London is failing to make itself more accessible for those with disabilities November 2, 2021 Children with special education needs and disabilities were given a slice of Rishi Sunak’s spending spree last week, with £2.6bn set to be spent on things like more accessible classrooms. The current disability pay gap is 19.6 per cent. So focusing our energies where the cracks begin to emerge is a no brainer. But for [...]
A fallen tree on a railway scuppered Cop26 travel plans – and that was the high point November 2, 2021 Cop26, billed as our last chance to save humanity, went very well. Within hours of wandering into the summit, borrowing a phrase from Greta Thunberg, comparing himself to James Bond, and reminding cows, once again, that they really shouldn’t burp, Boris Johnson saved the world, repaired tense relations with Europe, put the French and the [...]
The age of Brexit Blairism: Rishi Sunak bet his budget on New Labour’s success November 2, 2021 Last week, while many in Westminster were gripped to the BBC’s ode to New Labour, the Blair & Brown documentary, Boris Johnson seemed to take it literally. His boosterism has finally defeated Treasury orthodoxy. As such, this is a very different Conservative Government to the ones in the last decade. It is one that will [...]
The age of Brexit Blairism: Rishi Sunak bet his budget on New Labour’s success – CityAM : CityAM November 2, 2021 Last week, while many in Westminster were gripped to the BBC’s ode to New Labour, the Blair & Brown documentary, Boris Johnson seemed to take it literally. His boosterism has finally defeated Treasury orthodoxy. As such, this is a very different Conservative Government to the ones in the last decade. It is one that will [...]
Sunak comes out fighting in defence of tax hikes and spending spree November 1, 2021 Tory Chancellor Rishi Sunak has defended his decision to swell the tax burden to its highest level in decades. Responding to a grilling from fellow MPs on the Treasury Committee, Sunak said last week’s bumper budget spending spree was designed to deliver on a “bunch of commitments” the government promised to achieve. The Chancellor’s decision [...]
Close trade ties with India will give us leverage to claim climate wins October 29, 2021 International trade and climate change are two of the most vexing global policy conundrums. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that we are at a final catalyst: human activity is damaging every region across the world, at an unprecedented rate. World leaders must accelerate comprehensive action working to minimise damage to the [...]
A new dawn of cryptocurrency is forcing us to re-evaluate our faith in our institutions of state October 29, 2021 Talking about a revolution, as Tracy Chapman reminded us, isn’t new. For many years, many have. But we only ever know we’ve lived through when we look back. Today, the writing is on the walls for a moment of fundamental change. Over the last week we’ve seen Bitcoin and Ethereum hit historic highs while take [...]
Green steam vs the big smog: London’s green jobs to double to 600,000 by 2030 – CityAM : CityAM October 29, 2021 The UK’s push for net zero will double the number of green jobs in London to 600,000 by 2030, according to new research. The findings, by WPI Economics and the Institute for Employment Studies and commissioned by Central London Forward, Local London, South London Partnership and West London Alliance, also revealed that the capital’s green [...]
The party’s over: Pub bosses warn pint prices will rise despite Budget promises October 28, 2021 A major pub boss has swiftly ended the party for cheaper pints, warning prices could creep up by 25p to 30p in spite of the 3p price cut promised by ‘fizzy Rishi’ in Wednesday’s Budget. Speaking to BBC’s Today Programme, Shepherd Neame chief executive Jonathan Neame, whose brewery runs 300 pubs across the South East, [...]
Budget 2021: Government freezes Isa allowances as inflation comes down the track October 28, 2021 Isa and Junior Isa spending limits will be frozen at their current levels until at least 2023 under the Treasury’s Autumn budget plans, in a move that could hit investors with tax and harm savers if inflation begins to multiply further down the line. Chancellor Rishi Sunak outlined the annual payment limit for adult Isas [...]