My Blog

Labour shortages make light work of fears of a post-Brexit unemployment surge
In the two decades before the Brexit referendum, there was a large increase in the number of people moving from

Science has been overrun with politics – it’s time to take it back
At the onset of the Covid pandemic in February 2020, the pages of the Lancet, a very prestigious medical journal,

From Covid deaths to Usain Bolt: statistics are never black and white
Who is the greatest 100 metre male runner of all time? The answer seems obvious, even if you lack sporting

The influencer economy: online ranking systems are a purveyor of inequality
To the victor the spoils. This well-known phrase might be thought to relate to the recent Olympics. Except that it

Embracing uncertainty is the only path out of the pandemic
A few days ago, Sajid Javid made one of the most thoughtful and encouraging statements by a government minister during

To face mask or not to face mask? Covid etiquette is an experiment in human behaviour
To mask or not to mask? Along with scores of other things we never would have anticipated, whether or not

Universities are failing us: they’re expensive, ill-equipped and entrench ‘left-behind’ towns in the UK
A record number of students have applied for university, with just over 300,000 submitting applications, according to UCAS. This represents

Boris Johnson has sown dangerous ambiguity over Covid rules with mixed messaging for Freedom Day
Sixty years ago, Daniel Ellsberg, as a graduate student at Harvard, wrote a now-seminal paper on behavioural economics. The conclusions

Rishi Sunak vs Boris Johnson: to spend or not to spend?
Rishi Sunak has directed his energy into recasting the Treasury back to its traditional role – the guardian of the

Boris Johnson’s political capital to extend Covid restrictions is waning as more Brits are vaccinated
Millions of Britons piled into social gatherings up and down the country to watch our boys notch up a notable

Student loans perpetuate a broken financial system, it’s time for them to go
Whitehall is preparing for a major tussle over student loans, with the Treasury increasingly concerned about the growing burden and

Longer lockdown based on hypotheticals would come with serious economic costs
The penny is finally beginning to drop. The health service’s focus on giving absolute priority to the treatment of Covid-19

Businesses face a fresh tipping point of staff shortages and wage hikes
For years, inflation has not been an issue. Since the late 1990s, annual inflation in the UK has averaged 2

Scientists’ dire warning of thousands of deaths from Indian variant is a dangerous abuse of public trust
The epidemiologists are at it again. The Indian variant of the Covid virus has resurrected their projections of doom and

To level up, Boris Johnson needs to build homes in satellite towns
A key priority for the government is to revive the fortunes of Britain’s old industrial towns. Boris Johnson promised to

It’s time to give Scotland and Wales a dose of financial reality and rethink the Barnett formula
Subsidies continue to flow from the English taxpayer to the devolved nations of the UK. Boris Johnson is reportedly considering

The Super League might be dead, but a global consolidation of elite teams is inevitable
The frantic furore over the European Super League killed off the proposal before it had a chance to get off

Unemployment has stabilised but there will be economic pain ahead
There are high levels of business optimism. Survey after survey has told us this, from reports from Deloitte on large

Boris Johnson’s push for mass testing is set for failure before it even gets off the grounds
The campaign for regular, mass Covid testing has begun in earnest. From last Friday, everyone in England has been eligible

Keir Starmer still has time to shine as Labour leader
Since last summer, Starmers have been the stock to short. In June, the Leader of the Opposition enjoyed a net