Cynical Labour has no claim to being a party of business February 10, 2013 CHUKA Umunna, the shadow business secretary, suggested in last week’s City A.M. that Labour is the natural party of entrepreneurship. This is little more than a cynical attempt at gesture politics. Like Umunna’s father, my parents came to Britain with very little and set up their own businesses. The small shops they owned created jobs [...]
The City’s prosperity rests on the strength of London’s local communities May 13, 2012 AS newly-elected policy chairman of the City of London Corporation, it is my duty to help nurture a business environment that supports the UK financial services industry, stimulates jobs and growth and maintains London’s status as the world’s pre-eminent global financial centre. But the duties of the policy chairman do not stop there. During my [...]
The City’s prosperity rests on the strength of London’s local communities May 13, 2012 AS newly-elected policy chairman of the City of London Corporation, it is my duty to help nurture a business environment that supports the UK financial services industry, stimulates jobs and growth and maintains London’s status as the world’s pre-eminent global financial centre. But the duties of the policy chairman do not stop there. During my [...]
The Treasury will gain nothing from property tax hikes December 4, 2012 A S THEY consider a “back-door” mansion tax and another increase in stamp duty in today’s Autumn Statement, George Osborne and Vince Cable should take a quick look at a dramatic drop in tax receipts after the last Budget. In March, stamp duty was hiked to 7 per cent for people buying property over £2m [...]
The City has much to gain from China’s development as a financial centre July 1, 2012 THE relationship between the UK and China came into sharp focus over the past week, as Hong Kong celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty. In this time, China’s economic transformation – underlined by its ascent to become the world’s second largest economy – has been nothing short of miraculous. That much [...]
A new year’s career: How an MBA can boost your CV January 9, 2013 Despite a struggling economy, business schools are continuing to see a high number of applicants for their MBA programmes, as candidates seek career change and acceleration. This month will see a flurry of applications as either the January blues or a New Year’s resolution – or both – give candidates the final nudge they need [...]
Four challenging years guiding the City through its tumult and turmoil April 29, 2012 WHEN I assumed the position of chairman of policy and resources at the City of London Corporation in 2008, I knew that there would be difficulties. But very few people could have anticipated the scale of the challenges that lay ahead. Over the last four years there have been sequences of events that have defined [...]
Banker bashing in practice: The suicidal tendency that’s killing finance November 28, 2012 DO YOU care whether London remains the international financial centre? It might be a sacrilegious question to ask City A.M. readers, but it is at the heart of the debate over the future of banking. If someone doesn’t want London to remain a world leader, then concerns about regulatory overreaction damaging our competitiveness and banks [...]
Boris says Starbucks must do more for UK November 18, 2012 BORIS Johnson has said that multinational firms like Starbucks, who have not paid much UK corporation tax in recent years, need to do more for UK society or change their tax arrangements. Speaking to City A.M. ahead of his speech at the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) annual conference today, the Mayor of London said: [...]
Work placements for the unemployed make a lot of sense February 12, 2013 UNEMPLOYMENT remains obscenely high in today’s stagnant Britain, and far too many people – young and old – have been on the dole or on other out of work benefits for far too long. Anything that allows them to break out of their present predicament should be welcome. The government should be able to ask [...]