Being forward-thinking and inclusive will boost the economy

James Watkins, Head of Policy and Public Impact at London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, talks to Sarah Dale about the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and the

highlights and issues affecting the London business community

Being a forward-thinking, inclusive Chamber is extremely important to the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

This is demonstrated in several ways from its work with the Metropolitan Police to make London’s streets safer for women and girls to its call for the implementation of new policies to ensure that the inclusion of women in the negotiations of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) will increase.

“I think in years gone by equality, diversity and inclusion was a nice to have and not seen as functional to business growth,” said James Watkins, Head of Policy and Public Impact at LCCI.

“But if you scratch the surface, we must have inclusion. My colleague Esenam Agubretu has said there were too many barriers to BME businesses that were holding back business growth and creation.

“What we are saying is equality, diversity and inclusion is not just a moral imperative, it’s fundamental to business growth.”

The LCCI’s policy proposal calls for the implementation of new policies to ensure that more women are included in the negotiations of FTAs will push forward women’s roles in trade agreements and could in turn lead to an economy boost, more jobs, and lay the foundations for the advancement of gender equality in business and decision-making settings.

Cabinet reshuffle

The Cabinet reshuffle has seen various highprofile changes including the sacking of the Minister of London, Paul Scully, MP for Sutton and Cheam.

“I want it on record how much respect we have for Paul and what he did,” said James.

“He is an expert negotiator and he brought people from different political parties together and worked with the business community. We wish him the very best for the future.”

The LCCI welcomes the appointment of James Cleverly, the new Home Secretary, and says the appointment of David Cameron, former Prime Minister and now Lord Cameron, as the new Foreign Secretary, is a “chance for a refreshed look at the Government’s Ukraine policy”.

Crime in London

The LCCI recently had meetings with the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police not only to address business crime but also women’s safety. They will continue to work closely with both police forces on these issues.

“But if you scratch the surface, we must have inclusion. My colleague Esenam Agubretu has said there were too many barriers to BME businesses that were holding back business growth and creation. “What we

“We want women and girls to be safe and feel safe in all London boroughs,” he said.

“There have been some horrific incidents involving the police too in recent times. The Metropolitan Police said they take this very seriously and have suspended 1,000 officers for misogyny and racism.

“London overall is an incredible city for many people who don’t see crime on a regular basis but crime does happen.”

LCCI’s partnership with Ukraine

The LCCI’s work with Ukraine continues and the partnership was celebrated at the City of London Lord Mayor’s Show, an event that has been running for 800 years. ‘London and Kyiv: Two Cities United’ was the theme of this year’s “stunning” float.

“Everybody was so excited and exhilarated by the whole experience,” added James.

“Ukrainian refugees very kindly volunteered to take part. There’s an arch in Kyiv, the Arch of Freedom, set up in Soviet times to commemorate the union of Russia and Ukraine. So in 2014 when Russian forces invaded Crimea they did a pretend crack to show there was no unity between Russia and Ukraine. For the float we reconstructed the crack and painted it gold rather than black to show the strong links between the UK and Ukraine.”

The LCCI will return to Ukraine in 2024 and continue their support of SMEs in

Changes at the top at LCCI

Recently, the CEO of LCCI, Richard Burge stepped down as CEO and Karim Fatehi MBE has stepped up to act as Interim

“As a long-serving member of LCCI’s Council and more recently the board of directors, I’m delighted to step into the role of Interim CEO of LCCI”, said trade documentation support and trade advisory services, through to our events, networking platforms, support hubs and our advocacy work, the Chamber has a very busy period ahead. LCCI’s tireless work continues to ensure that London remains the best place in the world to do business.”

The King’s Speech

The King’s Speech was eagerly anticipated by everyone and “from a London perspective, it was a very good result”, said James, quoting the new regulations introduced for pedicabs.

“When tourists go to the West End, pedicabs should be a fun experience but it’s not regulated because of an old law,” he said.

“People have been intimidated and there have been some very ugly incidents. We, along with other organisations, have been calling for them to be regulated. Now there is a specific bill to be heard which will close a loophole of 100 years. It’s a very positive step for the London economy and visitors that are coming to London.”

The British Chambers of Commerce has been quoted as saying the King’s Speech was disappointing and James said that you could argue that they make a fair assessment because of the work needed to address the skills crisis.

Plans for 2024

Next on the agenda for the LCCI is launching the London Mayoral election manifesto in the new year.

“We’re in the final stages now,” added James. They have also launched a report that calls for exhibitions to be supported in London.

“We will continue to provide first-class services to the capital’s business community. From our

“We’re competing with big, international cities,” he said. “We want to lever these exhibitions into London and have put forward a series of recommendations. We want arts funding to be protected£47 billion is created in London alone in arts. It’s not just a nice to have, it’s a key part of the economy, and the cuts before Christmas last year were unacceptable.”