What Next For London?

Hosted by BusinessLDN

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Jun 2026

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About the show

The What Next for London? podcast is brought to you by BusinessLDN, the capital's leading business campaign group. Our mission is to make London the best city in the world in which to do business, working for and with the UK. On 'What Next for London?' we speak to business leaders from across the capital and get their opinion on the biggest issues facing our city. Music is provided by Coma-Media

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60 recent

June 8, 202642 min

What will the rise of AI mean for London? with Baroness Martha Lane Fox & WSP

The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence platforms across businesses is already having a profound impact on the world of work. As a services superpower, London is set to be affected earlier and more profoundly by the rise of AI than other parts of the country. The capital has already cemented its status as a world-leading AI hub, with investment in the sector soaring in recent years and the likes of OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind all establishing a significant presence in the city. The rise of AI brings huge opportunities to drive innovation and growth, as well as challenges in ensuring that all Londoners benefit from increased use of artificial intelligence platforms. As London Tech Week gets underway, BusinessLDN Chief Executive John Dickie is joined by Baroness Martha Lane Fox, tech pioneer and Chair of the Mayor's AI and Jobs Taskforce; Dan Scott, Chief Data Scientist and Head of AI at global consultancy WSP; and Muniya Barua, Deputy Chief Executive of BusinessLDN and Chair of the BusinessLDN-Deloitte AI Steering Group, to explore what the rise of AI will mean for London. Running order: The aims of the Mayor's AI and Jobs Taskforce (2:08) Why London will be disproportionately affected by AI (3:48) How are businesses using AI platforms in the here and now? (4:48) Augmentation vs automation: how is AI impacting jobs? (17:20) Advice for businesses taking their first steps with AI (28:02) Reforming the education system and training programmes for the AI age (32:08) Quick fire: go-to uses for artificial intelligence platforms (39:31) You can find out more about the BusinessLDN-Deloitte AI Steering Group here and about the Mayor's AI and Jobs Taskforce on the GLA website. Subscribe to receive future episodes of What Next for London? on Apple and Spotify. Follow us on X at @_businessLDN and on LinkedIn at BusinessLDN. Music is provided by Coma-Media.

April 23, 202654 min

What do the local elections mean for London and business? with Sir John Curtice, On London and Kanda Consulting

On 7 May 2026, more than 1800 councillors – and five mayors – will be elected across 32 London boroughs. Polls suggest that a splintering of the vote could lead to the capital's political map being radically reshaped. Our latest podcast – featuring Britain's top polling expert, Sir John Curtice; On London's Dave Hill; and Kanda Consulting's Karen Alcock – explores what the numbers are telling us ahead of election day, the key issues that will sway voters locally, how political fragmentation could reshape London's political map and what this all means for business. Running order: The London local elections introduction (0:32) What are the polls telling us? (3:07) The key issues driving voters locally (12:37) What could no overall mean for boroughs and businesses? (28:10) Lobbying for London on the national stage (32:22) The future of the established political parties (37:39) Prediction time (45:32) Subscribe to receive future episodes of What Next for London? on Apple and Spotify. Follow us on X at @_businessLDN and on LinkedIn at BusinessLDN. Music is provided by Coma-Media.

March 18, 202642 min

BusinessLDN Growth Commission: how can we get the capital's economy moving quicker? with Grainger and Arcadis

We have a government with a growth mission. A Mayor with a growth plan. And yet growth has stalled. In the wake of lacklustre economic forecasts published alongside the Spring Statement, BusinessLDN's Growth Commission has published an action plan to drive growth in the capital quickly and provide an immediate shot in the arm to the UK economy. What can be done to tackle the barriers to investment in London, and why does this matter for people outside the city? Our Chief Executive, John Dickie is joined by Helen Gordon, Chief Executive of Grainger and Chair of the Growth Commission, and Peter Hogg, UK & Ireland Country Director at Arcadis, to discuss the new report and the wider challenges in getting growth going. Read the full Growth Commission report on our website. Subscribe to receive future episodes of What Next for London? on Apple and Spotify. Follow us on X at @_businessLDN and on LinkedIn at BusinessLDN. Running order: What is the Growth Commission, and why was it created? (1:40) How is London's investment pitch seen around the world? (8:47) What does London's housing crisis mean for growth, and what can be done to tackle it? (08:10) Getting infrastructure built and tackling planning delays (13:30) Streamlining regulation and how devolution can lead to better outcomes (18:22) Solving the British tax system puzzle (25:29) Ensuring London is – and is seen to be – a safe City (32:56) Getting different sectors across the economy growing (35:23) Music is provided by Coma-Media.

