Air pollution is an invisible killer and a dangerous reality for Londoners March 15, 2021 While Covid-19 and Brexit have continued to dominate national headlines, there’s another another critical issue affecting the lives of every Londoner, which hasn’t been front and centre. Here in the City we’ve started three exciting schemes to help rid the capital of toxic air. In partnership with Camden Council, and funded by TfL through the [...]
City’s gargantuan tax receipts should never be taken for granted in Whitehall February 15, 2021 By any standards, 2020 was an unprecedented year for businesses and households alike. The uncertainty around our future relationship with the EU and the long shadow cast by the COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges not seen since the second world war. Even with the vaccine rollout well underway, the road to recovery remains uncertain with significant [...]
The City will be back – but in the meantime, it’s test, test, test February 1, 2021 The importance of redoubling our efforts to tackle the spread of this virus was underlined by the UK passing a tragic milestone of 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 last week. This is a trying time for us all but the quicker we can reduce the rate of infection, the quicker we can return to a semblance [...]
UK and the EU have much to gain from closer collaboration on financial services January 18, 2021 Now that the UK and European Union have started a new chapter, the next few months will be critical when it comes to writing the page on future collaboration in financial and professional services. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement finally brokered by UK and EU negotiators before Christmas provided businesses and households both at home and [...]
Next year brings hope, but we’re not out of the woods yet December 21, 2020 As we approach the end of a year most of us would prefer to forget, Londoners have been dealt a fresh blow with news that the capital has been placed under the highest level of coronavirus restrictions. The new Tier 4 rules mean people should only go out for exercise or to travel for work, [...]
A new chapter of UK-EU collaboration — and the City stands ready to help December 7, 2020 After long and tortuous negotiations, the UK and European Union are finally reaching the endgame of the transition period. Whatever the outcome, the current global crisis caused by the pandemic has shone a light on how, even post-Brexit, there will be many areas which will require collaboration on both sides of the Channel. The pandemic has [...]
Time for a new chapter in the City’s special relationship with America November 23, 2020 Over the years, we in the UK have often stressed the “special” nature of our relationship with the US. While this is usually considered in the context of foreign policy, with regards to bilateral financial service trade, it has certainly developed into something truly special — and something we should be grateful for as Thanksgiving [...]
Building back a greener City — and a greener world November 9, 2020 It is essential, even as we readjust to lockdown over the next few weeks, to not lose sight of another of humanity’s great challenges: tackling climate change. As one of the world’s foremost financial centres, London has a huge role to play in supporting the development of a more sustainable global society, and is well-placed [...]
London will find ways to adapt and thrive — as it always has October 26, 2020 Now that London has moved into even tighter local lockdown restrictions, it would be easy to be pessimistic about the future. Some have argued recently that the capital’s days as a world leading business centre are numbered due to the pandemic, our exit from the European Union, and a rising tide of protectionism across the [...]
We do not need to compromise the economy to fix the environment October 12, 2020 Overwhelming scientific evidence tells us that the climate is already changing. If we are to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees and avoid the more extreme effects on our environment, averting potentially devastating consequences, we need to act now. And that is what the City of London Corporation is doing. Last week, it launched its [...]