How government spending cuts can be a catalyst for radically better public services May 23, 2016 In the fallout over the recent Budget, government spending was once again in the spotlight. But while the row centred on benefits at a national level, it’s social care managed by local authorities that is currently entering a period of intense crisis. Faced with unprecedented cuts, local government chiefs now have to find a way to conjure [...]
With Uber joining the driverless car race, will autonomous vehicles be the end of public transport? May 23, 2016 Tim Worstall, senior fellow of the Adam Smith Institute, says Yes. Whether it’s Uber that perfects the autonomous vehicle is yet to be revealed: but they will be perfected and they will destroy the entire public transport system. Given the sheer number of people that a commuter train system can move, that section of the system [...]
No turning back from either Bremain or Brexit for insurers May 22, 2016 There was always a danger that the debate surrounding the EU referendum in June would generate more heat than light. When it comes to the impact on some of the most significant elements of the UK economy – such as the insurance sector – it is vital to identify the issues that will arise for [...]
Plain packaging: The starting gun has been fired on the tobacco industry May 20, 2016 Today the government fired the starting gun on a controversial new policy and a significant market intervention – the introduction of standardised pack designs for tobacco products. After the High Court yesterday ruled against a legal challenge brought forward by big tobacco companies, from today most tobacco products destined for the UK must be in standardised packs. [...]
Here is how banks can better compete for, and profit from, SME business May 20, 2016 SMEs are the backbone of the UK economy, generating roughly half of all private sector turnover and employing around 60 per cent of the UK workforce, according to the Federation of Small Businesses. For banks, then, addressing the needs and expectations of this fast-growing and influential segment must be high on the agenda. The good news? [...]
For Asda boss Andy Clarke, the nadir may be yet to come May 20, 2016 It takes a brave man to call the bottom. It's just so easy to get it wrong. Asda boss Andy Clarke certainly appears to have jumped the gun when he said last August that the Walmart-owned supermarket had reached its “nadir”. At the time, his words were meant to give reassurance that, although the business [...]
Venezuela’s inevitable and miserable descent May 20, 2016 The lines start to form outside state-run supermarkets at dawn. As the sun rises, hundreds wait patiently in the hope that corn will be delivered in the afternoon. They are often disappointed. This is the reality of daily life for many in Venezuela, a country with the world’s largest reserves of oil and its highest [...]
US elections: David Cameron deserved his slapdown – his cosy politics won’t wash with Trump May 20, 2016 Donald Trump’s ability to offend both individuals and mass groups of people should not come as a surprise to anyone anymore. That said, while what he says no longer shocks me (that’s not a challenge, Donald), it often upsets me, and causes me to empathise with the groups targeted. His accusation that Mexican immigrants are rapists [...]
The City is irresistible for scores of firms – and we’ll keep doing business regardless of Brexit May 20, 2016 We hear most days how the City will be ruined if Britain votes for Brexit. It is said that there will be flight of capital to Frankfurt, trade will plummet, and international businesses will lose faith in London’s financial predominance. In the last week, Bank of England governor Mark Carney announced that, in the Bank’s view, a [...]
EU referendum: Why business owes it to its workers to take back the Brexit debate from the political elites May 20, 2016 The most important influence on how Britain will vote on 23 June is unlikely to be President Obama, David Cameron, Jeremy Corbyn, or Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson. The unsung persuader in this vote will be a friend or colleague at work. There are 5.4m businesses in the UK and a total of 31m employees. Each [...]