Billionaire Phones4U founder John Caudwell tells Business Matters he was ‘misled’ by Labour’s pro-business promises and could back the Tories at the next election.
Category: Opinion
Some of the UKs leading business leaders and opinion formers share their insight and ideas for growth
Goodbye 11.35pm: Why linear TV’s biggest names are all fleeing to YouTube
From Colbert’s surprise YouTube debut to Piers Morgan’s Murdoch exit and the BBC’s pivot, linear TV is haemorrhaging talent and viewers — and the slot is dead.
ISA shake-up risks unwinding a decade of simplification, warns Charles Stanley
From April 2027 the cash ISA allowance falls to £12,000 for under-65s and a 22% charge will hit interest on cash in stocks & shares ISAs. Charles Stanley’s Rob Morgan warns the reforms risk reversing the 2014 simplification and deterring cautious savers.
Nightlife chief brands Chancellor’s summer VAT cut a ‘superficial fix’ that abandons clubs and festivals
Chancellor’s summer VAT cut for family attractions ignores clubs, festivals and live music venues, NTIA’s Michael Kill warns, branding it a ‘superficial fix’
Colbert’s final bow: How CBS cancelled the king of late night to keep Trump sweet
As The Late Show signs off, Richard Alvin argues CBS killed America’s number-one late-night programme to placate a thin-skinned president, and set a chilling precedent for free speech, satire and business.
Sweating the asset: How Sting wrote Roxanne in an afternoon and sold it for £240 Million
From Sting’s £240m catalogue sale to The Beatles’ billion-pound back catalogue, the songs of the vinyl era are the ultimate sweat-the-asset masterclass.
Local Elections 2026: Why you must go out and vote tomorrow
Richard Alvin on why every business owner — and every citizen — must turn out for tomorrow’s local elections, regardless of which box they tick.
Last orders for British hospitality: Are Reeves and Starmer trying to kill the UK restaurant sector?
From a £3.4 billion National Insurance hit to a refusal to cut hospitality VAT, the policies of Reeves and Starmer read like a hit job on Britain’s high streets.
Britain doesn’t have a start-up problem, it has a stay-at-home problem
Britain launches companies brilliantly. It just can’t keep them. Richard Alvin on why the next British unicorn will probably IPO in New York, and what to do before it does.
On May Day, spare a thought for the workers who took the risk and built the bloody company
May Day belongs to founders, sole traders and family firms too, says Richard Alvin. A defence of entrepreneurship as labour, and of the silent grind behind every payroll.
I worry for the rural pub, and yes, this one is personal too
Richard Alvin returns to the rural economy, and to the village pub at the heart of it. A defence of the countryside’s last surviving piece of community infrastructure.
Day-one rights, six-figure tribunals: how the Workers’ Rights Bill is killing hiring before it starts
Six months in, says Richard Alvin, the Workers’ Rights Bill is doing the opposite of what it set out to do — quietly freezing graduate slots and pushing SMEs to hire abroad.
How resilient leaders help their teams thrive through change
Resilience is one of those words that gets used a lot in business. But when you strip it back, it’s not complicated. It simply means being able to keep moving forward when things don’t go to plan.
Business rates: Britain’s most punishing levy on the very firms it claims to champion
The 2026 revaluation has clobbered hospitality and independents while warehouses skate. Richard Alvin makes the case for scrapping rates and starting again.
Why ADHD and entrepreneurship can drive success and create challenges in equal measure
There is a stage in entrepreneurship that many founders and senior leaders struggle to make sense of.
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