Expert Comment

"Elon Musk committed to purchasing Twitter - a company that had never consistently been able to monetise is popularity - for an inflated price, just as tech business values were plummeting."

The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are a historic mobilisation of forces against the undervaluing and undercutting of creativity and labour in the film, TV and streaming industry.

"The news that Queen Camilla will not receive an annuity for her official duties highlights the historically sensitive issue of the financing of the monarchy by Parliament and the taxpayer. In part it led to civil war (1642-51) when Charles I tried to rule without Parliament and to raise money to finance the crown by other means. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Parliament created the ‘civil list’ as a means by which the state could control the financing of the royal households."

"The effect of freezing mileage rates lowers real wages after tax. This might have the unintended benefit of moving more trips to public transport, reducing congestion, pollution, and carbon emissions. But it's also going to reduce the number of people willing to do jobs that require a lot of driving, and many of those are frontline workers we all depend on. Ideally, this might be an opportunity to re-examine tax deductions for mileage more broadly - possibly even leaving those lower so that the costs of using a car are more visible, but making this up with higher standard deductions or wage increases."

"Robotic technology has the potential to ensure reproducible and precise surgical techniques not previously possible; which may improve outcomes for patients."