UK needs short-term economic wins, according to our political panel discussion

The new Labour Government must prioritise short-term economic wins alongside its longer-term ambitions if it is to revitalise the UK economy, according to a political panel discussion hosted by our team.

The panel, which comprised Nick Robinson, former political editor and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, David Smith, economics editor at The Sunday Times, and Bronwen Maddox, CEO of Chatham House, met to discuss the UK’s political and economic outlook at the event, which was hosted by our London office at the London Stock Exchange on Thursday 3 October.

More than 100 members of the legal and business communities attended to hear the panel’s thoughts on what the current political and economic climate means for businesses, as well as its expectations and predictions for the upcoming Budget.

The speakers also explored the UK’s potential to build relationships with other major economies and trading blocs and highlighted the importance of leveraging and exploiting the UK’s competitiveness in sectors such as fintech, AI, pharmaceuticals, and small modular reactors (SMRs).

“Against a backdrop of unprecedented global political instability, the UK’s economy faces a critical turning point,” says Richard Healey, partner and head of our London office, who welcomed guests to the event alongside CEO Rod Waldie. “There is currently a lot of uncertainty about the new Government’s vision and, as such, there are many questions the upcoming Budget will need to answer.

“By hosting this event, we aimed to provide our guests with some food for thought on what the new Government’s focus should be, particularly in the short term, where wins are desperately needed.

“I would like to extend my thanks to our esteemed panellists for joining us in what was a fascinating and highly informative discussion. I hope our guests were able to glean some valuable insights for their businesses to take forward into the final quarter of 2024.”