Reeves should be honest: income tax is going up April 2, 2025 Income tax threshold freezes are a de facto tax rise but the revenue won’t be fully realised until the end of the parliament. She should adjust rates now while there’s still time to improve public services before the next election? And fix distortive cliff edges while she’s at it, says Will Cooling Rachel Reeves has [...]
It’s Rayner to the rescue but who will build Labour’s 1.3m homes? April 2, 2025 Labour’s only hope for growth is new housebuilding – but Britain doesn’t have the workforce to deliver even the newly downgraded targets. There is an obvious solution, says Jamila Robertson In the Spring Statement, Rachel Reeves acknowledged that she will no longer be able to meet the government’s manifesto pledge to build 1.5m homes by [...]
Economics 101: consumers always pay for tariffs April 2, 2025 If there’s one thing every economist agrees on, it’s that the only people who benefir from tariffs are cynical politicians, says Daniel Freeman Economists almost never agree on anything. Even if you ask a single economist their view on a subject they will generally give you at least three contradictory positions. This makes the overwhelming [...]
Labour’s own policies undermine their ‘welfare to work’ agenda April 1, 2025 The government has made many mistakes since coming to office, but the Chancellor deserves some credit for not breaking her fiscal rules at the first opportunity. The demands from various groups (and various wings of her own party) for more borrowing or exempting certain measures from the fiscal rules were ruthlessly ignored at the Spring [...]
Be an urban hero – report a Lime bike April 1, 2025 Discarded Lime bikes are littering London’s public realm and menacing wheelchair users, pram-pushers and the blind. There is a simple solution, says Phoebe Arslanagic-Little Can there be any Londoner yet to be inconvenienced by an abandoned Lime bike? We want to get to work. We need to go to the shops. But improperly parked Lime [...]
The post-smartphone era: what comes after the touchscreen? April 1, 2025 Smart interfaces and AI agents are the next frontier in digital evolution, so what happens when you no longer need a screen to use your tech? Asks Paul Armstrong We swipe. We tap. We double-click and long-press. For over 20 years, the smartphone has been the interface through which we interact with everything – our [...]
WH Smith’s decline: A cautionary tale of bad branding March 31, 2025 As WH Smith disappears from the high street, Will Bosanko looks at why the brand failed, and asks whether there is a future for TG Jones.
In a stormy world, the UK can pitch itself as a safe harbour for investment March 31, 2025 The stormy economic outlook overseas creates an opportunity for the UK to act as a safe harbour for investment, writes Chris Hayward.
London’s commercial property sector is suffocating March 31, 2025 A combination of environmental regulations and falling office attendance means commercial property is struggling and the Spring Statement was a missed opportunity to turn it around, says Dan Drogman The UK’s commercial property sector is being strangled from all angles, and this year’s Spring Statement was a missed opportunity to relieve that pressure. Let’s start [...]
Signal group chat leak made one thing crystal clear: JD Vance really hates Europe March 31, 2025 The leaking of a US government group chat showcased one thing in full force: JD Vance's loathing of Europe is driving foreign policy.