Ben CHu
The Independent
United Kingdom
Contact Ben
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
Recent articles by Ben:
Would scrapping the 48-hour working week be good for Brexit Britain’s economy?
It’s claimed that giving employers more flexibility and encouraging Britons to work longer hours would help the economy to grow. But is that plausible? Ben Chu investigates → Read More
Will Brexit end up sinking the Scottish fishing industry?
Could this be a permanent – possibly even lethal – blow to an industry that was presented as one of the great victors of Brexit, asks Ben Chu → Read More
‘Sacrificed for a bunch of fish’: How the City of London got turned over by Brexit in week one
Boris Johnson has told us that the City of London will ‘adapt and prosper mightily’ after Brexit. But the industry itself is rather less confident, reports Ben Chu → Read More
I write about corporate economic tricks, yet even I was a victim of one
After an online mistake, I found myself paying £15 every month to a cashback club for more than a year. If it can happen to me it can happen to anyone. Regulators and legislators need to take note → Read More
Are schools really responsible for driving the spread of coronavirus?
How strong is the evidence that schools are a major cause of the spread of this virus? Ben Chu investigates → Read More
What does this deal with the European Union mean for the UK economy?
Analysis: A post-Brexit free trade agreement between Europe and the UK has finally been hammered out. But what does it mean for the UK economy? Ben Chu explains → Read More
2020: The year the global economy finally fell off a cliff
Thanks to coronavirus, the world experienced the biggest collapse in economic activity since the Great Depression. Ben Chu looks at the possibility of a recovery this year, here at home and globally → Read More
Is the UK too reliant on imports of food?
Some Brexiteers are arguing that warnings of threats to our food supply show the UK should produce more food at home. But is it true that the UK imports more food than is sensible? Ben Chu investigates → Read More
Furlough and state-backed loans scheme extended, says Treasury
Furlough to end in April 2021, rather than March, says chancellor → Read More
No-deal Brexit would hit pound sterling, warns Bank of England
‘In the event that trade negotiations did not reach an agreement the exchange rate would probably fall,’ say minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee’s December meeting → Read More
Are UK businesses facing catastrophe due to vast coronavirus debt burdens?
Has massive borrowing during the crisis created an unsustainable burden on firms? And should ministers be exploring radical options to lift it? Ben Chu explains → Read More
‘F*** Business’: The story of how corporate Britain got screwed by Brexit
Representatives of corporate Britain have lost every Brexit battle they have fought since the 2016 referendum. And now, in no deal, they are facing the most disastrous outcome of all. So how did it come to this? Are ideological politicians solely to blame? Or do businesses themselves also bear some responsibility for this failure? Ben Chu talks to veterans of the lost struggle for a… → Read More
What Brexit will mean for your wages, benefits and taxes
What Brexit will mean for wages, benefits and taxes → Read More
Will Brexit affect house prices and mortgages?
Will house prices drop after Brexit? → Read More
Here’s what Brexit will mean for your wages, benefits and taxes
Here’s what Brexit will mean for your wages, benefits and taxes → Read More
Britain to drop tariffs on US related to Airbus subsidy dispute after Brexit next year
The move is being seen as an attempt by the UK to curry favour with the incoming Biden administration and encourage Washington to look more kindly on proposals for an early US-UK post-Brexit trade deal → Read More
Here’s what Brexit will mean for your wages, benefits and taxes
Here’s what Brexit will mean for your wages, benefits and taxes → Read More
Here’s what Brexit will mean for your wages, benefits and taxes
Here’s what Brexit will mean for your wages, benefits and taxes → Read More
Is it too late for a Brexit deal that will prevent an economic crunch?
A deal, it is implied, means commercial life continues as normal after the transition period comes to end on 31 December. But, as Ben Chu explains, that’s a dangerous misconception → Read More
Facebook’s digital currency has ‘put the frighteners’ on central banks, says former Bank of England deputy governor
“I think it is quite likely that some of the central banks will issue digital currencies,” said Sir Howard Davies, the chair of NatWest Group → Read More