Viewpoints

3 months ago

A way forward for the UK’s agriculture industry

By Chris Wongsosaputro Introduction The agriculture industry faces challenges such as post-Brexit funding changes, a tightening of funding from banks and inflation. There are also non-financial challenges although this article focuses on only financial challenges. Challenges in greater details The post-Brexit challenges facing the UK’s agriculture industry relate to: Removal of the EU agriculture funding: The Government pledged to keep the post-Brexit funding consistent with pre-Brexit volume only during this…

7 months ago

Britain’s Domestic Development Finance Institutions Emerge from the Shadows

By Noah Law In July, UK Export Finance heralded the announcement of a €781 million loan guarantee to support construction of a 286km high-speed electric railway in southern Turkey. Two things were striking about the major outcry from the British (or at least Twitterish) public that followed the announcement: One was that it reflected a weak understanding of what Britain’s state-owned export and development finance institutions actually do – how…

11 months ago

Tax the Rich or Fair Tax for All

By Michael Edenborough All too often the cry from the Left is that the rich should pay more tax – those with the broadest shoulders should bear the greatest burden. Yet, the top 1% by income already pays 29% of the income tax receipts while the bottom 50% pay just under 10% of receipts, and about 40% of adults pay no income tax at all (HMRC and Institute of Fiscal…

12 months ago

The City’s role in Labour’s Green Prosperity plan

“The project that will define the next Labour Government”. This was Ed Miliband’s, Shadow Secretary of State of Climate Change and Net Zero, rallying call at our latest event that unpacked the role of the City of London in delivering Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan. Ed Miliband was joined by panellists from the Green Alliance, the Impact Investing Institute and NEF to discuss how the City can partner with Labour to…

1 year ago

Why Labour needs to build like Biden

By Matt Dickinson It’s strange to be in the midst of a debate about Labour’s clarity of vision at a moment when YouGov puts the party 15 points ahead in the polls.   Even sympathetic writers have challenged what they see as Keir Starmer’s “neutral, depoliticised approach”, whilst others argue that the leader “should be confident that his lack of vision is a strength,” suggesting that his adversaries are “only using this…

1 year ago

Matching capital with innovation – Funding R&D in life sciences

By Chris Wongsosaputro Life sciences is a key industry for the UK generating £20.7bn revenue and 90,000 roles in 2015/6. The UK is a leader in this field, as shown by the Foreign Direct Investment rising from £566m in 2019 to £1.9bn in 2021 (second only behind the US). IPOs have increased from £36m to £751m over the same period (fifth in the world) and equity financing risen 12-fold from…

1 year ago

Fintech beyond the City

By Samir Chekini It is now more than a year since Kalifa Review of UK Financial Technology was published, so let us reflect on progress in the UK Fintech Industry.  Fintech is one area where, despite good intentions, the Government is still unable to maximise the potential of FinTech to wider economic productivity and growth. According to the Department for International Trade, the Financial Technology sector contributes over £11bn to…

2 years ago

Backing the Future: Venture Capital & the Labour Start-up Review

By Chris Elphick Labour’s Start-Up Review is an important opportunity for the Party to set out its plans for future growth and demonstrate long term strategic planning. A key to making this a success will be working not only with entrepreneurs but also with the investors, such as venture capital (VC) funds that partner with and help to grow innovative companies. The Party’s call for evidence is right in identifying…

2 years ago

Private equity could be crucial to the ‘everyday economy’

By Matt Bevington We’re all familiar with public image of the private equity industry: a group of eye-wateringly rich executives who buy up vulnerable companies, sell off their assets, cut pensions for workers, enact mass lay-offs and run firms into the ground before sailing off to their tax havens. Like all industries, however, the reality is more complex. There are genuine concerns about private equity ownership. The CMA, for instance,…

2 years ago

ESG must find an answer to the human rights challenge

By Johnny Patterson The sharp disparity between the rhetoric of investors about ESG and their actions relating to human rights deserves greater scrutiny. The majority of investors rightly state in their Governance and Sustainability guidelines that they expect all the firms they invest in to comply with the United Nations Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights. The major players are part of the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment network…

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