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Thank you @IPPR for inviting me to speak at the launch of your new Centre for Economic Justice – and for those of you who missed it 👇🏾👇🏽👇🏿 
Growing up in the 80s, Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, was one of my heroes & inspiration for my early campaigning. I still keep a signed copy of her book Business as Unusual in my office in Parliament.
Business can and should be a force for good, but the way we structure our economy means there are too few well-run, inclusive, socially-progressive companies with a mission.
In 2008 we had the opportunity to have a proper debate about the purpose of our economy, the kind of country we want to be & society we want to build. But we were too quick to get back to business as usual.
We have too many people stuck in low-paid jobs, parents who don’t think their children will be better off than they are and our planet is at breaking point. We’re the last generation that can take action to stop irreversible harm to our planet.
But we can change all this. We can create a system that puts people and the planet first. Let’s start by ending short-termism. Let’s reward investors who are in it for the long-term by increasing voting rights and tapering tax the longer you hold shares in a company.
Let’s put people at the heart of business. Directors have fundamental responsibilities to their employees, their consumers, and the communities on which they depend for resources.
Last, but not least, let’s put our planet first. Climate change is now a national emergency, and there is no business that is immune it. So let’s make climate risk reporting mandatory. cityam.com/277381/secure-…
