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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">In our latest series of leadership quotations, we hear from the prime minister and the shadow education secretary on free school meals, from Dominique Pennington on adult social care, from David Richardson on the need for businesses to reinvent themselves, and from Paul Knight on the future of the seafood industry. Boris Johnson‘I totally <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/10/26/free-school-meals-boris-johnson-brexit-deal-latest-news/">understand the issue</a>. It is there, we have to deal with it. The debate is how you deal with it. We don't want to see children going hungry this winter, this Christmas, certainly not as a result of any inattention by this Government. And you are not going to see that.’ (The prime minister in response to criticism over free school meals)Kate Green‘Warm words from Boris Johnson will do nothing for the over 1.4 million children at risk of going hungry this half term that he and his MPs refused to help last week. Labour <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/10/26/free-school-meals-boris-johnson-brexit-deal-latest-news/">will not give up on the children</a> and families let down by this Government and we will hold the Prime Minister to his word, forcing another vote in Parliament if necessary. The Government must now make children a national priority, and ensure that no child goes hungry.’ (Labour’s shadow education secretary in response to the prime minister)Dominique Pennington‘Spending in the adult healthcare sector is falling, but <a href="https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/the-gables-rest-home">the population is ageing and growing</a>. A comprehensive spending review is sorely needed to return funding in health, care and local government services to a sustainable level.’ (The care co-ordinator of The Gables Rest Home on the adult healthcare sector)David Richardson‘I started a policy of taking a deposit for my services and allowing customers to spread payments over the next two years interest free and that <a href="https://southwestassetprotection.co.uk/news/local-asset-protection-specialist-shares-secret-of-success-with-lord-blunkett/">actually made a fantastic difference</a>. Businesses that are having all these difficulties should look at reinventing the business, should look at the business administration, look at the budgeting, look at the financial control, look at rebranding and restructuring if necessary.’ (The South West Asset Protection managing director on adapting to the new environment)Paul Knight‘In Scotland, we have <a href="https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/p-d-k-shellfish">some of the best seafood in the world</a> and while the European market will always be very important, the emergence of worldwide markets, especially the Far East – in particular China – have given our sector a new lease of life. Our European markets are diminishing, so in order to keep the business on its current trajectory, we need to act. The purchase price to fishermen has the scope to double or even treble with these new markets, turning a once poorly paid sector into a thriving positive one that will become attractive to young people once again.’ (The <a href="www.pdkshellfish.com">PDK Shellfish</a> managing director on the future of his industry)Vaughan Gething‘This is simply wrong. It's an incorrect reading of the regulations and the guidance. I am very sorry that this woman was given this information. Supermarkets are open and trading as are many other shops and are able to sell the wide range of everyday items that we all need. But there are <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/10/26/free-school-meals-boris-johnson-brexit-deal-latest-news/">some other items that won't be on sale for the next two weeks</a>. These are items that other high street shops, which are currently closed, can't sell at the moment.’ (Wales’ health minister after a woman was told she couldn’t buy sanitary products at Tesco as a result of the Welsh government’s ‘firebreak’ lockdown)<div class="medium-insert-embeds">
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In our latest series of leadership quotations, we hear from the prime minister and the shadow education secretary on free school meals, from Dominique Pennington on adult social care, from David Richardson on the need for businesses to reinvent themselves, and from Paul Knight on the future of the seafood industry.

LEADERS IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Johnson, Green, Pennington, Richardson, Knight, Gething

