Establishing a national minimum wage (NMW), and increasing it over time, “signals to citizens that they are right to expect a baseline of economic security through their labour” and has, rightly, been a popular and successful policy since it was introduced in 1998. The Carnegie Trust UK and Learning and Work Institute have produced a …
Apprenticeships: positive, practical, let’s all promote them.
Today (9th February 2021) I was delighted to take part in the APPG for Apprenticeships event to celebrate National Apprenticeships Week: in itself, an excellent initiative. It was great to hear such positive support and words from the Minister for Apprenticeships, Gillian Keegan MP to kick off the event. The extent, scope and possibilities within …
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National Security and Investment Bill
Yesterday I took part in the second reading debate on the National Security and Investment Bill. This legislation will comprehensively reform the UK’s foreign investment rules, introducing a hybrid system of mandatory and voluntary notifications on grounds of “national security” similar to that in the United States and Germany. A long time in the arrival …
Financial Services Bill
I was delighted to take part in the second reading of the Financial Services Bill. In a world of important legislation it is worth noting that this Bill is up there as one of the most significant we will consider, this year, as it progresses through the Lords. John Glen, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, …
Holocaust Memorial Day
In the summer of 1988, before starting sixth form, I read one of our set texts, ‘Schindler’s Ark’. It was professionally recorded for the RNIB’s talking book library and it impacted me profoundly. Keneally caught all of it. So powerfully, so appallingly, so accurately. Civilisation paused, put aside, gone away, not here. I listened to …
Tax should not be so taxing
Tax, a temporary aberration has proven itself particularly permanent. Of itself, this is neither good, nor bad but we should surely be using every tool at our disposal to make sure our tax system works for the common good. Last week I was pleased to participate in a debate in the House of Lords considering …
SolarWinds Cyber Attack
Today in the House of Lords the government was questioned on their response to the SolarWinds Cyber attack, first reported in December 2020. In the light of the attack I asked the government to again commit their full support to the UK cyber industry. The attack was one of the largest and most sophisticated cloud …
The Alchemy of Talent and Technology
Covid is an indiscriminate infector yet discriminating deliverer of death. My heart goes out to all those affected by the virus and to all those souls taken before their time. The crisis has also exposed much which is sub-optimal in our social and economic fabric. Covid, like so much of what currently faces us, is …
Accessibility Win on London’s Streets
The Mayor and Transport for London’s Streetspace programme, intended to “rapidly transform London’s streets to accommodate a ten-fold increase in cycling and a five-fold increase in walking”, has been successfully challenged by way of Judicial Review. This is a significant accessibility win. Transport for London “considered it had an untrammelled discretion to exclude taxis, which …