On 12 February 2019, the Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) arranged for a group of parliamentarians to visit the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). The visit is part of a wider educational programme. The delegation consisted of five MPs (Seema Malhotra MP, Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Nigel Mills MP, Mike Wood MP, Lisa Cameron MP) and three peers (Rt Hon the Lord Robathan MP, The Lord Gadhia, Lord Young of Norwood Green).

With origins tracing back over 300 years, LSEG is one of the oldest stock exchanges in the world. The parliamentarians were invited to the Market Open Ceremony - the moment that trading day begins on the London Stock Exchange - marking a significant moment in the business day. They were joined by Forbes Magazine, celebrating the launch of their ’30 Under 30’ list in Europe.

This opportunity meant our parliamentarians met and spoke with some of the most enterprising young people in the UK and Europe; learning about their businesses and what their plans for the future are. As chair and vice-chair of the Entrepreneurship APPG, Seema Malhotra MP and Dr Lisa Cameron MP the widening of their knowledge in this area assist with their parliamentary work.

The Market Open Ceremony was followed by a series of workshops covering topical issues: Overview and Introduction to LSEG; Catalysing the potential of UK SMEs; The UK as a Global Green and Sustainable Finance Hub; The UK as a Hub and Partner for Emerging Markets.

Learning about the role of LSEG, especially as we look at the UK’s future as a trading entity, was especially pertinent to the work of Mike Wood MP, who is PPS to Liam Fox as Secretary of State for International Trade, Lord Young, a member of the EU Energy and Environment sub-committee in the House of Lords, and Lord Robathan – a member of the EU Internal Market Sub-Committee also in the House of Lords. On reviewing his time at LSEG Lord Robathan, a former MP and minister, commented that the visit was ‘very interesting and informative’, giving him ‘much food for thought’.

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