Soho’s revival was a boon for the capital – the al fresco revolution must continue November 29, 2021 Eating outdoors with the sun beating down may feel like a distant memory now the nights have drawn in and the mercury has dropped. But we must not forget the critical role al fresco has played safeguarding countless jobs during throughout the pandemic. And what a joy it has been to walk around the West [...]
As we chart a new EU-UK relationship, our historic economic ties will help buoy us up November 29, 2021 From the threat of a resurgence of Covid-19, migration and climate change, to gas shortages and supply chain bottlenecks, both the UK and the rest of Europe are facing significant challenges. It is clear we need even closer cooperation to start to unpick these obstacles, but political turbulence has made collaboration elusive. Since the UK [...]
The two faces of tech: a force to fight global challenges with a dangerous underbelly threats November 29, 2021 Today tech leaders and government ministers from around the world will attend the Science Museum to discuss one of the greatest issues of our time: the future of tech. Technology is fundamental to almost every aspect of our lives. GPS can let our families know when we’re nearly home; artificial intelligence can instruct our smart [...]
Best of this week in our opinion pages: from a business-friendly Labour Party to the migration crisis in the Channel November 27, 2021 On Monday, party leader Keir Starmer outlined his vision for a Labour Party with business interests at its heart. As the resilience of British businesses get tested by inflation, supply chain problems and labour shortages, Starmer suggested a revival of relations between his party and private companies. This new alliance would focus on upskilling with [...]
Bumper Black Friday and cyber Monday sales are a relic of old consumer habits November 27, 2021 For small businesses, the weekend of bumper sales from Black Friday through to Cyber Monday is not just a race they cannot keep up with, it is a race right to the bottom. No wonder most independents are not taking part. The now classic Black Friday sale is big on discounts and small on nuance. [...]
Plastic surgery, out of sight but not out of mind November 26, 2021 Cosmetic surgery purveyors will be banned from targeting ads at under 18-year-olds. No more facelifts and perfect breasts on social media, newspapers, broadcast programmes and posters. The regulators took this decision following concerns about teenagers struggling with body image pressures. The Advertising Standards Authority has been candid about the impact that advertisement can have on [...]
The public and private divide has shifted and Thatcherism won’t save us November 26, 2021 This, said Margaret Thatcher as she drew Friedrich Hayek’s The Constitution of Liberty from her bag and slammed it on the table, is what we believe. The “vegetables”, as Spitting Image so memorably characterised her cabinet, agreed. Thatcher knew what she believed and the business community knew it too. It was the clarity of her [...]
Today, asylum seekers are in the Channel but it is a global crisis we need to weather November 26, 2021 In the space of six years, around 1,100 people died at sea on small boats, only slightly more seaworthy than those crossing the Channel. Then, they were making the perilous journey that stretches thousands of kilometres from Indonesia to Australia. In 2013, then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott, implemented a policy of turning back the boats and [...]
The boring predictability of our rule of law will ensure Britain’s success November 26, 2021 Power doesn’t disappear overnight. In the immortal words of Paul Simon, it slip slides away. In Helmand, Afghanistan I realised things were falling apart when people stopped coming to the government to resolve disputes. They turned to the Taliban instead. That was 15 years before the end. Subtly, almost unnoticed, here was proof that people [...]