"My Lords, I declare my interests as a director of the London Stock Exchange and of Valloop Holdings Ltd. I also have experience engaging with local authorities and their pension funds, in relation to both funding proposals and policy. I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady White of Tufnell Park—she is …..." Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted - View Speech
"My Lords, the Bank of England has canvassed for resignations to cut jobs to save £45 million and use more AI, and many other jobs continue to be lost to AI. What strategy have the Government got to ensure that their AI and tech procurements support British jobs? If mandating …..." Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted - View Speech
"My Lords, I will focus on the Government’s support for start-ups and scale-ups, as outlined in the entrepreneurial prospectus published with the Budget, and on the work needed beyond investment to fulfil the Chancellor’s promise to become a better customer to innovative procurement. That promise, aimed at achieving revenue for …..." Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted - View Speech
"If the Government are supporting scale-ups and start-ups, what do they think about the fact that every single start-up and scale-up, even those very successful at fundraising, has been eliminated from the Department for Transport’s recent procurement framework and that they were asked to provide indemnities if they were to …..." Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted - View Speech
"My Lords, does the Minister consider that, apart from him, the days of trying to avoid government-induced market glitches are history? Do the Government and Chancellor think that markets will cease to be responsive or that investors will not go elsewhere as they have done for other countries exhibiting inconsistency?..." Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted - View Speech
"My Lords, does the Minister recognise that the self-employed sector creates growth and increases economic participation and that self-employed people are risk absorbers without access to various state benefits? Is the suggestion floated concerning LLPs potentially the thin end of the wedge to attach more tax to all self-employment? Possibly, …..." Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted - View Speech
"My Lords, I rise to speak to the amendment in the name of the noble Lord, Lord de Clifford. As previously, I declare my interest as a private landlord. In the context of this amendment, I had a relative to whom it would have applied; that interest no longer applies, …..." Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted - View Speech
"My Lords, can the Minister explain what the high level of bond yield means for those renewing fixed-rate mortgages, given that those are determined more by bond yields, albeit at the shorter end, than by base rates? At the moment, the disconnect is creeping towards the shorter rates too...." Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted - View Speech
"My Lords, I declare my interest as a director of the London Stock Exchange. In addition to the pull of US investors, does the Minister recognise that there are push factors making the UK a hostile environment for innovative, high-tech growth companies? There are neither public nor private sector customers, …..." Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted - View Speech