<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/8d59b87bee3144d9366d70d006b642e2.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">At Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Boris Johnson told the House of Commons that he is “getting on with the job” of leading the country and will stay in post, despite Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer calling on him to resign. Sir Keir also urged the PM to publish the full report compiled by senior civil servant Sue Gray, following her investigations into possible Covid rule breaches in Downing Street, which came in the form of a string of parties. Her final report could be released later today, although the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60140672">BBC has reported</a> that it is still to be sent to the prime minister at the time of writing.Sir Keir told the chamber: “The prime minister's continual defence is 'Wait for the Sue Gray report'. On December 8, he told this House, 'I will place a copy of the report in the library of the House of Commons'.“His spokesperson has repeatedly stated that means the full report, not parts of the report, not a summary of the report, not an edited copy. So, can the prime minister confirm that he will publish the full Sue Gray report as he receives it?”The PM responded by saying: “We've got to leave the report to the independent investigator, as he knows, of course when I receive it, I will do exactly what I said.”Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle suggested during the session that once the report was made accessible to MPs, he would be willing to suspend proceedings to enable members to digest its findings prior to the government issuing its responding statement.Sir Lindsay had to repeatedly request those present to calm down during a hot tempered session, which also saw Sir Keir tell the prime minister that he was damaging the reputation of the UK by remaining in power.Johnson's prospects of remaining in Number 10 suffered another blow this week after <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/2022-01-24/boris-johnson-had-birthday-bash-during-lockdown-itv-news-understands">reports of a birthday party held for him in the Cabinet room back in June 2020 surfaced</a>, and <a href="https://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/news/metropolitan-police-to-launch-probe-into-covid-rule-breaches-in-downing-street">the Metropolitan Police announced that it would launch its own investigation</a> into the parties and whether Covid rules were broken.Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader in Westminster, called on Johnson’s fellow Tory MPs to submit no confidence letters to the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee and force a party leadership contest in a bid to oust the prime minister.Some Conservative MPs are believed to be waiting for the outcome of Sue Gray’s findings before deciding whether to call for Johnson’s removal. 54 letters of no confidence must be submitted to committee chair, Sir Graham Brady, to trigger a new leadership contest within the Conservative party.&nbsp;<div class="medium-insert-embeds">
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At Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Boris Johnson told the House of Commons that he is “getting on with the job” of leading the country and will stay in post, despite Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer calling on him to resign.

PMQs: Johnson resists resignation as Labour calls for full release of Gray inquiry report

