On this day: the Royal Navy drinks its last daily rum ration July 31, 2025 On this day in 1970, sailors’ daily rum ration – a tradition dating back to the glory days of the Royal Navy – was abolished, an occasion now known as Black Tot Day, writes Eliot Wilson On this date, 31 July, 55 years ago, at 11am, the Royal Navy performed one of its cherished traditions [...]
Banks back in crosshairs as Labour eyes tax hikes July 31, 2025 George Osborne’s likely payday from the sale of Robey Warshaw to US giant Evercore won’t be the first time he’s extracted money from the banking sector. In his inaugural 2010 Budget he announced a UK bank levy of 0.05 per cent on certain bank liabilities. Conceived in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the [...]
London could have new bridges for free – but we’re funding Nimbys and woke charities instead July 31, 2025 The City Bridge Foundation is an ancient fund with deep pockets whose specific purpose is to build and maintain London’s bridges – so why is it paying for woke charities and indirectly giving money to Nimby groups? Asks John Murphy “Politics is all about trade-offs,” we’re told. “You can’t please everyone,” says the wizened old [...]
Bleak ‘hospitality zones’ will make London nightlife even worse July 31, 2025 Proposed ‘hospitality zones’ for alfresco dining are little more than top-down attempts at vibrancy which will move nightlife away from where it’s already thriving into sterile Boxpark clones, says Tom Jones It is a Saturday night. Your exhaustion from a week of open-plan purgatory – the train delays, the Slack pings, the passive-aggressive tone of [...]
Trump’s gambit: play by his rules or lose July 30, 2025 The US-EU trade deal signals a new geopolitical era where security trumps commerce, allies are rewarded for loyalty, and Trump’s strategy forces nations to pick sides – America or China? Writes Helen Thomas The devil is usually in the detail but when it comes to the US-EU trade deal, the big picture is what counts. [...]
The Debate: Should UK businesses follow Europe’s August shutdown tradition? July 30, 2025 The French (supposedly) do it, so why not us? We get two writers to weigh up the pros and cons of the August shutdown in this week's debate.
Is going to university worth it any more? July 30, 2025 Is going to university worth it any more? Reed's latest data makes clear the advantages are certainly not what they used to be.
Is Joe Root actually the greatest English batsman ever? July 30, 2025 Joe Root has been acclaimed as the greatest English batsman ever, but is it actually true? Paul Ormerod delves into the stats.
Can a global minimum tax survive Trump? July 30, 2025 As the G7 exempts the US from the global minimum tax – otherwise known as Pillar 2 – experts are asking when a global tax stops being global? Say Tim Sarson Last month I opened this column talking about an announcement from the German government about a proposal to cut their federal corporation tax rate. [...]
It’s not the rich who fill the gaps when non-doms leave Britain – it’s you July 30, 2025 16,000 high-net-worth individuals are set to leave Britain this year, taking with them jobs, investment and growth. Here’s how we win them back… We talk a lot about wealth in Britain. We just don’t talk enough about what happens when it walks out the door. Because it’s happening. And faster than anyone wants to admit. [...]