Opinion Archives

Artificial intelligence has crossed an important threshold in British business. It’s no longer something companies are merely discussing, testing in innovation teams or watching from a safe distance. People are using it, and they’re using it a lot.

Britain is using AI. So why isn’t it getting more productive?

8 September 2026 Opinion Nicole Junkermann

Artificial intelligence has crossed an important threshold in British business. It’s no longer something companies are merely discussing, testing in innovation teams or watching from a safe distance. People are using it, and they’re using it a lot.

Reform UK's tax pledges could cost the Treasury billions of pounds in lost revenue and it remains unclear how they would be paid for, according to audit, tax and business advisory firm Blick Rothenberg.

Reform UK tax pledges could cost billions with no clear funding plan, warns Blick Rothenberg

2 September 2026 In Business, Opinion Amy Ingham

Robert Jenrick’s package of Reform UK tax pledges, including scrapping income tax on overtime, cutting employer national insurance and lowering VAT for the self-employed, would eat into the taxes that raise three quarters of UK revenue with little detail on how the gap would be closed, according to Blick Rothenberg.

Barclays has reported a 19 per cent rise in first-quarter profits, as market turmoil driven by Donald Trump’s return to the White House boosted trading revenues across its investment banking arm. The FTSE 100 lender posted pre-tax profits of £2.7 billion for the three months to the end of March, beating City forecasts of £2.5 billion. The performance was powered by a surge in revenues from Barclays’ markets division, which capitalised on investor reaction to sweeping policy changes by the Trump administration. Revenues in the markets business climbed 16 per cent year-on-year to nearly £2.7 billion, driven by a 21 per cent increase in fixed income, currencies and commodities trading, and a 9 per cent rise in equities. Activity soared as traders helped clients rapidly rebalance portfolios in response to new US trade and economic measures. The gains offset a rise in loan loss provisions across the group, which increased to £643 million from £513 million a year earlier. Barclays said this included a £74 million charge for “elevated US macroeconomic uncertainty”, reflecting the potential impact of Trump’s newly imposed global tariffs. The results mark a win for chief executive CS Venkatakrishnan, known as Venkat, who unveiled a three-year transformation plan in early 2023 to revive shareholder confidence and reposition the bank. His strategy includes rebalancing Barclays away from its historically volatile investment banking arm and bolstering its UK consumer and corporate businesses, alongside a commitment to return £10 billion to shareholders by the end of 2026. Investment banking fees also saw a strong uplift, rising 16 per cent to £1.2 billion from advising on takeovers, capital raises, and debt issuance. Despite the market gains, challenges remain for Barclays as it navigates a shifting global landscape. Trump’s new trade tariffs, including heavy levies on Chinese goods, pose risks to the global economy and could threaten growth in the UK and US — key markets for the bank. Venkat acknowledged the uncertain backdrop but struck an optimistic tone: “Our high quality, diversified businesses, together with proactive risk, capital and liquidity management and a robust balance sheet, position us well to support our customers and clients and deliver strong risk-adjusted returns in a wide range of macroeconomic scenarios.” Barclays shares have performed strongly since Venkat’s turnaround plan was announced last year, but ongoing geopolitical and economic volatility may test the resilience of his strategy in the months ahead.

Bank windfall tax would drive jobs and investment out of London, deVere warns Healey

2 September 2026 News, Opinion Amy Ingham

Nigel Green, chief executive of deVere Group, says a bank windfall tax in the Chancellor’s first Budget would hand a competitive gift to rival financial centres, with billions of pounds of planned UK office expansion and hiring tied to the tax outlook.

A triple monitor setup can also be called a laptop screen extender since that is what it does. Designed solely to duplicate, or in this case, give two extra screens

Business travel and meals on the go: one way to show your team you care

25 August 2026 Opinion Andrew Laughlan

Keeping a team happy when you’re running a small or medium sized business isn’t always easy. It’s hard to match the salaries that larger companies can offer and in a smaller organisation employees sometimes face more intense pressures.

This morning, hundreds of thousands of teenagers opened their GCSE results. For most, the next step is already mapped out. For a growing number, it is not, and that is where one of Britain's most expensive problems begins.

Results day should be a hiring moment, not just a school milestone

20 August 2026 Opinion Victoria Head

As GCSE grades land and the number of young people out of work and education passes one million, City Year UK chief executive Victoria Head sets out what employers can do before next August.

In recent years, air pollution has been at the forefront of global discussions, with stakeholders from various sectors coming together to address this critical environmental challenge.

FairFuelUK urges government to scrap 2030 petrol and diesel ban

16 August 2026 Opinion Amy Ingham

FairFuelUK has urged ministers to scrap the 2030 petrol and diesel ban after the EU proposed replacing its 2035 phase-out with a 90 per cent target.

The state screamed at every phone in England and Wales about wildfires, then spent the same week quietly loosening the policies that tackle their cause. Richard Alvin on drought, Derek's smoke alarms and why an emergency that changes nothing is just a ringtone.

Not a policy, just a ringtone: the UK wildfire alert and net zero policy clash noisier than the Royal Albert Hall’s organ

15 August 2026 Opinion Richard Alvin

The state screamed at every phone in England and Wales about wildfires, then spent the same week quietly loosening the policies that tackle their cause. Richard Alvin on drought, Derek’s smoke alarms and why an emergency that changes nothing is just a ringtone.

Last Thursday evening I stood in a pub off Brewer Street with a pint in one hand and an elbow on the bar, talking with an old friend that I regularly find myself taking over the media world with.

Please remain seated: Westminster’s war on vertical drinking

9 August 2026 Opinion Richard Alvin

Richard Alvin argues Westminster’s vertical drinking clampdown is the scotch egg rule reborn, and the West End pub cannot survive being made to sit down.

A restaurateur friend of mine, who I shall not name because he has to keep serving these people, rang me on Sunday evening with a tale of woe.

Eat up and get out: why dawdling diners are killing UK restaurants

2 August 2026 Opinion Richard Alvin 0 Comments

Richard Alvin argues the fastest way to save UK restaurants costs nothing: eat up and go. Dwell times, not menus, now decide who keeps the lights on.

Cabinet on sun loungers? Andy Burnham’s Love Island premiership

23 July 2026 Opinion Richard Alvin 0 Comments

There is a particular kind of Monday that is supposed to be boring, and thank God for it. Kettle on, radio grumbling about the M25, the machinery of the country turning over with all the drama of a filing cabinet. That is how it is meant to go. Not this week.