Reeves’ ready source revenue: private wealth August 5, 2024 Rachel Reeves first Budget will reveal how the government really sees the economy – and those promises of growth are looking increasingly elusive, says Eliot Wilson “I think we will have to increase taxes in the Budget,” Rachel Reeves told The News Agents podcast last week. This admission by the Chancellor followed her angry revelation [...]
Who will pay to phase out petrol cars? July 29, 2024 Is the elimination of petrol cars the inevitable march of progress or an area ripe for government intervention? Labour must decide, says Eliot Wilson Last week the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) set out seven measures it wanted the government to implement in order to make “automotive sustainability” a competitive advantage for the [...]
Is America’s ‘woke backlash’ a warning? July 22, 2024 With Microsoft scrapping a DEI team and Elon Musk moving to Texas, is the tide turning on the ‘woke’ agenda – and should businesses pay attention? Asks Eliot Wilson When America sneezes, Britain catches a cold. It is an idea that became popular after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, when the fall in New [...]
When it comes to flexible working, what matters is output July 15, 2024 Debates about working from home should be based on evidence, not an inter-generational culture war, says Eliot Wilson We have been debating the benefits and challenges of “flexible working” for decades, but it was the enforced disruption of the Covid-19 lockdown which forced the issue to the top of employers’ agendas. Like many crises, the [...]
What next for the Conservatives? July 5, 2024 After a sobering defeat, the Conservatives must find their soul again. How? By Thatcher’s advice: being for things, not just against them.
Will Starmer dare deal with the merchants of death? July 1, 2024 There’s one substantial, profitable sector where industrial strategy could actually work: Defence. But with some on the left calling for an arms embargo, will the Labour leader look to defence as the driver of growth it could be? Asks Eliot Wilson If you can find solid principles underlying the Labour Party’s economic and industrial policy, [...]
Betting scandal: Whatever happened to “integrity, professionalism and accountability”? June 21, 2024 News that four close associates of the Prime Minister are being investigated for betting on the election suggests the Conservative party is taking an increasingly casual approach to basic propriety, says Eliot Wilson It started with an embarrassing story. Craig Williams, a Welsh MP who has been the Prime Minister’s parliamentary aide since 2022, was [...]
Who will bang the drum for free enterprise? June 17, 2024 For all their warm words for business, Starmer and Reeves share a bone deep belief that is the state the creates wealth and grows the economy, says Eliot Wilson When the result of a general election seems as certain as the outcome of this one, it is understandable that the private sector proceeds cautiously but [...]
Defeated Tories must not abandon the rule of law June 10, 2024 Conservatives in opposition must resist populist disdain for the institutions which make this country internationally competitive – chief among them the rule of law, says Eliot Wilson Nothing is written, of course, as Peter O’Toole tells us in Lawrence of Arabia, but given given Rishi Sunak made a mistake almost as epic as the 1962 [...]
The politician’s new clothes: Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak’s wardrobe choices explained June 7, 2024 From Donald Trump’s boxy navy suit and over-long red tie to Keir Starmer's rolled up sleeves – it is all calculated for impact.