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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">London based online market research agency <a href="https://flyresearch.com/">FlyResearch</a> has been issuing weekly polls to its research panel of over 3000 people throughout the coronavirus lockdown in the UK, in order to project how the outbreak and the implementing of social distancing has been impacting the daily life of UK citizens. This week, managing partner Greg Ward discusses the findings from wave 30 of the Covid-19 tracker survey with the Leaders Council, published on October 23 and sourced from data collected on October 16, and as more regions begin to fall under tier three restrictions and the autumn weather starts to take hold, the effects on particularly the emotional wellbeing of respondents and their associates became very visible this week.Indeed, as he began his weekly summary of the figures, Ward revealed that the proportion of panel members affected by Covid had now reached their highest level over the last six months.Ward said: “As many as 50 per cent of respondents are now affected by the virus in one way or another, with 50 per cent saying that they are not personally affected. Within the 50 per cent of people that are feeling the strain, eight per cent have experienced mild symptoms of Covid. "This is mirrored by how they feel others around them are faring. 66 per cent now say that their family and friends have had their lives affected in some way, with 11 per cent having had people they know suffer severe symptoms and 13 per cent actually lose somebody to the virus. 16 per cent know people to have suffered mild symptoms, while only 34 per cent are claiming that the people they know have not been impacted by this at all.“We are also seeing an increase in emotional health issues: it is now at its highest with 41 per cent of the panel telling us that they are struggling. There is also an increase in the emotional struggles of our panel members’ associates, with a current high of 32 per cent saying that people they know are struggling emotionally.”As it has become clear that emotional struggles are now on the rise, the prevalence of negative feelings being reported has also gone up. The numbers of those feeling angry has increased one per cent on <a href="https://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/news/flyresearch-poll-week-29-update">last week’s poll</a> to 32 per cent to sit just one per cent down on the all-time peak, while the proportion of people feeling concerned has risen three per cent to 60 per cent, five per cent short of the peak that was seen back in the very <a href="https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/news/flyresearch-commissions-weekly-covid-19-polls">first week of the survey back in March</a>.Loneliness and desperation are also on the increase, with 14 per cent [a one per cent increase on the previous week] now feeling lonely, and ten per cent [up from eight per cent] now feeling desperate.Looking to explain the rise in these emotions, Ward said: “We indicated recently that we would like to follow-up on why some of our respondents are feeling desperate and the most prominent factors in this are the government’s handling of things, work and concerns over family wellbeing. We have not seen any changes in the job status of our respondents on average, but of course each personal story differs.”With regards to the employment status of panel members, 44 per cent [up one per cent on last week] are still employed, the percentage of people furloughed has dropped by one per cent [to eight per cent], three per cent remain redundant consistent with the previous week, three per cent say their business is closed and 38 per cent [a one per cent rise] simply say they are ‘not working’.Predictably, with the government having been earmarked as a factor for more negative emotions being generated among respondents, opinions on their handling of the whole pandemic remain largely hostile.Ward highlighted: “We are not seeing any sort of improvement in people’s views on the government’s performance even though they are trying hard to avoid a national lockdown in England. Indeed, on our one to ten scale rating the government’s response, a joint-high of 49 per cent - two per cent more than last week - have scored them in the bottom three, with a high of 26 per cent giving them a rock bottom score of one and saying their whole strategy has been a disaster.“The percentage of people scoring them in the top three has fallen by three per cent to stand at ten per cent now, with 41 per cent occupying the middle ground of the four to seven range.”Alongside the deterioration remaining support for the government’s handling of Covid, there has been a clear trend in the increasing proportion of panel members that feel the government is moving too slowly in addressing issues as they arise.Ward explained: “The rate of people that feel the government is acting too slowly has gone up from 52 per cent to 59 per cent this week. 27 per cent - up from 22 per cent last time out - feel that they are moving far too slowly, while 32 per cent - a two per cent rise - feel they are moving a little too slowly for their liking.“In our -100 to +100 speed summary, which calculates the overall view of the panel on the speed in which the government is moving, we are now seeing an all-time low of -29 because of this. This suggests that the general feeling is that the government is moving a little too slowly for most people’s comfort, but we are hurtling closer to ‘far too slowly’ since it’s dropped by a further nine points compared to last week.”The guest question in the latest instalment of the tracker survey considered some of the new practices such as hygiene and safety measures which have come about during the pandemic and sought to uncover which, if any, the panel were likely to want to continue with even if the virus is no longer an issue.Presenting the findings to this new question, Ward outlined: “Some of the newly acquired behaviours could well be here to stay. 52 per cent have told us that they will continue to wash their hands more often, 48 per cent say that they will keep their distance from others where possible and 37 per cent will wash their hands for longer periods of time when they do so.“Meanwhile, 34 per cent have said that Covid has made them more health conscious and they will look after their personal health more, and 29 per cent will shop in person less and do more of their purchasing online. 26 per cent took it even further by saying they will visit public places less often in future, while 22 per cent said that they would continue to wear a mask in public places come what may.”</div>

