Octopus CEO: We need strong competition to insulate us from future energy crises October 12, 2021 The UK energy industry is in turmoil. The sector is currently going through its most difficult time in decades, with a handful already going bust in the last few weeks. The lights will not go off this winter: we have well-oiled processes, put in place by the government and the energy regulator, to ensure customers [...]
Moratoriums on facial recognition will do little to stem the tide of surveillance October 12, 2021 In August this year, Sophie Linden, London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, approved a £3m contract for the development of retrospective facial recognition. This investment will bolster the Metropolitan Police Department’s surveillance capabilities and enable authorities to “exploit investigative opportunities.” But legal experts view this technology as a form of exploitation which erodes freedoms, [...]
Opinion-in-brief: Love the ocean? Put your money where your mouth is October 11, 2021 We may all love to be beside the seaside, as the old song claims, but we rarely recognise the oceans’ importance to our survival. They produce over half the planet’s oxygen and act as a huge carbon sink. Yet for decades, we have been continuously polluting them. We need to develop a sustainable blue economy [...]
The key to rapidly vaccinating Africa from malaria and Covid is in our hands October 11, 2021 For over a thousand years, malaria has made victims out of everyone from neolithic dwellers, early settlers in ancient China and Greece and now the poorest people in sub-Saharan Africa. In the 20th Century, it took between 150m and 300m lives. Last week, the first malaria vaccine was approved, hot on the heels of the [...]
Editorial: If the PM returns with a plan, it’s a worthwhile holiday October 11, 2021 Climbing the greasy pole of politics is fraught with risk; chief among them, the opportunity for the world to go hell in a handcart whilst you’re on holiday. See Raab, Dominic, for one recent example; a mistimed holiday to Crete and the now former Foreign Secretary ends up on the wrong side of a Cabinet [...]
Aye, aye Captain! The new defence chief of staff needs to tackle the China question October 11, 2021 The appointment of a new chief of the defence staff—the professional head of the British armed forces— easily slips into the important but not newsworthy category. Last week’s announcement that Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, currently first sea lord, will take up the post in November should, however, give even passing observers pause for thought. For [...]
Two years on the EU and the UK need to find a way to work together on finance October 11, 2021 It has been almost two years since the UK left the European Union. In that time, political relations across the Channel have been turbulent, to put it mildly. As with any divorce, we have all been taking time to adjust to the new relationship. Over this period it has also become clearer than ever that [...]
Letters: No sympathy for Boris or business October 11, 2021 [Re: Business leaders bash Boris, 7th October] I write further to your newspaper’s article regarding the criticism of the Prime Minister’s alleged “economic illiteracy” by various business people, including the Federation of Small Businesses. I suspect that Boris Johnson’s critics will attract little sympathy from the general public This is especially true given that [...]
Zooming into a climate crisis October 8, 2021 As I sat on my seventh Zoom call of the day, my mind drifted into thinking about how my working habits have changed over the last year. As we entered lockdown in 2020, there was a palpable enthusiasm as we all began to adopt new behaviours. Not ‘going to work’ became legitimised by the pandemic, [...]
Opinion-in-brief: Talking down to London won’t level up the country October 8, 2021 Boris Johnson’s conference speech may have been in his signature comedic style but many in London’s business community are concerned for their future today. A cumulative crisis in business conditions is threatening our recovery. The capital has seen a distressing number of corporate casualties and is now facing supply chains issues, labour shortages and inflation. [...]