EU refugee crisis: Boris Johnson says London should help as Mayor of Liverpool offers sanctuary to 100 Syrian refugees September 3, 2015 As scenes of refugees making their way from Syria across Europe become more harrowing, the Mayor of London has said the capital should face up to its "moral responsibilities". On the question of whether to take in Syrian refugees in particular, Boris Johnson said London should "take people fleeing persecution and those plainly in fear [...]
London mayoral hopeful Tessa Jowell: City workers would be better off commuting from Madrid July 28, 2015 London mayoral hopeful Tessa Jowell’s team has been crunching numbers – and it turns out capital dwellers might be better off commuting to the City from Madrid rather than living in London. You read that right. Based on the average cost of commuting from a one-bedroom flat in north London to a job in the [...]
UK housing crisis: How deregulated “slums” can solve the shortage of homes and high prices for renters August 6, 2015 A blog recently posted on the ASI website seems to have driven some angry reaction. “Britain needs more slums” proclaimed Theo Clifford, the winner of our 18-21 category of our Young Writer on Liberty Competition. While the ASI has a policy of publishing a whole range of opinions (views expressed on the blog are those [...]
Why Britain’s savings crisis is worse than you think October 5, 2015 We all knew Britain had a long-term savings crisis, but it’s now looking more like a disaster. For all the effort the government has put into liberalizing the pensions system, boosting personal responsibility by giving everyone the choice of what to do with their pots at retirement, one simple fact has not been addressed: we’re [...]
Cameron tells business to pass on falling oil price benefits to staff through higher wages January 17, 2015 Businesses reaping the rewards of plummeting oil prices have been urged to pass on the savings to staff in the form of higher pay by David Cameron. Asked about the matter on a visit to Washington, the Prime Minister told reporters: "Obviously I want to see companies’ success passed through in terms of wage increases. [...]
London housing crisis: There’s a practical way to boost home-building – release surplus public sector land in the capital September 16, 2015 I congratulate Sadiq Khan on being selected as the Labour candidate for London mayor. However, Khan seems to be long on analysis of the problems Londoners face but short on practical solutions. London’s housing crisis is clearly the leading issue at the moment, but all he offers are “new teams” at City Hall without [...]
Antibacterial resistance: The pharmaceutical industry can’t solve it alone – individuals must play a big role, say experts November 16, 2015 Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to modern society. The medicines we use to treat some of the most dangerous bacterial infections are rapidly losing effectiveness, and we aren't creating new ones fast enough to keep up. In fact, a recent report by The Review of Antimicrobial Resistance – a group set up by [...]
EU migrant crisis: Prime Minister David Cameron announces Britain will accept “thousands” more refugees in Syria U-turn September 4, 2015 David Cameron has announced that Britain will accept "thousands" more refugees, having bowed to pressure over the humanitarian crisis in the last few days. The Prime Minister, who has been criticised on all sides for failing to act, today committed to provide resettlement for "thousands more Syrian refugees". He said Britain would act "with our [...]
EU Migrant crisis: Prime Minister David Cameron to outline UK plan for refugees September 7, 2015 As MPs return from the summer recess, the Prime Minister is set to outline details of government plans to accept more refugees into the UK, the BBC has reported. Cameron is expected to say how many people will be accepted in more detail and who exactly will be accepted, as well as outlining plans of [...]
London’s housing crisis: Instead of building east or building up, it’s time for managed release of green belt land October 26, 2015 The capital’s housing crisis is an issue often swept under the carpet in people’s cramped, sub-standard living rooms. Having just launched its Housing and Planning Bill, the government is continuing to reassure people about that its plans to roll out one million new homes by 2020 in order to solve the sticky situation in which [...]