❛❛What we are saying is equality, diversity

“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 Ukraine.

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 CEO.

“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 Karim.

“We will continue to provide firstclass services to the capital’s business community. From our 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’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.”