Out of the top 7 debates of the year

City AM’s weekly debate feature showcases the fiercest debates and pits the two candidates against each other before giving the final verdict to the Judge. From assisted dying legislation to Lime’s unstoppable rise, here are seven of the most thought-provoking things in 2025.

“It seems like no one wants to work these days,” said Kim K to widespread ridicule in 2022. But in 2025, public opinion improved. From Brewdog CEO James Watt (who called the UK the “least work-oriented” country in the world) to shadow minister Chris Philp (who decried Britain’s loss of work ethic), British workers have been hit hard this year. But do they deserve it? Gallup’s Jeremie Brecheisen and Netcompany’s Rich Davies battle it out.

Only 10 per cent of workers in the UK are engaged at work, compared to 23 per cent globally.

“During the day, the city is filled with suits and stockings. At night, the city is reborn as a bustling rave arena” – such is creative studio Bompas and Parr’s vision for 2025, which calls for sleepy office blocks to be repurposed as nightspots on evenings and weekends. Madness or genius? Night-time industry darling Michael Kill takes on property boss Harry Fenner.

Most importantly, this is not about replacing financial services with convenience, but about adaptive reuse, economic diversification, and cultural resilience.

The bill on assisted dying is likely to be one of the most significant bills ever voted on by current MPs and, due to its emotional nature, MPs have freedom of choice, meaning they vote based on their conscience and not along party lines. For this debate, we asked campaigners from both sides to present their case.

73 percent of Britons believe that, in principle, assisted dying should be legal in the UK

The success of Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation combined with Netflix’s hit show Adolescence this year sparked a national conversation about the negative impacts of smartphone use, especially for children. But do calls for a smartphone ban smell like a nanny state? Edtech CEO Josh Blackburn takes on smartphone ban petitioner Sarah Pettitt in this debate.

Banning smartphones ignores a fundamental responsibility: educating young people how to use technology responsibly

Triumphantly ridden by Timothee Chalamet and named by Vogue as “the most coveted accessory” at London Fashion Week, it’s been a great year for Lime bikes. But where there’s love, there’s also hate – and few topics are as divisive as our debate over the green wheel monster. For this debate, Lime cyclist Ed Jones-Davies went head-to-head with passionate pedestrian Samuel Barnett.

Hell is not someone else. Hell is the patch outside your flat designated as a Lime bike park

Every cloud has a silver lining – but 2025 is a golden year. Amid economic instability, the yellow metal hit a record high as investors flocked to safe haven assets. However, even though it is economically smart, hoarding gold is also considered unproductive. Read the cases for and against gold hiding from bullion trader Peter Walden and businesswoman Gina Miller.

Unlike shares, bonds or property, gold produces no income – no dividends, no interest and no contribution to economic growth

Twice a year we change our clocks – and twice a year we ask why. In framing this debate, it quickly becomes clear that there are currently very few advocates for changing the clock, but there are reasons why we persist. Sleep expert Dr Megan Crawford and author Chloe Bennet put a spin on this seasonal debate.

Science is firmly on the side of the abolitionists: bending time twice a year is not good for our health.