The subdued mood at the LendIt USA conference this week highlights why the UK market is increasingly the envy of the world April 14, 2016 It surprises me to write it, but it’d be accurate to call Lendit USA – the world’s largest online lending conference, which took place in San Francisco this week – a relatively sober affair. Peter Renton, the founder of Lendit, set the tone from the start, remarking that “the easy money is no longer there”. Renaud [...]
The EU referendum will intensify calls for a smaller state – whatever the final result February 11, 2016 The next four months will shape UK politics and economics for the next decade and beyond. Based on polling today, the electorate is likely to reject Brexit. But views can shift, and a few high-profile resignations from the Cabinet – throwing careers to the sword – might begin to move public opinion towards the exit door. [...]
Volkswagen emissions scandal and recall will rock public trust in business – The City View September 22, 2015 For much of the past few years the debate around trust in business has focussed on financial services. The case for the prosecution is well known and the roll-call of shame (Libor rigging, forex scandals, PPI mis-selling) should never fail to serve as a reminder of the damage caused when individuals and institutions consider [...]
Tech review: I fought the Smart Glider… and the Smart Glider won October 8, 2015 Last week I had an altercation with a tiny robot. I was flipped high into the air by an electric scooter and landed hard on my left arm, fracturing my wrist and elbow and irreparably destroying what little self-respect I had on me at the time. It was scooter carnage. Of course, it would [...]
Working lunch in Canary Wharf: Iberica, Cabot Square July 14, 2015 Our guide to the best places to eat during office hours in the City and Canary Wharf WHAT? Sophisticated tapas in a sparse, rustic setting. Think massive contemporary light fixtures and hunks of meat served on chopping boards. WHERE? A vast industrial space just off Cabot Square in Canary Wharf. It has [...]
Europe should rediscover its confidence in battling against China’s protectionism July 19, 2015 “Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing I can do. Because then they will act.” – former GE chief executive Jack Welch Beyond doubt, we are not living through a golden age for Europe. But just as feckless champions of the EU as a superpower have been found intellectually wanting, so [...]
Restaurant review: Bill Granger’s third UK venture leaves us cold June 30, 2015 Last week I wrote about how Stevie Parle’s thoroughly brilliant restaurant Craft London is being used as bait to convince people they might want to live next to the O2 Arena. This week, I’m heading up to King’s Cross, which is several life-stages ahead of north Greenwich. Although it’s still being built, King’s Cross [...]
Lord Browne: Saving the corporation – it’s time to reconnect September 17, 2015 Criticism of big business has long been a favourite pastime of the left. From Jeremy Corbyn to UK Uncut, such campaigners dominate discourse on the disconnect between companies and society, and the solutions proposed to deal with this issue consequently often have a punitive edge, from jailing bankers to renationalising industry. Enter one of [...]
Restaurant review: Les Gourmets des Ternes, the Frenchest place on earth, is now located in Knightsbridge July 7, 2015 I started reviewing restaurants for this newspaper back in 2011, a relative blink of an eye but enough time to see some pretty seismic changes in the London food scene. Back then the shadow of the Great Recession still loomed large over London and only the brave or foolish dared to open new restaurants. It [...]
Chicken McNuggets without the chicken: McDonald’s Japan creates tofu nuggets after meat scandal July 30, 2014 McDonald’s is launching a new version of the beloved chicken McNugget – without the chicken – after the fast food giant was hit by a meat scandal across Asia. Fans of the chicken McNugget may have been put off forever by revelations that one of its meat suppliers in China has allegedly been selling out-of-date [...]