It’s time for England to stop subsidising Scotland and Wales December 4, 2024 The devolved nations are living on another planet economically because England essentially pays for their deficits. This has to stop, says Paul Ormerod Every single pensioner will continue to receive payments towards their winter fuel. This is not some fantasy world in which the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has abandoned one of her flagship policies. It [...]
The Notebook: Looking east for opportunity December 4, 2024 Wall Street has been on a euphoric march upwards, as investors have taken a distinctly glass half-full attitude to Trump’s upcoming presidency. The focus has been on his promised tax cuts and de-regulation drive, while they’ve largely shrugged off the potential ramifications of his punishing tariff plans for the US and the global economy. There [...]
Ukraine’s battlefield heroes are in need of urgent support December 3, 2024 Time is running out for a vital NGO that evacuates injured soldiers from battlefields in Ukraine, and has saved the lives of 62,000 people. The UK government should act now, says Jack Dickens It all began with one ambulance and an army of volunteers. Soon after Vladimir Putin launched Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine on [...]
Britain can’t afford to be complacent about growth December 3, 2024 The UK has many long-standings strengths, but it’s time to be honest about the fact that other countries around the world are stealing a march when it comes to growth and innovation, says Brandon Lewis Too often in the UK, we still see ourselves as a great trading nation, built on our history of global [...]
The Notebook: Brexit is causing a stink in the world of cheese December 3, 2024 British cheese is now considered some of the best in the world. After a boom in artisan cheesemaking, Britain produces 1,100 varieties, double the total in France, and many connoisseurs argue it is now superior in quality too. Which meant there were high hopes for British entries at the recent World Cheese Awards, which took [...]
London risks losing its crown to New York December 3, 2024 The city that never sleeps is outpacing London – where pubs close at 10.30pm – on almost every measure. Even its Christmas tree is bigger, says Emma Revell As we enter December, London should come into its own. The lights are up on Oxford Street, the Christmas tree has arrived in Trafalgar Square and the [...]
Would you volunteer to get yourself infected with flu in Canary Wharf? December 3, 2024 For £3,000 you can opt to spend a week helping to create the next generations of vaccines at the world’s largest human challenge trial and quarantine facility – a minute’s walk from Canary Wharf, says Phoebe Arslanagić-Little In October I wrote in Morning Wire about human challenge trials – a medical research study that sees [...]
The investment industry is primed to support the government’s growth agenda December 3, 2024 Taking risks is essential to economic growth, but too many people are missing out on the opportunities investment can bring, says Chris Cummings The anticipation in Mansion House was palpable as Rachel Reeves delivered her first address to the financial services industry last month. As leading figures across UK business and government listened to the [...]
Business leaders brace for a cold winter December 2, 2024 Temperatures are set to fall again as a mid-week cold snap muscles in, bringing icy winds to accompany the latest batch of chilling economic data. Several business organisations have just released their latest research, and the findings ought to chill the blood of complacent government ministers. Since the Budget, Morning Wire has reported daily on [...]
The government is steamrolling family farms December 2, 2024 Ministers appear to have got their understanding of farming from Ladybird books filled with smiling yokels on little red tractors, says Tim Bonner The starting point for trying to understand the current row over inheritance tax and agricultural land is that farming is an essentially illogical activity. The return on assets in farming businesses is [...]