Free trade is the future for post-Brexit Britain December 13, 2024 As Britain joins CPTPP, we are finally realising the benefits of an independent trade policy made possible by Brexit, says Fred de Frossard This weekend, the United Kingdom’s membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is finally activated. The UK will be the twelfth member to join, taking the trade area’s [...]
The government’s industrial strategy is overlooking logistics December 13, 2024 The government has identified eight high-growth industries for priority support but they all depend on the industrial logistics sector, says James Craddock The industrial strategy green paper is a welcome declaration of intent from the government to drive productivity and economic growth over the next decade. It also offers a crucial opportunity for businesses to [...]
2025 will be a year of green shoots for the City December 12, 2024 Changing mood music should gradually shift sentiment in London’s favour – and with the fire power of pension funds 2025 could be a better year than the City has seen in a while, says Steven Fine In New York, investors are in bullish form. I met one very well-known player recently who nearly knocked me [...]
Labour now has the same talking points as the Tories, but fewer ideas December 12, 2024 Labour came into office mocking Tory complains about the civil service, but are now coming up against the reality of an unwieldy bureaucracy unresponsive to their demands, says Matthew Lesh “Dominic Cummings was right“ is not a phrase you would expect to hear from a senior Labour official. But, in less than a few hundred days, [...]
Square Mile and me: Octopus Money CEO Ruth Handcock December 12, 2024 Octopus Money CEO Ruth Handock tells us about cocktails, 10-hour job interviews and why we need more women in the City What was your first job? Washing neighbours cars inside and out for a pound at the age of 12. Followed by two years at Sainsbury’s on the checkout during sixth form. But both have [...]
Regulators are paying lip service to growth December 12, 2024 “This is not a return to pre-crisis light touch… because frankly that ended in tears.” That was the response of the heads of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) when questioned by MPs about their new growth remit. No one can deny that the 2008 financial crash devastated lives. But the consequences of the low growth [...]
It may already be too late for Labour December 11, 2024 The popularity of the Labour party has plunged since the election, and history tells that once a certain narrative has taken hold, it’s very difficult to turn it around, says Paul Ormerod Since the general election in July, the popularity of both the Prime Minister and the Labour Party has fallen sharply. Labour’s share of [...]
Badenoch must beware flirting with Trump’s national conservatism December 11, 2024 Kemi Badenoch’s recent trip to North America seems to have gone well, but she should be wary of taking too much inspiration from Donald Trump and JD Vance, says Joseph Dinnage It hardly evoked Beatlemania, but Kemi Badenoch’s recent North American jaunt seemed to go pretty well. During her trip, the Tory leader met with [...]
The Notebook: Is it time for the City to embrace behavioural science? December 11, 2024 When Rachel Reeves laid the groundwork for deregulating the finance sector last month, the City’s behavioural scientists spied an opportunity. After all, you don’t need an encyclopaedic knowledge of the City’s post-crisis rap sheet to understand that relying on regulation and controls to influence financial workers’ behaviour has its limitations. Whereas if there were a [...]
Should libertarians fear digital ID cards? December 11, 2024 The government is introducing digital IDs that will enable young people to prove their age when buying a pint, but is it worth giving up your privacy to the state to make you life a little easier? Asks James Price In my favourite movie, 2007’s Hot Fuzz, the village pub allows the underaged children of [...]