Letters: A renewed push for space July 12, 2022 [Re: A fresh face in No10 should find some policy rather than campaign slogans, yesterday] Over the past few years, the Conservative Government has made the promotion of the UK space sector a key pillar of its plans for the country’s economic and scientific leadership. The development of sovereign launch capabilities was already key, but [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Life after No10, from lobbying to the speaking tour July 11, 2022 Boris Johnson might have been forced to make his exit from No10 – but it looks like he has no intention of making an exit from politics. There are suggestions he will stay on as an MP. Theresa May, the predecessor whom he helped take down, has also remained an MP. On the side, however, [...]
A fresh face in No10 should find some policy rather than campaign slogans July 11, 2022 IT IS now received wisdom that modern politics is about personality rather than policy. We are, apparently, in a post-ideological phase where the priority is a leader connecting with the electorate and seeming authentic. How else are we to explain the rise to power of Boris Johnson, a P.G. Wodehouse caricature who was always content [...]
The City needs certainty our global outlook will continue in spite of high political drama July 11, 2022 Political turmoil and division have dominated the news agenda on both sides of the Atlantic, albeit for different reasons. And with the changes at the top of British politics, it is vital that government continues investing in London’s infrastructure, promoting innovation, and developing the UK’s status as a leading financial centre. Our financial and professional [...]
Inflation has hurt public companies, but even private tech firms will feel the pain July 11, 2022 Public market companies – particularly those in the tech sector – have felt the impact of soaring inflation, as central banks continue to pump interest rates higher. The tech-heavy Nasdaq is down 30 per cent this year and private market companies will inevitably catch up. A good benchmark to follow is often the valuations of [...]
Letters: Political turmoil must be swift July 11, 2022 [Re: Them’s the breaks’: Defiant Boris Johnson resigns as Prime Minister, yesterday] The uncertainty around who will replace the prime minister goes hand in hand with the uncertainty facing British businesses, including rising startups. The government’s disruption is self-inflicted, but the disruption caused to Britain’s early-stage funding market has been entirely inflicted upon startups. The [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Behind the scenes of a Tory leadership race July 8, 2022 The Conservative party elections take place when a leader resigns or loses a vote of no confidence. They work in two stages: in the first one, two main contenders are put forward; in the second one, party members vote and decide who’s going to be the new leader. The rules – including how an MP [...]
The next Tory leader must either open his Red Box or win over the Red Wall July 8, 2022 Six years ago on the eve of the Brexit Referendum vote, I was given the job of following Boris Johnson around the Yorkshire town of Selby. He landed at a former WWII airfield joking that the helicopter pilot should have put on “Ride of the Valkyries” – (think Apocalypse Now) – as he came into [...]
In memoriam: Gove started to crack open a housing crisis paralysed by indecision July 8, 2022 Amid the utter chaos of the last 72 hours – from the torrent of ministerial resignations to Boris Johnson’s own painful almost-exit – there was someone who was ushered out of Cabinet – Michael Gove. A long-time frenemy of the prime minister, Gove had been appointed Secretary of State for Housing – soon after renamed [...]
The cost of living crisis won’t wait – we need a caretaker PM who can deliver stability July 8, 2022 So the farce is over. The term has rarely been more apt after the Education Secretary, one of three in that post this week, resigned in protest of the prime minister who had appointed her a little over 36 hours prior. Indeed, the resignations were happening at such a swift pace, you would be hard [...]