BP
The Spectator’s Notes
In 2014, Rolf Harris was convicted of sexual offences against girls. I wrote in this space that this would have…
The lesson of Looney: every board should prepare for scandal
Bernard Looney, the fallen BP chief, always had a certain swagger about him. I’ve no idea whether he was unsafe…
Why is the National Portrait Gallery cutting ties with BP?
When is money so soiled that merely accepting it makes you tainted? It has been reported today that the National…
In defence of Amazon
We should take heart from BP’s £5.1 billion second-quarter loss, accompanied by a halving of its dividend. What’s good about…
Why Rishi Sunak is the one to watch in parliament
‘Turbocharging’: sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Two weeks ago, I noted that our incoming PM had deployed this power-word — with…
Deutsche Bank is a parable for our mad modern era
Among the numbers attached to the restructuring of Deutsche Bank announced by Chief Executive Christian Sewing this week, the 18,000…
Don’t believe the recession hype – or this commodities boom
All in all, this is an odd moment for an outburst of high spirits: not from me — I’m as…
A Budget to show how it should be done – as the Greeks show how it shouldn't
George Osborne’s Budget was good politics: not so much in terms of tactical point-scoring, though there was plenty, but in…
Why cheap oil could mean a Labour victory
BP’s profits are down, and the oil giant is slashing up to $6 billion out of its investment plan for…
Is the US using bank fines to bring allies into line against Russia?
Here’s one for all you conspiracy nuts out there, prompted by readers’ comments on my recent item about whether BP…
BP's been punished enough – but not because Americans hate the Brits
I should declare two connections before I start offering opinions about the latest US judgment against BP relating to the ‘Macondo’…
The man who could sell the British public on fracking
Iain Conn, who will succeed Sam Laidlaw as chief executive of Centrica, would have been a dead cert for the…
