The UK government’s student immigration policy is bad for business and the economy July 20, 2015 Education, particularly higher education, is one of this country’s great success stories. Every year thousands of students come here to learn and along the way they become lifelong friends of Britain. Nonsensically, the government seem intent on making this whole process harder. Under current rules most students can apply for a work visa while still [...]
Iran nuclear deal: After the nuclear deal, Iran is our “frenemy” July 17, 2015 Tuesday’s agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme is a momentous achievement, but only if it can be enforced and verified. Following the diplomatic deal in Vienna, Western governments should engage with Tehran, but also help to contain Iran’s growing influence in the region. While Tehran celebrates the upcoming removal of international sanctions, its neighbours are anxious; [...]
Gender pay gap: About time to name and shame businesses who don’t promote women July 16, 2015 News that UK firms will be required to publish gender pay audits is to be applauded. Gender diversity in the workplace has been ignored for too long by UK companies and it’s about time businesses that fail to employ, support and promote women are named and shamed. Why am I so passionate about this topic? [...]
Apple Pay in the UK: Like not laughing at a Michael Mcintyre gag, resistance is futile July 16, 2015 When Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook revealed its physical wallet-replacement service last September, I recall a tut and an eye roll at yet another Apple product announcement. A form of contactless payment, re-marketed as a physical wallet-replacement service, would be with us this summer. Where's the innovation in that? In many ways Apple [...]
MPs’ bewildering pay rise flies in the face of all we’ve heard about spending restraint July 16, 2015 They say timing is the art of comedy. Unfortunately, nobody's laughing. In the week after the chancellor of the Exchequer announced a pay rise of just one per cent for public sector employees, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) have awarded MPs a juicy 10 per cent rise – roughly £7,000. This takes their salaries [...]
Economics secretary Harriett Baldwin: It’s in our national interest to keep the City competitive July 16, 2015 As someone who spent two decades in the UK’s financial services industry, I know well that this sector is hugely important for people and businesses across the country. We need a highly competitive business environment to support that, and today I'm speaking at The City UK’s conference about the steps we are taking to strengthen [...]
Britain might be struggling with tightest power supply in a decade, but there are very good reasons not to bet on a winter of blackouts July 15, 2015 I was fascinated to hear Lord Redesdale say earlier this month that he would put money on blackouts and brownouts by the end of the year. It’s an interesting position to take, but I am very willing to take up his wager. Why has Lord Redesdale taken up his position? We both know that [...]
Blockchain boss Eddy Travia on Coinsilium’s IPO: Why I chose to float a FinTech business in London July 15, 2015 Whilst the bitcoin price may have stolen some headlines during the Greece negotiations it is the underlying technology, blockchain, that is really making waves across the financial world. Last year $330m (around £211m) flowed into bitcoin and blockchain companies, and in the first half of 2015 $373m was invested into the same space, bringing the [...]
Businesses are wasting money on energy – here are six ways to make your business energy-savvy July 15, 2015 Last week the Competitions and Markets Authority reported back on the fact consumers are “paying too much” for their energy bills, suggesting that customers need to help make the market be more competitive through switching suppliers on a regular basis. But 75 per cent of businesses already know that there are savings to be made [...]
This is what you get with a Conservative majority: A national living wage July 15, 2015 Why do we care about the economic recovery? Sometimes economists seem to forget, that we care about recovery not for some statistics on a chart, but because recovery creates more jobs giving people the dignity of work, and pay rises for those in work. In short, the purpose of economic recovery is to make people [...]