Labour cheered 1p off a pint but the Budget leaves a vicious hangover November 6, 2024 As Rachel Reeves delivered her Budget one week ago, the loudest cheer on the government benches came when she declared that her policies will take 1p off the cost of a pint. Labour was so pleased with this bit of good news that the claim dominated their post-match social media output. This self-congratulatory victory lap [...]
As America votes, can US democracy survive without a WaPo endorsement? November 5, 2024 The US election has given rise to a huge number of divisive, potent and important debates. For many people, regardless of whether they even have a vote in this race, the contest has raised questions about the viability of American democracy itself. Those questions are likely to linger long after the close of polls and, [...]
Badenoch wants a battle of ideas – we should wish her well November 4, 2024 One week before emerging victorious in the Conservative leadership race, Kemi Badenoch was asked by Sophy Ridge on Sky News whether she wanted to be Prime Minister. “I don’t think it’s about wanting to be prime minister,” she said, adding, “I think it’s not an award. It’s not like winning a competition. It’s actually a [...]
Labour’s tax raid is an act of spectacular dishonesty October 31, 2024 Warming up for the Budget in the Commons yesterday, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer engaged in a civilised, warm exchange in honour of the former’s final outing as Leader of the Opposition. They joked about cricket, Yorkshire and life as a constituency MP. Within a couple of hours, Sunak was back on his feet delivering [...]
You can’t rebuild Britain by punishing people who build businesses October 30, 2024 Today, the Chancellor will attempt to write this government into a grand historical narrative that stretches back in Labour folklore to 1945. It was then, Rachel Reeves will say this afternoon, that the Labour Party “rebuilt our country out of the rubble of the Second World War.” Moving forward a couple of decades she will [...]
“Genuinely uplifting” – The City AM Dragon Awards for Social Impact October 29, 2024 The rest of this week is going to be dominated by the Budget, so permit us a diversion today as this column focuses not on capital gains tax, investor sentiment or national insurance, but on the quiet, unassuming brilliance of so many people and so many businesses doing so many great things. In yesterday’s paper [...]
Labour’s pro-business boasts ring hollow October 28, 2024 Rachel Reeves once vowed that if Labour won they “would be the most pro-business government this country has ever seen”. With just two days to go until the Budget, that pre-election pledge appears to be in the gutter. Reassuring the business community was an essential part of Labour’s pitch for power, but almost everything they’ve [...]
The walls are closing in on the Chancellor October 23, 2024 With just one week to go until the Budget (arguably one of the most consequential in recent memory) economists, investors, analysts (and most certainly journalists) are scouring everything from tea leaves to official data for indications of what exactly the Chancellor is going to say next Wednesday. Most people agree that her choices are limited [...]
It’s hard work working out what ‘working people’ means October 22, 2024 Politicians do like to lump people together. In recent years we’ve had the squeezed middle, the just-about-managing, hard working families and (who could forget?) Nick Clegg’s “alarm clock Britain.” To this list of amorphous jargon we must now add “working people.” Labour figures have been leaning on the phrase for months, not least as part [...]
Labour must pull back from the brink and support the UK’s founders October 21, 2024 With half term holidays upon us, Portugal is a safe bet for a bit of winter sun. The forecast for Lisbon this week is 24 degrees and sunny, whereas London is set to be much cooler with rain sweeping in by Friday. Things may get even gloomier when the Chancellor unveils her Budget next week. [...]
