Latest articles by Simon Wilson
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“Prefabs” make a more stylish return
Features Britain’s housing market is broken and in need of fixing, says PM Theresa May. Good news, then, that the sector is facing an “Uber moment”, says Simon Wilson.
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Land value tax: the least-bad tax
Features Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, MoneyWeek and the Labour Party are all fans of a land value tax. But what exactly is it and how would it work? Simon Wilson reports.
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Iceland’s deep freeze – and thaw
Features Once a sleepy backwater, the country embraced the credit boom with gusto. Then came the crunch. Ten years on, the economy is back on its feet and its prospects look good, says Simon Wilson.
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Why higher taxes look inevitable
Features Britain’s public finances were dealt a vicious blow by the financial crisis of 2008. We’ve come a long way since then, says Simon Wilson – but meeting the government’s goals will require higher taxes.
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Amazon's pay rise and the minimum wage
Features Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos gave his workers a pre-Christmas boost, which led some to say that everyone else could do with one too. But don’t minimum wages cost jobs?
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Danske Bank's money-laundering scandal
Features Danske Bank, Denmark’s biggest lender, has been caught funnelling billions of euros of dodgy cash from Russia. Simon Wilson explains what was going on.
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The cost of cooling the hothouse
Features A recent study warned that we may soon be on an unstoppable path to climate disaster. But some are pinning their hopes on new technologies. Can these work? Simon Wilson reports.
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What happens if we end up with a no-deal Brexit
Features There’s talk of chaos and the need to stockpile food and medicines – but what would really happen if Britain crashes out of the EU without a trade deal? Simon Wilson reports.
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The mystery of the missing wages
Features Normally, when labour markets are tight, wages embark on a sustained upswing, fuelling inflation. But that hasn’t happened in the British or US post-crisis recoveries. Why not? Simon Wilson reports.
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The NHS at 70
Features Britain’s healthcare system increasingly resembles a state religion – it could do with more heretics than acolytes, says Simon Wilson.
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The EU’s shrinking budget
Features We’ve heard a lot about how Brexit will affect the UK’s finances. But what impact will it have on the EU’s? Simon Wilson reports.
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Universal credit and the Tories’ stumbling welfare reforms
Features The UK’s public auditor has slammed the shambolic introduction of universal credit, and the government’s own fiscal watchdog says its benefits are dubious. Simon Wilson reports.
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Trump kicks off banking deregulation
Features America’s financial regulators are set to ease the Volcker rule. Critics say the decision will undo years of efforts to make banks less risky after the financial crisis. Simon Wilson reports.
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The race to exploit the Antarctic
Features For almost 60 years, the southern polar regions have been protected by international treaty. But the continent’s commercial potential is putting co-operation under threat. Simon Wilson reports.
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Customs union: the Gordian knot of Brexit
Features When Britain voted to leave the EU, almost nobody was talking about the customs union. Today it’s at the centre of the Brexit battleground. Simon Wilson reports.
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Iran sanctions: Trump’s biggest gamble yet
Features America’s decision to walk away from the Iran nuclear deal won’t just hurt the Iranian economy. Higher oil prices and rising geopolitical tensions may also have wider consequences. Simon Wilson reports.
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Get set for another football financial record
Features The football season is almost over – which means eye-popping financial deals are about to get under way. But is the flood of money set to dry up? Simon Wilson reports.
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Is the internet a danger to democracy?
Features Worries about the use of online data to target votes aren’t limited to the Brexit referendum and the US presidential election. Critics say these tactics are being used around the world. Simon Wilson reports.
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Auditing the the big accountancy firms
Features Investors rely on the big accountancy firms to pore over a company’s books and warn them of impending disaster. But are they doing their jobs, asks Simon Wilson.
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A credit score that judges your politics
Features China is pioneering a system of social control that monitors your trustworthiness. India is a step away from something similar. Could "social credit" come to Britain too? Simon Wilson reports.
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The great restaurant crunch
Features Big high-street names in the casual-dining sector have closed their doors to customers. Seems they gorged themselves too much in the good times and are now having to fast, says Simon Wilson.
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GDP: we need a better measure of economic growth
Features Gross domestic product (GDP) is still the yardstick we most often turn to when we want to know how well an economy is doing. But a growing army of critics says it gives a false picture. Simon Wilson reports.
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The city that ran out of water
Features Cape Town, South Africa’s second-biggest city, might soon have to turn off the taps. What went wrong? And is this a sign of things to come for other cities?
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Gove's green and pleasant Brexit
Features Michael Gove, one of Britain’s most divisive politicians wants to revolutionise agricultural and environmental policy after we leave the EU. But how much will really change? Simon Wilson reports.
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