK economy. A combination of high prices on [...]
Avoiding the great resignation will require some creative thinking June 7, 2021 They’re calling it “The Great Resignation” – the fear of a tsunami of departures from City firms as battalions of workers change jobs post-pandemic. One survey suggested that as many as 40 per cent of employees are considering moving on in the next six to twelve months. Some say they just can’t stomach the anxiety [...]
Services sector expanded at fastest rate in 24 years in May June 3, 2021 The UK’s service industry saw business activity grow at its fastest rate in 24 years last month as the reopening of the country’s economy after the pandemic continued apace. The UK Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for services rose to 62.9 in May, up from 61 in April. Any score above 50 indicates growth. It [...]
Law is one of the last bastions of anti-innovation and must learn to confront digital efficiency May 27, 2021 Members of the legal profession have an unfortunate reputation. On-screen depictions of lawyers give us a sense of society’s perception towards them; from the impossibly stern Julius Hoffman in Netflix’s Trial of the Chicago 7, to Judge Rinder’s performative reality TV court cases, lawyers in popular culture get a bad rap. A reason why the [...]
Indecisive Boris Johnson a ‘shopping trolley smashing between aisles’, says Cummings May 26, 2021 Dominic Cummings has hit out at Boris Johnson’s indecisiveness and described him as “a shopping trolley smashing from one side of the aisle to the other” as a part of a blistering attack on his apparent inability to lead the country as Prime Minister. Cummings said that it was “crackers” Johnson was in office and that [...]