Charlie Mullins

George Osborne

Spending Review: Emergency call to the private sector

- Charlie Mullins

So, we now know where the cuts will happen. The furore has died down, bar the wailing from Labour politicians and the trade unionists who are more professionally motivated than the rest of us to kick up a fuss.

Spending cuts

Why the Coalition's cuts make perfect sense

- Charlie Mullins

I couldn't agree more with the 35 business leaders who wrote to the Daily Telegraph backing the not-so-secret content of the government’s spending review, which will be formally announced on Wednesday.

Apprentice

Osborne considers new apprenticeship model

- Charlie Mullins

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a special fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference last week. I came away feeling much more optimistic about the future of apprenticeships and skilled trades.

Lord Sugar

The Apprentice is pure fiction

- Charlie Mullins

This Wednesday – and for the next however-many-weeks – millions of people will be glued to their TV sets to watch Lord Sugar’s The Apprentice. But I won’t be one of them.

British

Britain gets a vote of confidence from business owners

- Charlie Mullins

We're in the midst of a recession with tax rises and government cuts on the way – but it’s in these situations I think that we really show our "Britishness", put our noses to the grindstone and battle our way through it.

Spanner

Gove review: Practical learning has lost its way

- Charlie Mullins

When education secretary Michael Gove announced a complete review of vocational qualifications for 14-to-19-year-olds in England, I couldn't quite decide whether to jump for joy or cry in my beer.

VAT rise

VAT rise: "Don't mislead customers"

- Charlie Mullins

Businesses have to decide now, if they haven’t already, how they are going to factor January’s VAT increase into their pricing.

London Stock Exchange

Why I'll never float Pimlico Plumbers

- Charlie Mullins

Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins tells Real Business why he has no interest in running a public limited company.

Sir Philip

Sir Philip, spending czar: can he pull it off?

- Charlie Mullins

Sir Philip Green has come in for a lot criticism since he agreed to take on the unenviable task of investigating the government's spending record.

Champagne

Firms struggle on while the bankers quaff champagne

- Charlie Mullins

I’m not a fan of bankers. I wouldn’t put them in charge of a broom. But last week, they were back flashing their pearly whites as they started to reap billions in profits once again.

Back to school

Cameron must consider a "Kids Fix Schools" scheme

- Charlie Mullins

I suggested last week that, with a bit of help from trained professionals, school pupils could learn important work skills by fixing up their own school buildings. But apparently, I'm an idiot.