<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/222c9a7251616dda13624e76eb93671e.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">Coming up with a business idea and then starting a business can seem overwhelming and complicated. When it comes to starting a business or organisation, aspects such as forming a business plan, registering the business and understanding your new financial, accounting, tax and regulatory obligations can be daunting. But before considering all of that, what is crucial is getting that first step right, which will set you on the road to success. The German philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said that ‘there is magic in the first step’, and this is something that published author and third sector guru, <a href="http://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/members/john-baguley">John Baguley</a>, kept at the forefront of his mind when setting up his organisation, <a href="https://groupifc.com/">the International Fundraising Consultancy [IFC]</a>.Today, the IFC is a management consultancy with a global presence that is focused on fundraising for charitable organisations, NGOs, not-for-profits and social enterprises. When it came to setting up his own organisation, it became abundantly clear to Baguley that he would not be able to account for all the elements of risk associated with his venture. To that end, he urges hopeful entrepreneurs to embrace the magic of the first step that Goethe spoke of and be ready to tackle any obstacles that may arise.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oew-mCXD140">Baguley tells the Leaders Council:</a> “When you actually take that first step of launching your organisation, problems begin to face you and you enter a process of starting to deal with them as they emerge. It may seem easy to try and set up an organisation without risks and so you might keep postponing the start of your venture, but you cannot actually cover all of the risks. You must simply go for it.”However, Baguley also stresses that before even taking the plunge of starting a new business or organisation and embracing the challenges that come with it, any hopeful business leader ought to carry out thorough market research to help lay the foundations for success.“You have to do your market research before the first step. You need to know that the product or service that you are providing is one that people want to buy and are interested in. If they are not, you don’t have a scalable product, and the whole thing won’t work.”When carrying out this research, entrepreneurs should consider whether there is a market for the business, product or service and indeed whether that market is big enough to support the ambition for that business. This also includes consideration of the competitive landscape, what the strengths and weaknesses of the competition might be, and market opportunities and threats. A clear idea of the overall market is essential, and where the business will eventually fit into it.<a href="http://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/members/jonathan-craig-wright">Jonathan Craig Wright</a>, director at Clearwell Mine Management Ltd which operates the <a href="https://clearwellcaves.com/">Clearwell Caves</a> tourist attraction in the Forest of Dean, also speaks very highly of the importance of undertaking thorough market research before launching a business.Although the Clearwell Caves business was founded by Jonathan’s father, Ray Wright, he has been actively involved in developing the business over many years since it first opened to the public as an attraction in 1968.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL0Q3pQsqSA">Wright says:</a> “You have to identify a need. Do that market research to ensure people want the service you are providing and then it is about providing that service is an imaginative way.“This is where understanding your competition and researching them becomes critical - you need to make sure you do things that will make you stand out from other people.”With a plan in place, brilliant recruitment practices are linked to the success of your venture. As Baguley puts it, a leader is only as good as the team they build around them and being willing to invest in the right people and share responsibility is one of the key elements that an entrepreneur must get right early.Baguley explains: “You cannot do it all by yourself. You won’t be able to scale up alone because you won’t have enough time.“To help you, you should bring in experts, people who you can trust who are great at their job. That will ensure your organisation that you are building really delivers for its clients.”The work and responsibility that comes with employing people are tremendous. Adopting the right approach to finding and bringing the best people on board for the role and the wider business or organisation are essential.To attract the best candidates, important aspects not only include a competitive remuneration package, but also being able to sell your vision to candidates. Inspire them with the vision, ensure that there are career progression possibilities in place, and build a progressive, diverse and engaging workplace culture which shows candidates that they are valued.By clearly outlining company culture and making it one of the main objectives of the business, it can be properly integrated into the hiring process and every new or prospective employee can be introduced to it. Culture ought to be at the core of any business or organisation.With these considerations in mind ahead of taking that first step, you should be on the road to building a successful business or organisation. We wish you the very best of luck! Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@freegraphictoday" style="">AbsolutVision</a> on Unsplash</div>

Coming up with a business idea and then starting a business can seem overwhelming and complicated. What is crucial is getting the very first step right, which will start you on the pathway to success. 

Starting a business: The keys to the first step according to those who have done it

<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/8cb25d064e0ea6291a0e7d8705e2b0e1.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">The International Monetary Fund [IMF] has <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60128099">said</a> that the UK economy is set to grow more slowly in 2022 than previous forecasts had suggested.The IMF’s latest global economic outfit has revised the predictions for UK economic growth to 4.7 per cent this year, down from five per cent, but this remains the fastest growth within the G7.Much of that upward momentum is fuelled by the rebound effect from the Covid-19 pandemic, after the economy plummeted in 2020 because of the lockdowns.Gita Gopinath, chief economist at the IMF, told BBC reporters that there was a strong case for targeted help for vulnerable households in the UK over 2022, with the rising cost of living likely to have an adverse impact.Gopinath explained: “The UK has done very well on the vaccination front, on testing and tracing and so on. All that has to be continued.“An argument can be made that, especially for instance, in April, as more of the energy price pass-through happens, then that could be a big, sharp increase in the cost of living. And one could see a case for very, very targeted help to highly vulnerable households for a short space of time.”In the 12 months to December 2021, inflation stood at 5.4 per cent in the wake of higher food and utilities prices.Globally, the IMF expects growth to drop from 5.9 per cent last year to 4.4 per cent over 2022, revising its annual growth down by half a percentage point compared to its previous forecast in October 2021.In its latest report, the IMF declares that the global economy has entered the New Year in a “weaker position than expected” with rising energy prices and supply chain disruptions driving inflation.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxTQFw3N6jA">Commenting on supply chain disruption in the construction industry</a>, <a href="http://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/members/martin-mockler">Martin Mockler,</a> lead advisory partner at London-based accounting, auditing, business and tax advisory firm, <a href="https://www.evansmockler.co.uk/">Evans Mockler</a>, said: “From our clients’ perspective, supply chain has been a significant issue, primarily for contractors looking to import.“Significant cost increases have had an impact and particularly in the construction sector some of our clients that may have agreed contracts 18 months ago to carry out a job for a certain price, have now found that their operating costs for completing the job have gone up significantly because getting hold of certain materials has been a problem.”New Covid curbs in some countries in the wake of the Omicron variant have also hampered recovery in some nations and stunted potential growth.The IMF report says: “Rising energy prices and supply disruptions have resulted in higher and more broad-based inflation than anticipated, notably in the US and many emerging market and developing economies.“And the ongoing retrenchment of China's real estate sector and slower-than-expected recovery of private consumption have limited growth prospects.”The IMF also said in its latest economic forecast that the world economy would be hit by high inflation for longer than expected, explaining that it is likely to last for much of the year thanks to uncertainty arising from supply chain issues, volatility in energy prices and localised wage pressures.Elsewhere, the IMF has revised down its growth projections for both China and the US. China’s expected growth was cut from 5.6 per cent for the year to 4.8 per cent, while US predicted growth went from 5.2 per cent to four per cent after factoring out the effects of president Joe Biden’s monetary policies after the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-59720745">legislation’s progress in Congress was halted.</a>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@alevisionco">alevision.co</a> on Unsplash</div>

