The City is mobilising itself for Brexit talks to safeguard the future of the capital September 22, 2016 One of the more memorable lines from the referendum campaign came courtesy of Leave campaigner Michael Gove. In front of a live audience, Faisal Islam of Sky News reeled off a list of experts who had made dire economic predictions regarding the implications of a vote to Leave. “The IMF, the IFS, the CBI… why [...]
Dear Juncker, more integration is not the answer to EU woes. Focusing on cooperation between states might do the trick September 19, 2016 The EU’s head honcho, Jean-Claude Juncker, was in the news last week for the televisual highlight of all good Europeans: his annual State of the Union address. It was a sombre affair, unlikely to cheer up anyone’s Wednesday morning. It sounded like a eulogy, and Juncker should at least be commended for his honesty. Addressing members [...]
What a summer: George Osborne’s epic fall from high office September 15, 2016 At the end of July, former Chancellor George Osborne delivered the annual Margaret Thatcher memorial lecture. Her legacy is mighty. What would his be? As he attempted to define it in front of a City audience in the magnificent Guildhall, he concluded that he had “much more to contribute to our nation's discussions in the [...]
The Uber vs black cabs row proves one thing – driverless cars are the future September 14, 2016 Having digested Sadiq Khan’s 27-point plan to meddle in the taxi and private hire market, one top Uber official yesterday moaned “so much for being the most pro-business mayor in London’s history”. Uber’s frustration is understandable. Not only is the firm already battling Transport for London over proposed regulatory changes (some of which are just [...]
Trade secretary Liam Fox has faced a fallout from some sloppy rhetoric. But he makes a very valid point about exporting September 12, 2016 Things haven't been going smoothly for the newly appointed secretary of state for international trade, Liam Fox. First, he became embroiled in an unseemly row with the foreign secretary about who stood where in the Whitehall pecking order. Then he got overexcited about the potential for a free-trade deal with Australia, only for our antipodean friends [...]
Black Lives Matter protest at London City Airport was absurd, the expansion of the travel hub will create jobs for the capital’s poorest September 7, 2016 Your holiday may be over but there are still plenty of people keen to jet off from London City Airport. Sixty-three per cent of passengers travel on business – a higher proportion than any other UK airport. Indeed, according to the airport's own figures nearly two thirds of those passing through their doors work in [...]
Rough & the smooth: Sadiq Khan’s first 100 days as mayor of London August 17, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan has celebrated his first 100 days in City Hall. So, how’s his mayoralty shaping up? Khan was elected on 5 May, after his rival Zac Goldsmith sank in a pit of his campaign’s own making. The Tory candidate would probably have made a perfectly decent and thoughtful mayor, but his campaign [...]
Whitehall needs to get its Brexit act together August 15, 2016 The official website of Chevening House, the country residence of the foreign secretary, still lists Philip Hammond as the present occupier. That they have yet to update the site since Boris Johnson took over as the UK’s most senior diplomat is perhaps a reflection of the confusion caused by Theresa May (somewhat mischievously) asking Boris to [...]
Is May set to abandon Osborne’s China dream? August 8, 2016 It's almost a month since David Cameron left office. With his entire staff to the right of him and his family to the left, the outgoing PM delivered his final address to the nation in a typically calm and confident fashion. As he did so, the famous door behind him hid scenes of frantic activity. [...]
Cameron was right to be bold with his radical tax cutting promise October 1, 2014 ASK A party spin doctor what they’d like from the coverage of their leader’s speech and the honest ones will tell you that a single, tweetable, headline-friendly message is the ultimate prize. In that context, it doesn’t get much better than Cameron’s post-speech coverage, which boiled down to “tax cuts for 30m people.” Certainly, as [...]