February 13, 202628 min

What's really going on with crime in the capital? with the Met, King's and HOLBA

The question of how safe London is as a city has become much debated in the media and across digital platforms around the world in recent weeks and months, impacting perceptions of the capital as a place to visit, work and do business. Recent research shows a surge in online content portraying London as dangerous, yet official figures indicate that violent crime is falling. So, what's really going on? Our Chief Executive John Dickie is joined by Sharon Sawers, Chief Communications Officer at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Williams, Deputy Chief Executive at the Heart of London Business Alliance, and Dr Mark Hill, Lecturer in Cultural Computation at King's College London, to discuss crime in the capital. Running order: Investigating online depictions of crime in London around the world (1:59) How is crime impacting businesses in the centre of the city? (8:47) What do the latest official data tell us about levels of crime in the capital? (11:45) The latest steps in the battle to tackle phone theft (15:21) Strategies for addressing misinformation about London (17:21) What can social media platforms do to counter misleading narratives online? (19:17) How Business Improvement Districts and the Met are working together to tackle crime (23:30) Find out more about our strategic partnership with the Metropolitan Police on our website. Subscribe to receive future episodes of What Next for London? on Apple and Spotify. Follow us on X at @_businessLDN and on LinkedIn at BusinessLDN. Music is provided by Coma-Media.

December 29, 202535 min

What could 2026 hold for London? with the Times, GLA and BT

BusinessLDN's Chief Executive John Dickie is joined by Andy Silvester, London Editor at the Times, Nicola Millard, Innovation Partner at BT and Adam Yousef, Head of Economics at the Greater London Authority to discuss what the next 12 months could have in store for the capital. The new year starts against a backdrop of stalling economic growth in the UK, uncertainty around the world, and rapid technological change, so how will London and its businesses fare in testing circumstances? Running order: The outlook for London's economy (1:16) How could different levels of government work together to support the capital over the next 12 months? (4:42) Policy interventions to boost growth across the city and beyond (7:36) How will AI help to shape the capital in 2026? (12:18) The outlook for London's jobs market (17:38) What next for the supply of housing across the capital? (26:58) A look ahead to London's 2026 local elections (29:45) Find out more about the work of BusinessLDN at https://www.businessldn.co.uk/. Follow us on X at @_businessLDN and on LinkedIn at BusinessLDN. Music is provided by Coma-Media.

December 1, 202533 min

How will the Budget impact London? with Imperial, Lexington and Lendlease

Our Chief Executive John Dickie is joined by Amanda Wolthuizen, Vice-President for Strategic Engagement at Imperial College London, Simon Burton, Senior Counsel at the consultancy Lexington, and Misa von Tunzelman, Executive Director for Corporate Affairs at Lendlease, to discuss what last week's Autumn Budget will mean for the capital. The group talk through the implications of major tax and infrastructure announcements from the Chancellor, including the backing of plans to extend the Docklands Light Railway to Thamesmead and the introduction of a new levy on international students, as well as what the Government should do next to accelerate growth across London and beyond. Read our response to the Chancellor's speech on our website. Follow us on X at @_businessLDN and on LinkedIn at BusinessLDN. Music is provided by Coma-Media.

November 3, 202532 min

What could the Budget mean for London? with KPMG, the LSE and Field

In the latest episode of the newly relaunched What Next for London? podcast, our Chief Executive, John Dickie is joined by Yael Selfin, Chief Economist at KPMG, Tony Travers, Director of LSE London, and Chris Rumfitt, Founder and Chief Executive of Field Consulting, to discuss what the Chancellor's upcoming Autumn Budget could mean for the capital. The group discuss how Rachel Reeves may seek to balance the books whilst protecting growth, the interventions that can get the economy firing on all cylinders again, and political considerations around tax and spend measures as 26 November nears. Follow us on X at @_businessLDN and on LinkedIn at BusinessLDN. Music is provided by Coma-Media.

October 28, 202516 min

Systems thinking for net zero with KPMG

Our Director of Competitiveness Matthew Fell is joined by Janet Greenwood, Global Lead for Sustainable Infrastructure at KPMG, to explore how systems thinking can drive sustainable growth, crowd in private investment, and accelerate progress towards net zero. The pair also delve into how devolution can support the Government's mission-based approach to policy development and lessons that can be learned from the innovative financing models that have helped to deliver major projects across London and beyond. Follow us on X at @_businessLDN and on LinkedIn at BusinessLDN. Music is provided by Coma-Media.

October 2, 202540 min

Delivering a digital future with Vorboss

There's no doubting that the capital is a world leader when it comes to developing tech, digital innovations and emerging uses for AI, but is the city at risk of running before it can walk? Our Programme Director for Infrastructure John Kavanagh is joined by David Liu, Head of Infrastructure in the Digital & Innovation Service at Westminster City Council, Tim Creswick, CEO of Vorboss, and Chelsea Chamberlin, Chief Technology Officer at Roc Technologies, to discuss how the public and private sectors can work together to address the capital's not spots and fulfil its digital potential. The trio talk through the reasons behind the capital's patchy connections despite its status as a global tech leader, the costs to London of not addressing infrastructure gaps, and the need for top talent to make new investments happen. Follow us on Twitter at @_businessLDN and on LinkedIn at BusinessLDN. Music is provided by Coma-Media.

August 29, 202516 min

Where next for the UK economy? with the Bank of England

A few days on from the Bank of England's latest interest rate cut, our Director of Competitiveness, Matthew Fell, is joined by Lai Wah Co, Deputy Agent for London at the BoE, to discuss that finely balanced decision to bring borrowing costs down. The pair also talk through the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) on the jobs market, what global instability means for the UK economy, and how the Government's focus on regulatory reform, housebuilding and infrastructure investment could help drive growth. Follow us on LinkedIn at BusinessLDN and on Twitter at @_businessLDN. Music is provided by Coma-Media.