The International Monetary Fund [IMF] has said that the UK economy is set to grow more slowly in 2022 than previous forecasts had suggested.

IMF predicts slower UK and global economic growth than previously thought

<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/a6fafa33a02dda0394576fa0e9040862.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">The Metropolitan Police has said that it will launch its own <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/01/25/boris-johnson-news-birthday-party-sue-gray-nusrat-ghani/">investigation into parties</a> that were held in Downing Street during the Covid-19 pandemic, when social restrictions in place at the time prohibited such gatherings. Announcing that the party probe would be carried out, Met Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said that the force was to investigate “potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations” in Downing Street and Whitehall over the last two years.The police investigation comes after revelations emerged of another Downing Street party being held in June 2020, which saw staff convene to celebrate prime minister Boris Johnson’s birthday during the first national lockdown.The PM maintains that he has <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60123850">not acted in breach of the law</a> and told the House of Commons that he welcomed the police investigation which would “give the public the clarity it needs” over reports of Covid rule-breaking.Johnson told the chamber: “I welcome the Met's decision to conduct its own investigation because I believe this will help to give the public the clarity it needs and help to draw a line under matters.”The police investigation was called after the Cabinet Office inquiry team, led by senior civil servant Sue Gray, passed information that it had collated over to the police.It has been suggested in some <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/will-sue-grays-report-be-delayed-now-met-launches-police-investigation-into-downing-street-parties-1421537">report</a>s that the police investigation could delay the release of the findings from Sue Gray’s inquiry, which were due to be published this week, while <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/01/25/boris-johnson-news-birthday-party-sue-gray-nusrat-ghani/">others suggest that the civil servant's report could still be presented in full.</a>Meanwhile, the prime minister’s spokesman has indicated that some findings from Sue Gray’s inquiry could be withheld from publishing until the Metropolitan Police concludes its own investigation into the matter and it remains unclear as to the length of time it could take for the police probe to end.After news of the police investigation broke, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner once again called for the prime minister to step down.<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60123850">Speaking in the Commons</a>, Rayner said that the need for a police investigation into Downing Street conduct came as a “truly damning reflection on our nation’s very highest office”.However, government ministers reiterated their calls for MPs to await the findings of the Sue Gray inquiry.Several Conservative MPs are believed to be waiting on the findings of Sue Gray’s report before deciding on whether to submit a letter of no confidence in Johnson’s leadership to the chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs.Former cabinet minister David Davis, who himself <a href="https://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/news/pmqs-pressure-to-quit-piles-on-prime-minister-as-tory-mp-defects">called for the prime minister to resign</a> in last Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions session, was disappointed that the police investigation came as a prolongation of the Downing Street party controversy and warned MPs that Parliament had to “get back to dealing with real threats as quickly as possible.”Another Conservative MP, Sir Edward Leigh, called for a “sense of proportion over the prime minister being given a piece of cake in his office by his own staff” while the cost-of-living crisis intensifies and Europe “stands on the brink of war” with <a href="https://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/news/johnson-calls-prospect-of-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-disastrous-as-nato-deploys-more-resources-eastward">Russian troops amassing on the border with Ukraine</a>.Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@petrokas">Tadas Petrokas</a> on Unsplash</div>

The Metropolitan Police has said that it will launch its own investigation into parties that were held in Downing Street during the Covid-19 pandemic, when social restrictions in place at the time prohibited such gatherings.

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PMQs: Johnson resists resignation as Labour calls for full release of Gray inquiry report

Starting a business: The keys to the first step according to those who have done it

IMF predicts slower UK and global economic growth than previously thought

Metropolitan Police to launch probe into Covid rule breaches in Downing Street

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