The Extinction Rebels seem to care more about capitalism than climate July 19, 2019 If your commute to work this week has been blocked by a giant colourful boat, you have Extinction Rebellion (XR) to thank. The self-defined “non-violent civil disobedience activist movement” has begun its summer of disruption, shutting down traffic in five UK cities to protest against climate change “inaction”. A worthy and vital attempt to safeguard [...]
Legalising cannabis would be the ultimate Conservative policy July 5, 2019 What if you were in the running to be the next leader of the Conservatives, and I told you that with a single popular policy, you could return your party to its traditional pro-liberty roots, put the UK at the forefront of a new cutting-edge global industry, and inspire the millennial generation to vote Tory [...]
Businesses are becoming better corporate citizens, so why is public perception lagging behind? June 28, 2019 When I left politics for business two decades ago, it was taken for granted that those who ran the country would be held more accountable than those who ran our companies. Today, in many cases, levels of scrutiny on business now seem more intense. Leave aside the fact that conduct and persistent policy failures which [...]
Women in Financial Trading June 17, 2019 Finance has always, at all levels, been a predominantly male populated field. But this is changing. As the equal opportunity mantra continues to inspire them, more and more women are joining the party, seeking to reap from the lucrative world that is financial trading. But why are women flocking to finance? The major catalyst, in [...]
Without action, a crisis over pensions looms June 6, 2019 The row over pensions for women born in the 1950s stepped up a gear this week when campaigners headed to the High Court for a judicial review. Women used to retire at 60, five years earlier than men. In 1995, a timetable was drawn up to equalise this, phasing in the increase. However, the changes [...]
It may not be Hammond’s cup of tea, but we deserve some tax-cutting champions May 31, 2019 I for one am thrilled to see politicians not just talking about tax cuts, but competing for the best policy to reduce a tax burden that is at a near 50-year high. Sure, it took a leadership contest to get them properly talking about it, but from the home secretary’s endorsement of the Adam Smith [...]
Mind the expectation gap: Sadiq Khan is a disappointment to London May 29, 2019 When Sadiq Khan was elected as London mayor just over three years ago, it was off the back of some big promises. The new mayor reassured us that he was going to make our city a “safe and secure place”. He pledged that we wouldn’t pay a penny more to travel around the capital, although this [...]
Theresa May’s legacy? Contortions of logic and tin-eared obstinacy May 24, 2019 It’s the EU exit, stupid. This, to paraphrase Bill Clinton, is what Theresa May’s tenure as Prime Minister has been all about. The tempestuous journey to try to get Britain out of the EU will undoubtedly be her legacy, whether she is remembered in the history books as the architect of a national disaster, or as a [...]
The next Northern Rock? Metro Bank has had a troubled week May 24, 2019 Could Metro Bank be the next Northern Rock? That’s not a question that any banker wants to hear, but in this case, some self-reflection seems necessary for the young bank. This last week has been nothing if not turbulent for Metro, the UK’s most shorted stock, with conspiracies circulating that it had fallen on hard [...]
How to cope with the confusion around social care costs May 22, 2019 Distracted by the ongoing Brexit crisis, the government appears to have shoved the not-so-small issue of social care to one side. With a growing elderly population (by 2046, a quarter of the UK population will be aged 65 or over), and proportionately fewer taxpayers able to prop them up, the rising cost of social care [...]