Andy Burnham should start by scrapping the £100k tax trap July 21, 2026 Cutting taxes is expensive, but there is a way Andy Burnham could make them simpler and fairer, says Helen Thomas Andy Burnham’s first interview as Labour’s presumptive Prime Minister contained a somewhat unlikely observation. Speaking to the Sunday Times, he said one issue repeatedly raised on the doorstep was the frozen £12,570 personal allowance. It [...]
Romesh Ranganathan makes it hard to defend the BBC July 20, 2026 There is a lot to love about the BBC. But the new Romesh Ranganathan-fronted Corporation love-in will backfire, writes Matt Kenyon I’ve been getting sentimental about the BBC lately. Two different people have separately reminded me of Merlin; I had my first encounter with Louis Theroux’s Neil and Christine Hamilton documentary; I’ve been strangely hypnotised [...]
Burnham’s Thatcherism jibes are just tired socialist talking points July 20, 2026 Oasis caution against looking back in anger, yet the narrative Manchester’s other favourite son rehearsed in his first speech as Prime Minister was based on hackneyed old grievances, says Alys Denby Here we go again. Britain has gone through as many prime ministers in the last 10 years as it did in the previous 37 [...]
We reached Mars 50 years ago, why haven’t we sent people? July 20, 2026 Viking 1 landed on Mars 50 years ago, so why haven’t we sent people there? Because there are no property rights in space, says Rainer Zitelmann Today marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest achievements in the history of space exploration. On July 20, 1976, NASA’s Viking 1 became the first spacecraft to [...]
Sadiq Khan’s London plan is not nearly ambitious enough July 20, 2026 London isn’t building and the draft London Plan put forward by the Mayor last week will do very little to change that, says Sam Dumitriu It is unwise to take on additional responsibilities when you are failing to fulfill those you already have. As Mayor of London, one of the soon-to-be Lord Khan of Tooting’s [...]
The City doesn’t compete with Britain’s regions – it competes for them July 20, 2026 The City has never been an island, it has always been a bridge, connecting Britain with the world, channelling global capital into British innovation, and driving prosperity in every corner of the country, says Dame Susan Langley As Lady Mayor of Canada, my role is to be the ambassador for UK financial [...]
Victory wasted: The cautionary tale of Keir Starmer July 20, 2026 Keir Starmer sold himself as a non-politician, and proved again and again why political skills matter, writes Eliot Wilson.
Starmer’s final act will expose firms to more bogus equality claims July 16, 2026 In his final days, Keir Starmer has opened the door to employees being able to challenge pay differences between entirely different jobs if predominantly staffed by people of different races, and a tribunal determines those – entirely different jobs – to be of ‘equal value’. says Tom Harwood As Keir Starmer bows out after two [...]
CFIT CEO: There’s still not enough diversity in the City July 16, 2026 Anna Wallace, CEO of the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology, gives us her views on the City in Square Mile and Me.
The Capitalist: A Reeves speech or swan song? Dispatch from Mansion House July 16, 2026 Summer evenings with Rachel Reeves, Geoff Hurst and Keval Joshi; catch up on the latest gossip in this week's The Capitalist.