Any other business
The TV licence is a dead duck
‘Tell me we’re winning the media battle!’ I imagine Unilever boss Alan Jope barking at his team on Tuesday, following…
Hunterston’s closure is the nuclear accident no one noticed
So farewell, Hunterston B, the nuclear power plant on the Firth of Clyde that shut last week after 46 years’…
Will the energy price spike bring down Boris?
What does the new year have in store for consumers — and families trying to make ends meet? A stumbling…
Gastro-nomics: a foodie’s guide to a changing world
Twice recently I’ve been asked my opinion of ‘Doughnut Economics’. The first time, I was tempted to cover my ignorance…
Don’t strand Cambo until our energy future is secure
If the phrase ‘stranded asset’ hasn’t yet entered your vocabulary, here’s a useful example of what it means. The 178…
For industry, the pandemic isn’t over yet
‘So you think it’s all over? Ho ho ho!’ That’s the message from Satan’s dark laboratory (twinned with Wuhan’s) where…
Why you should be wary of buy now pay later
Are you logged on to Klarna, Clearpay, Laybuy or Zilch for your Black Friday shopping binge — or are you…
Shell’s Dutch departure is a boost for the city of London
The scrapping of most of the eastern leg of HS2, originally planned from Birmingham to Leeds, is a news item…
Bankers, not Greta, will save the planet
I have observed before how useful really big numbers can be in response to crises: when US treasury secretary Hank…
Don’t let China’s climate sins cloak its crushing of Hong Kong
China’s failure to bring anything new to COP26 surprised no one. The world’s worst carbon emitter offered no advance on…
Why paying more dividends could save the planet
Climate emergency demands action, not rhetoric. So, on the eve of COP26, which UK news item promises to deliver the…
Prince Harry is surfing an investment wave
Does the economist David Blanchflower — who I described as the Bank of England’s ‘resident wacko’ during his 2006-09 tenure…
Why we should all start hoarding cash and loo rolls
If there’s anyone in Britain who knows how to keep grocery shelves stacked, it’s former Tesco chief executive Sir Dave…
Why stamp duty doesn’t add up
‘Blame it all on business’ was the Tory strategists’ answer to petrol queues and the risk of a no-turkey Christmas…
Why scrapping business rates is a bright idea
A worthwhile policy proposal amid the Labour conference dogfight? Now there’s a surprise. But shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves’s scheme to…
Is government preparing to shake the magic money tree again?
Will my bath water still be hot by Christmas? That’s not a question I’d normally feel a need to share…
The government should be helping, not hindering, start-ups
I’m hugely enjoying meeting the finalists for The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards. This year’s bumper entry was…
What tea with the WI taught me about responsible investment
Late-breaking exam results: many of the City’s top fund managers have failed a vital test of ‘stewardship’ — defined for…
How to solve the looming pigs-in-blankets crisis
This is getting serious. Never mind global shortages of microchips, plastics, copper and container ships; now we’re running out of…
Rishi’s stamp duty gimmick did little but help greedy builders
The Hundred — some sort of pimped-up cricket tournament, I gather — passed me by entirely, but I’ve been admiring…
Head back to the office – it’s your patriotic duty
Give or take a few leader-writing shifts and editing projects, I’ve been working from home for the past 30 years,…
Why filling Santa’s sack will cost more this year
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey looks increasingly uncomfortable as inflation notches upwards from ‘nothing to worry about’ towards the…
Is it time for a Dad’s Army of lorry drivers?
Here’s a patriotic proposal: let’s form a Dad’s Army of lorry drivers, of which the Road Haulage Association reckons there’s…
Is the airline ‘booking surge’ a load of hot air?
Be glad you’re not in Dr Mike Lynch’s shoes. A London judge has ruled that the founder of the Cambridge-based…
The clever radical who led the City’s transformation
It’s a vivid example of unintended consequences that the swimming-pool builders of southern England should owe so much to Sir…