London based online market research agency FlyResearch has been issuing weekly polls to its research panel of over 3000 people throughout the coronavirus lockdown in the UK, in order to project how the outbreak and the implementing of social distancing has been impacting the daily life of UK citizens.

FlyResearch poll: week 30 update

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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">In our latest series of leadership quotations, we hear from Liz Truss and Toshimitsu Motegi on the UK-Japan trade agreement, from The Richards Stephens Partnership on the lack of STEM graduates, from Inga Neaves on the desirability of studying in the UK, and from Michel Barnier on the likelihood of a UK-EU trade deal. Toshimitsu Motegi‘It is of <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/10/1a6074aafc30-update1-japan-uk-sign-post-brexit-free-trade-agreement.html">paramount importance</a> that the supply chain between the United Kingdom and the European Union is maintained even after the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. Japan has high hopes that an agreement is reached soon on the negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union on their future partnership.’ (The Japanese foreign minister after signing the post-Brexit Japan-UK free trade agreement)Liz Truss‘The fact is, the growth in the world is coming from the Pacific and the Americas, and <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/10/22/liz-truss-post-brexit-trade-deals-can-help-turbocharge-economy/">those opportunities</a> are now open to us. In the EU we were in the trade slow lane – we weren't able to achieve British-shaped deals that reflected our unique strengths as a country.’ (The international trade secretary on Britain’s future trade ambitions)&nbsp;The Richard Stephens Partnership‘All of our graduates are from Ireland and mainland Europe – we want to try and establish a profile in local schools and colleges, but the curriculum has changed and there’s a lack of careers advice. It’s <a href="https://thersp.co.uk/about">bad for the industry</a>, but, moreover, it’s bad for the economy.’ (The engineering experts on the shortage of STEM graduates).Inga Neaves‘Leaving the EU does not seem to have affected foreign interest in attending schools and universities in Britain, despite fears to the contrary in some circles. Indeed, we continue to see <a href="https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/angloslav-international">reinforced positive attitudes</a> in our clients towards the British education system. Multicultural British society is filled with energy and enthusiasm and provides endless opportunity.’ (The <a href="http://angloslav.co.uk/news-and-events">Scion Mastery</a> director on the future of oversees students in Britain)Michel Barnier‘There will not be a trade deal without a fair solution for fishermen on both sides and we will insist on this right up <a href="https://www.euronews.com/2020/10/21/eu-uk-agreement-within-reach-says-barnier-while-acknowledging-that-time-is-running-out">until the very end</a>. There needs to be mutual access to waters and a fair distribution of quotas for fishermen on both sides.’ (The EU’s Brexit negotiator on the likelihood of a trade deal).Jerome Vicquelin‘<a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-france-exclusive/exclusive-macron-lays-ground-for-netting-brexit-compromise-on-fisheries-idUKKBN2781OW">I was rather blunt</a> and said: “It’s all well and good you came, but I’m worried because... just a 10-15% cut in turnover... would be a disaster over the long term. They were blunt too. They said it won’t be the same as before. For me it’s clear, they just want to try to limit damages as much as possible.’ (The French fisherman on his discussions with Paris envoys)<div class="medium-insert-embeds">
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In our latest series of leadership quotations, we hear from Liz Truss and Toshimitsu Motegi on the UK-Japan trade agreement, from The Richards Stephens Partnership on the lack of STEM graduates, from Inga Neaves on the desirability of studying in the UK, and from Michel Barnier on the likelihood of a UK-EU trade deal.

