Join us for the launch of Positive Money’s new report, 'The Power of Big Finance: How to reclaim our democracy from the banking lobby', and a panel Q&A on how we can ensure the future of finance serves the whole of society. With speakers:

• David Barmes, lead author of The Power of Big Finance, who will introduce the report
• Alison Thewliss, SNP MP for Glasgow Central, and SNP Treasury spokesperson
• Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norwich South
• Baroness Susan Kramer, Liberal Democrats spokesperson for Treasury and Economy in the House of Lords
• Fran Boait, Executive Director of Positive Money (Chair)

Please use the entrance at 1 Parliament Street and allow enough time to go through security - we recommend arriving half an hour before.

At 10am, to kick off the event, lead author David Barmes will introduce the report, then there will be questions from the audience and a panel discussion. The venue is wheelchair accessible.

Background

No matter who we are or where we’re from, we all deserve an equal voice and an equal say in our democracy. But for too long, bankers, big corporations and their lobbyists have rigged the system in their favour. This new report from Positive Money exposes the extent to which bank lobbyists and powerful financial firms are able to exert unparalleled influence over government policy, through a number of different channels.

The result is an unbalanced and unequal economy: money is being sucked up to big banks in the City of London at the expense of communities throughout the rest of the country. We’ve seen decades of policymaking that has prized the growing wealth of big financial firms in the City of London over all other regions of the country and sectors of the economy.

If we are to genuinely ‘level up’ the whole of the UK and help communities everywhere to thrive, we need to ensure that the voice of the banking lobby does not overpower all others. With the UK’s framework for financial regulation currently being rewritten post-Brexit, this launch event will explore how we can ensure this opportunity is used to benefit the whole of society, rather than just the vested interests of the CIty of London.

Lead author David Barmes will introduce Positive Money’s report, with responses from the panel of speakers. The panel discussion will be chaired by Positive Money’s Executive Director Fran Boait.

We strongly encourage people to join us for this event in-person. But if you'd prefer to join us online, you can sign up to receive the Zoom link here.