Asda donates money to help food banks during coronavirus crisis as supermarkets offer new jobs March 23, 2020 Supermarket chain Asda will donate £5m to partner charities. The donation to the Trussell Trust and FareShare is part of an effort to help four million vulnerable families. “This funding will help us recruit and train new food bank volunteers across the UK, and support the coordination of packing and delivering pre-made food parcels to [...]
Business groups urge caution over chancellor’s minimum wage rise plan September 30, 2019 British business groups have urged caution over chancellor Sajid Javid’s pledge to markedly increase the minimum wage while welcoming his confirmation that he will boost spending on infrastructure. Read more: Sajid Javid to increase national living wage to £10.50 In his speech to the Conservative conference in Manchester, Javid announced an increase of the minimum [...]
Will the world economy avoid an inflationary bust? March 23, 2022 Today’s high inflation is being compared to the 1970s. However, robust consumer spending, fuelled by pandemic savings, makes for a different set of circumstances. Memories of the 1970s were evoked as the price of Brent crude oil temporarily climbed above $139 a barrel in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That was a period [...]
Swelling energy bills propel inflation to 4.2 per cent, more than double Bank of England’s target November 17, 2021 Swelling household energy bills have propelled inflation to more than double the Bank of England’s target, dialling up pressure on the Old Lady to act to hose down red-hot price rises. Inflation scaled to 4.2 per cent in October, up sharply from 3.1 per cent in the previous month, according to the Office for National [...]
Capitalism has saved us from the pandemic, we need to defend free markets October 21, 2021 In the last few weeks, the news has been flooded with reports about fuel shortages. While the worst of it has waned, it has posed fundamental questions about how we function as a society and how we keep Britain moving. The pandemic certainly saw the return of big government. The state is now a larger [...]
As it happened: Rishi Sunak’s Spring Budget 2022 March 23, 2022 Live updates and links to all our coverage, reactions and analyses as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, delivers the government’s Spring Budget for 2022 . Please do get in touch and let us know your opinion via news@cityam.com or @Cityam With the cost of living crisis, rising inflation, war in Ukraine and [...]
Let the economy reboot itself June 10, 2020 How can the government best support the UK’s economic recovery after the crushing impact of the pandemic? Today, the Institute of Economic Affairs and Civitas are publishing a joint report on the economics of the Covid-19 crisis, written by Professor Len Shackleton and myself. Many are arguing that the crisis has demonstrated the need for [...]
Sunak launches fresh attack on Truss’s tax cut plans warning Brits will face higher mortgage payments August 4, 2022 Ahead of the Tory leadership hopefuls next debate in their quest to become prime minister, Rishi Sunak launched a fresh attack on Liz Truss’s plans for tax cuts. The former chancellor said his Foreign Secretary rival in the Tory leadership race would further drive up interest rates, raising mortgage payments, with her plans. His warning [...]
What a new world order might mean for the global economy July 18, 2022 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has opened fault lines between nations which will affect trade relations and investment for years to come. The war in Ukraine is already having a significant effect on inflation and activity in the world economy as commodity prices have soared and supply chains have been disrupted. Inflation in the G7 was [...]
Boris Johnson’s endurance on immigration will be put to the test by labour shortages September 22, 2021 I always loved interviewing Stuart Rose. He was great company and if you stayed quiet long enough after asking a question, he’d give you a quote that made his press officers wince. Unfortunately for the former M&S chief, his honesty caused his downfall in Westminster when – as a Remain supporter during the Referendum campaign [...]