EDITION 928
18 JULY 2022

There is no escaping it: too much news is bad for you. It should come with a government health warning: “This intellectual diet is fine taken in small doses, and preferably in weekly instalments, via a well-balanced newsletter, such as 10 things from William Montgomery."

So, as another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. Please feel free to share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can also subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How to deliver an effective presentation. Whether you're speaking to thousands of people from a big stage, or a small group of fifty people in a meeting room, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to giving a talk. There are, however, certain things to remember to help ensure success. Whether it's a large venue or small one, the key to giving an effective presentation is to adapt your delivery to meet the audience's needs. READ MORE >>

2. Johnson could return to Number  10. Boris Johnson has not ruled out attempting to stage a comeback should his successor’s government collapse, allies said. The outgoing PM will not “fade into the background” after standing down but will sit on backbenches until the next general election. A friend compared Johnson to Winston Churchill, who returned to office in 1951. “The party will be begging Boris to come back,” they said. “There will be buyer’s remorse.” Another ally said Johnson has “not gone for the long term” because he “could have significant influence from the outside and then who knows what will happen”. The Times

3. Pro-Brexit areas more dependent on EU. A study has found that Brexit-supporting regions in the UK are becoming increasingly dependent on the European Union for their exports. The share of manufacturing exports that went to the EU increased in Wales from 58% to 60% between 2020 and 2021. The north-east England reported a rise from 56% to 58%, the east Midlands was up from 48% to 51% and the east of England rose from 46% to 48%. The study, by trade body Make UK, also found that the EU remains the “overwhelmingly dominant” destination for UK manufacturing exports. The Guardian

4. India to become most populous country. India will overtake China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, said a report from the UN. As the pace of mortality slows, the world’s population, estimated to reach eight billion by 15 November this year, could grow to 8.5 billion in 2030 and 10.4 billion in 2100, found the report, which was released on World Population Day. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said a growing population was a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for the planet and that we should “reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another”. BBC

5. Brits poorer than foreign counterparts. The average British household is £8,800 poorer than its equivalent in five comparable countries, a new study has found. The report from the Resolution Foundation said that a “toxic combination” of poor productivity and a failure to address inequality has resulted in a widening prosperity gap with France, Germany, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands. “We underestimate the scale of our relative decline and are far from serious about the nature of our economy or the scale of change required to make a difference,” said the think tank’s chief executive. The Guardian

6. More poorer students apply for uni. A record number of poorer school leavers are bidding for university places as applications from the richest teenagers stall. According to data from Ucas, the admissions service, the application rate for the most deprived fifth of 18-year-olds in Britain was 28.8%, up from 27% last year and more than ten percentage points higher than in 2013. Meanwhile, the UK-wide application rate for the most affluent fifth of school-leavers remained the same as last year – 59.5%. Ucas predicts it will see “record numbers of disadvantaged students start university and college in the autumn”. The Times

7. How to pick a remote work location. With ties to the office significantly reduced, working abroad is something that many professionals are considering. But the big question is where to go and why? What do you think is the most important factor to consider when it comes to working remotely? Have your say in  our latest poll. VOTE HERE >>

8. Signs of the times. The Big Plastic Count reports that UK households throw away an average of 66 pieces of plastic packaging a week each, which amounts to a nationwide total of nearly 100 billion pieces a year. A YouGov poll reveals that 41% of UK adults say they check their phone multiple times an hour. 17% would send a chasing message to a friend who didn’t reply within 60 minutes. Editor

9. Good news story of the week. A seven-year-old boy from Leicestershire has become the youngest-known person to cycle from London to Paris. Rupert Brooke was taught to ride a bike by his father, Tom, who died in a work accident three years ago. He completed the ride with his mother on Sunday, and in so doing, raised more than £33,000 for the Children’s Bereavement Centre in Newark. “They helped me to understand the difficult feelings I was having and introduced me to other children who know how I feel, so that we could have fun together and feel less alone,” he said. Leicester Mercury

10. The bottom line. The Bank of England expects UK CPI inflation to increase further, peaking at 11% by year end, an upgrade from its previous 10% estimate. Expectations are for UK CPI inflation to rise to 9.2% this week. However we could go even higher if last week’s big spikes in the US are any guide. I wouldn’t be surprised to see 9.5%, which would increase the pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates by 50bps in August. Editor