London is imploding in on itself.
The rest of the UK isn’t much better.
We’re all going to hell in a handbasket.
I know this because people keep sending me Instagram and YouTube videos that say so, so it must be TRUE!!! They are, after all, the font of all knowledge and reasoned thinking…
Of course, I’m not suggesting things are perfect. Let’s be honest London is not what it was back around 2011 to 2014 – what I call “Peak London”:
The city was buzzing, everyone wanted to be here, money was flowing freely and we also had the Olympics which was an unmitigated triumph – not least the opening ceremony where the Queen played a starring role with James Bond. Genius!
Since then, several ill-considered tax policies mixed in with some other galactically stupid political moments (from all parties) have definitely affected the UK negatively.
But just because something is not as good as it was doesn’t make it bad. Novak Djokovic is not the player he once was, but he is still far better than most. And this is still the case with London and the UK in general.
Henley & Partners recently released their “Opportunity Index”. If you believe YouTube or conventional wisdom then you will probably ignore this, but the UK ranked number 1 for education and:
“4th on the Henley Opportunity Index, characterized by career advancement, economic mobility, and access to premium education. The country’s universities attract global talent while consistently producing highly skilled graduates for the labor market.
Top-tier employment prospects span finance, technology, law, research, and the creative industries. London remains a global business hub, while cities such as Manchester, Edinburgh, and Birmingham continue to grow as centers of innovation.
Close integration between academia and industry supports continuous professional development, enabling individuals to build international careers within a globally connected economy. This alignment between world-class academia and industry makes the UK one of the most dynamic environments for long-term professional success.”
In case you were wondering, the top three were Switzerland, Singapore and Australia.
The good news is that, unlike poor old Novak, London can regenerate. Indeed, the city’s greatest strength, over not just decades but centuries, has been its ability to adapt.
And this could happen very quickly if the government simply created an attractive Investor Visa or changed the current IHT rules. Admittedly, that is a big “IF” with the current government but there is an amazing opportunity to make the UK exceptionally attractive once again.
The question is do Labour want everyone to have a share of a bigger pie even if it is not divided equally or would they prefer a smaller pie which still won’t be divided equally?
Irrespective of what they do, London is still one of the top two cities in the world despite being (apparently) awful!
It is also why most “non-doms” have kept their homes in London. They know it will surge forward again.
Best regards,
Jeremy
