The UK response to the COVID pandemic has established our global reputation as a scientific leader in life sciences. Key to this success has been the collaborative approach between the scientific community, the pharmaceutical industry, and the NHS.  The recently published Life Sciences Vision sets out how the Government intends to build on this to position the UK as the leading global hub for life sciences. The challenges are to provide the right incentives for companies to work with the scientific community to develop and deliver new drugs and therapies in the UK, and to do this within an affordable budget, while ensuring that patients have access to new and innovative medicines. This policy workshop will look at existing hurdles and how these could be addressed by collaborative planning, streamlining approval procedures, and by new approaches to the access and uptake of new medicines. The expert panel will discuss the key policy initiatives needed and what the benefits might be.

Speakers :

Anne Marie Morris MP, Chair of the APPG on Access to Medicines and Medical Devices

Gail Grant, Head of Government Affairs, AbbVie

Michael Finn, Life Sciences Partner, Pinsent Masons

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Following the departure of the UK from the European Union, and the advent of a new US administration there are opportunities to expand and deepen trade and commerce between the two nations. Rosemary Gallant, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the US London Embassy will lead the discussion.

Respondents include:

Matt Houlihan, Senior Director, Government and Corporate Affairs, Cisco Systems

Tom Williams, CEO, Enebio Ltd

Rosa Crawford, Policy Officer, Trades Union Congress (TUC)

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Supply problems during the pandemic have exposed the risks of depending on just-in-time supply from foreign manufacturers. Furthermore, heightened security concerns are making western governments opposed to the use of some Chinese technology products in vital infrastructure. There is thus a need and an opportunity to expand UK manufacturing to address these newly apparent risks and harness British research, skills and innovations. Stephen Kinnock MP, Shadow Minister for Asia & the Pacific will lead a discussion of the steps we could take to create a UK manufacturing renaissance to provide more high value jobs and to increase UK prosperity and security.

Respondents include:

James Selka, CEO, Manufacturing Technologies Association

Jennifer Pheasey, Head of Policy, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders

Robert McIlveen, Director of Public Affairs, Mineral Products Association

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The Covid 19 crisis has dominated thinking and planning for the past year but now, as the dangers are apparently receding, old issues about pensions and benefits are re-emerging and some now ones have appeared. The Department for Work and Pensions needs to prepare for the changes in the world of work that have been accelerated by the pandemic. It also needs to ensure that the systems and benefits now in place are adequate to meet new and sometimes greater needs that have been revealed. In the light of the new pension freedoms of the past decade, it is necessary to ensure that savers can safely exercise and enjoy these freedoms. Pension stewardship has also become a critical issue with increasing pressures to divert investment from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, will outline the current work of the committee and lead a discussion of such issues.

Responses from:

Anna Coote, Principal Fellow, New Economics Foundation

Mark Baker, Partner, Pinsents Masons LLP

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Post-Brexit, the UK relies more than ever on its reputation for good corporate governance and sound financial auditing, but, over the last decade, a string of corporate failures and auditing scandals has undermined that reputation. The government has recently published a consultation paper on ‘Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance.’ This responds to three major investigations by Sir John Kingman, the Competition & Markets Authority, and Sir Donald Brydon. It contains a plethora of proposals and asks for comments by 8 July. We are therefore convening a virtual roundtable to facilitate a high-level discussion about whether the proposals will tackle the underlying problems and meet the ambitious aims of the consultation paper. Our specialist panel for the round table will be:
Lord Prem Sikka
Martin Webster, Partner, Pinsent Masons
Scott Cormack, Former audit partner, KPMG
Chris Rees, Professor of Employment Relations, Royal Holloway, University of London

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The UK faces a fast-changing defence landscape at time when new threats and new technologies require that we focus closely on key priorities, work closely with allies, and provide the appropriate resources for our armed services. The recently published government ‘Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy’ is a widely scoped prospectus which does not go into detail and does not reconcile existing budgetary issues. These matters are important, particularly for our economy, our industries and the workers employed in them. Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, Rt Hon John Healey MP, will lead an Industry Forum virtual roundtable on the topic of ‘Issues and priorities for UK defence’.

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