LEADERS IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Motegi, Truss, Neaves, Barnier and the Richard Stephens Partnership

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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">Mayor of London Sadiq Khan retorted comments made by the PM in Parliament as the end of the post-Brexit transition period looms ever closer. Meanwhile, Robert Wilson Estate Agency Group are overcoming their own challenges in the tempestuous 2020 landscape. Leadership in FocusRobert Wilson, founder of <a href="https://www.robertwilson.co.uk/property-news">Robert Wilson Estate Agency Group</a> set up in 1986, has spoken about his companies’ journey of adaption and diversification. Originally trained as a licensed auctioneer in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, Robert expanded his pursuits by forming the multidisciplinary estate agency located in Moira.Since establishing his estate agency, the somewhat neglected town of Moira has been transformed with neighbouring businesses that have followed Robert’s example by investing heavily in local premises. Writing in <a href="https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/robert-wilson">The Parliamentary Review</a> Mr Wilson said: “It has been my privilege to help Moira re-emerge into the vibrant and popular small town that it has since become.”The following years allowed exponential growth for Mr Wilson’s business, as he established four more offices across Ireland. Yet, adversity lay ahead for the company, with the founder stating: “The next few years were more difficult than anyone anticipated – prices collapsed and what remained of the market was dominated by repossessions”.Nonetheless the agency survived, operating from three locations with a tightly knit and highly motivated group. The company continuously faces new challenges from online estate agency systems, but look to combat them via a highly personal network of employees which allow them to maintain competitiveness. The latest of its challenges are tending to arise from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, however Mr Wilson maintains his pragmatic approach: “Both life and business allow for a certain margin of error, so long as one adapts” to hold the business in good stead going forward.Leadership TodayLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan has accused prime minister Boris Johnson of lying after Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons. <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/10/21/politics-latest-news-lockdown-brexit-tier-manchester-pmqs-boris/">The Telegraph</a> reports that Mr Johnson stated: “The current Mayor of London had effectively bankrupted Transport for London (TfL) before the coronavirus had even hit and left a massive black hole in its finances”.Mr Khan hit back at the PM on <a href="https://twitter.com/sadiqkhan/status/1318880372806004739?s=21">Twitter</a> stating: "The PM has lied to the House of Commons. Before Covid I was fixing his mess at TfL, reducing the deficit by 71 per cent since 2016.” The Mayor continued to say that: "Covid-19 is the sole cause of TfL’s challenges. The PM wants to increase fares, the congestion charge &amp; taxes - and end free travel for children and older Londoners.”In other news, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said that a Brexit trade deal is “within reach” as he makes a commitment to the UK to make some compromises. Ministers remain cautiously optimistic as both sides vie to complete a deal by the end of October, the deadline that the EU has placed on negotiations to ensure that any agreement can be fully ratified before the end of the transition period in December.Leadership in HistoryOn this day in 1805 the Battle of Trafalgar took place, in which British Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated the combined power of the French and Spanish fleets. Lord Nelson himself was shot and killed during the battle.&nbsp;Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@x6herbius">Jonathan Poncelet </a>on <a href="https://unsplash.com/">Unsplash</a></div>

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan retorted comments made by the PM in Parliament as the end of the post-Brexit transition period looms ever closer. Meanwhile, Robert Wilson Estate Agency Group are overcoming their own challenges in the tempestuous 2020 landscape.

Robert Wilson Estate Agency Group describes journey of adaption and diversification while PM and Mayor of London clash

Anthony Main is the Founder and Managing Director of The Distance, a company that develops intuitive mobile app solutions for iOS and Android platforms.

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LEADERS IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Johnson, Green, Pennington, Richardson, Knight, Gething

FlyResearch poll: week 30 update

LEADERS IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Motegi, Truss, Neaves, Barnier and the Richard Stephens Partnership

Robert Wilson Estate Agency Group describes journey of adaption and diversification while PM and Mayor of London clash

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