Dear <<First Name>>,
The Chair of Policy and Resources has welcomed news that a no-deal Brexit has been avoided, for now, but stressed that a long extension must not be used
'to kick the can down the road'.
Speaking alongside the City Minister at the City & Financial Brexit Summit, the Chair of Policy said that any extension should be used to make urgent progress, to provide much-needed certainty for businesses across the country. Only then will we be able to move to negotiating a future relationship - one that secures maximum market access, keeps Britain open to global talent and develops a framework for the UK to prosper into the future. She encouraged politicians to give greater priority to services, which account for 80% of our economy.
Forging stronger UK-China trade links, the Lord Mayor's visit to Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzen explored mutual opportunities for trade and investment. Discussions centred on building city-to-city links and establishing relationships with potential investors. Key sectors represented included fintech, asset management and capital markets. The Chair of Policy will deepen these links with China later this month, showcasing the UK’s expertise in infrastructure financing and other financial and professional services, at the second Belt and Road forum.
Building on an existing partnership with Qatar, the Lord Mayor’s trade visit to Doha explored opportunities for future investment into the UK. Meetings also focused on using the UK’s expertise to help develop Qatar’s financial services industry. The visit builds cooperation ahead of the visit to London later this month by Governor of Qatar Central Bank, HE Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al-Thani. Qatar has already pledged a £5bn investment into the UK. Half of that total is now committed, so these talks offer a chance to consider forthcoming opportunities. The Lord Mayor also visited Istanbul, where he discussed leveraging the UK's capital markets and sovereign wealth strength to support market growth in Turkey. In these discussions he championed the UK's unparallelled market infrastructure and pool of expertise, to strengthen market ties.
Furthering our commitment to tackling gender inequality, the Chair of Policy was proud to launch
‘Women’s Progression in the Workplace’ with the Government Equalities Office. The toolkit helps firms to get more women into senior roles by changing workplace culture, supporting flexible working, and implementing measurement and evaluation processes.
The deadline for applications to the Lord Mayor's Dragon Awards is on 16th April. The awards celebrate excellence in firms' social impact programmes. This year the special Lord Mayor's Award will recognise firms championing and boosting the UK's digital skills.
Read more and apply.
