Government appoints advisers to oversee outsourcers amid fear of Carillion-style collapse February 23, 2020 The government has reportedly appointed advisers to monitor the health of important outsourcers such as engineering company Kier. The Sunday Telegraph reported that the Cabinet Office has hired accountancy firm Deloitte to assist in assessing the finances of key contractors. The move follows the collapse of outsourcer Carillion in 2018. The Cabinet Office, which employs [...]
Free the e-scooters and unleash a British transport revolution February 6, 2020 The e-scooter revolution is happening at breathtaking speeds — but because of archaic laws, the United Kingdom is missing out. E-scooters can be legally purchased in Britain, and have become an increasingly common sight on the streets. They are, however, unlawful for use on public roads, cycle paths and pavements under the Highways Act 1835 [...]
12 steps to turn your brilliant idea into a business January 27, 2020 Most of us have probably had a great business idea at some point in our lives. A lightbulb moment in the pub, a problem solved in the shower or brief thought whilst waiting for the bus. But so rarely do these ideas ever progress beyond a fleeting thought. And setting up a business can be daunting, [...]
Australian Dollar to GBP – Could this be one to watch? January 24, 2020 Singapore Dollar Fears of the coronavirus which has been spreading from China have affected global market sentiment. This week in Singapore December consumer price inflation results beat expectations; with food, transport, communication, and education costs the highlights. Beating November’s 0.6 per cent and the prediction of 0.7 per cent, December’s 0.8 per cent result is in line with the Monetary Authority of Singapore [...]
Coronavirus: China widens travel lockdown as death toll rises January 24, 2020 Fourteen people in the UK have been tested for a new strain of the coronavirus, with five testing negative as the others await results, Public Health England said today. An incident team has made a base in Scotland where five people were tested amid 830 confirmed cases of the virus across the world. The death [...]
Boris can lead a Conservative council housing revolution January 24, 2020 With Boris Johnson now undisputed world king of the post-Brexit scene, the only relevant policy debates are those going on inside the government itself. These are yielding unusual fruit. Esther McVey, a deep-dyed Thatcherite and an advocate of blue-collar Conservatism, has been arguing for more council housing. The housing minister wants to help those “left [...]
Barrelling towards conflict: How the oil market reacted to Iran-US tensions January 14, 2020 For good or ill, oil remains the lifeblood of the global economy. It is essential to industrial production, to how we transport goods (as well as ourselves) around the world, and how we heat our homes and generally go about our everyday lives. Rising oil prices can therefore act as a handbrake on global growth, [...]
The McLaren GT is a rambunctious beast with bountiful boot space January 9, 2020 Supercar reviews don’t usually begin by discussing boot space, but this isn’t a supercar. At least, not according to McLaren. The GT is a Gran Turismo – or perhaps the anglicised (and somewhat less exotic) ‘Grand Tourer’, given it hails from Woking. It’s designed for going far and fast, blatting across Europe on hedonistic weekends [...]
New government ‘must commit to flexible labour market’, say CBI December 19, 2019 Business lobby group the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) today warned more than seven in ten businesses fear they won’t have access to skilled workers they need in the next year. Britain’s plans for a new post-Brexit immigration system risk the flexibility of the UK’s labour market, which could cause a shortage of skilled workers, [...]
Japan – with kids? Believe it or not, it works December 18, 2019 The looks of incomprehension became commonplace, from colleagues, friends, neighbours and, most severely, my mother-in-law. “You’re taking her… to Japan?” they asked, through a variety of similar rhetorical questions. A trip to Japan should surprise no one, these days. The island state is undergoing an eye-watering boom in tourism, with visitor numbers soaring from 13m [...]