Maybe Sunak was right – we should change how we invest in poor rural areas August 15, 2023 The government's approach to investment focuses too much on poverty and not enough on opportunities. Rishi Sunak must find a way of making social mobility accessible, writes Adam Hawksbee
We were never going to have a great British bonfire of the tax system after Brexit August 15, 2023 We have neglected to reintroduce VAT-free shopping for foreign tourists, doubtless to squeals of delight from shopkeepers in Milan or Paris.
Avoid ULEZ options but tackle air pollution, Starmer says August 14, 2023 Cities should look at other options for tackling air pollution instead of schemes like London’s ULEZ (ultra low emission zone), Sir Keir Starmer has suggested. The Labour leader said no-one in the UK should be “breathing dirty air” but added that proposals for reducing air pollution should not have a disproportionate impact on people’s pockets [...]
London losing out due to ‘tourist tax’ as US and Gulf visitors opt for Paris and Milan instead August 14, 2023 London is losing out on wealthy foreign visitors splashing their cash in Oxford Street due to the so-called ‘tourist tax’, amid renewed calls to scrap it and make the capital more competitive. The removal of VAT free shopping for international tourists continues to hurt London retailers, with visitors from the US and the Gulf cutting [...]
No end in sight: Nearly 4m working days lost to strikes in past year as negotiations falter August 14, 2023 Talks between government and unions to resolve ongoing industrial disputes have repeatedly faltered, despite the UK losing nearly 4m working days to strikes over the past year. According to new research from the Resolution Foundation think tank, 3.9m working days have been lost to industrial action, higher than at any point since the 1980s. Highly [...]
Vote blue, go green? A climate takeover of the Conservatives is an unlikely feat August 14, 2023 The eco-warriors among the Conservatives are a small but growing number, albeit not fast enough to turnaround an anti-green slant Rishi Sunak has implemented, writes Eliot Wilson.
UK economy shrugs off recession risk after growing faster than expected August 11, 2023 The UK grew faster than expected in the second quarter of the year as the economy proved itself more resilient to rising rates than many had expected, helping to reduce the risk of recession. Across the second quarter, the economy grew 0.2 per cent following a 0.1 per cent expansion in the first quarter, the [...]
HS2 status update: Now they’re burying the diggers August 10, 2023 Engineers are being forced to bury diggers at Old Oak Common in case ministers give the go-ahead for project's Euston leg
Watches of Switzerland: Tourist tax ‘biggest single frustration’ for UK retailers August 10, 2023 The government’s decision to scrap VAT-free shopping for tourists is continuing to hold UK retailers back, Watches of Switzerland has warned. Chief executive of the FTSE 250 luxury watch seller Brian Duffy told City A.M. it was “probably the biggest single frustration” for the British retail sector. “I was in Italy this weekend and the [...]
Is chess a sport? It soon may be chasing the Olympic Holy Grail August 10, 2023 Columnist Ed Warner discusses chess, funding fringe sports and what makes a solid sporting body chief executive. Where do you draw the line between games and sports? Mine is at the door of the pub, so ruling dominos, bar billiards, space invaders and darts out of the sporting firmament. I realise of course that this [...]