There is a structural problem in modern politics that we don’t talk about enough. Markets move on information. Governments create information. And in an age of erratic communication, that information is often released in ways that are unpredictable, informal, and badly timed. Take Donald Trump. One of the defining features of his recent presidency has … Read more
UK ministers are reportedly considering triggering a break clause in Palantir’s £330 million contract for the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP). The clause, available from February 2027, would allow the government to exit the seven-year deal early. The review follows mounting pressure from the British Medical Association, MPs and campaign groups, who have raised concerns … Read more
The IMF recently downgraded its growth forecast for the UK following the escalation of conflict between the US/Israel and Iran. All major economies saw downgrades, but the UK’s was the largest. Even so, the IMF still expects the UK to be among the better-performing advanced economies. That didn’t make the headlines. Instead, we got the … Read more
Brexit has damaged the UK’s exports. I know this from first-hand experience. Before the vote, we exported to Ireland, Spain and Japan. After the vote, nothing. Japan might seem an odd market to lose. But like many small exporters, we sold through a distributor that bundled together drinks products for Asian markets. Mixing UK and … Read more
Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has been pardoned by President Donald Trump. Zhao—known as “CZ”—was sentenced to four months in prison in 2024 after pleading guilty to breaching US money laundering laws. Binance itself was fined $4.3bn after investigators found it had helped users bypass sanctions. That would be a … Read more
No. One of the more eye-catching claims doing the rounds this week comes from a Fortune article arguing that the U.S. government is “insolvent”. The evidence? The Treasury’s own financial statements for 2025 show roughly $6 trillion in assets against nearly $48 trillion in liabilities. Add in long-term “unfunded” obligations for Social Security and Medicare … Read more
The Sun has published a list of award winning restaurant closures . This has become a bit of an obesssion with the Sun which has run similar stories over the last few weeks. It immediately caught my eye because of a mistake. It listed 1 Michelin starred Hjem in Northumberland as closed. Hjem isn’t closed, … Read more
At long last, the student loan system is being debated seriously. It should be. Few policies impose marginal tax rates that politicians would tolerate anywhere else: 37% on incomes over £25,000, 51% over £50,270, and 71% over £100,000, before you even factor in interest and postgraduate add-ons. The Conservatives have proposed scrapping interest rates of … Read more
Are Pubs Really in Trouble? Reform are proposing a package of support for pubs — or possibly the whole hospitality sector. It’s not entirely clear. Robert Jenrick says one thing, Lee Anderson another. But before we get into subsidies, it’s worth asking a basic question: Are pubs actually in trouble? A Sector Caught in a … Read more
Britain has a grooming gang problem — but it isn’t the one you’ve been told to worry about. Advances in technology and the dominance of online platforms have transformed the scale and nature of child sexual abuse. Offenders no longer need to operate in physical groups or specific locations. They can access victims anywhere, at … Read more