Two of the country’s biggest banks, Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group, have announced that they are closing another 63 branches across the country, following an earlier raft of closures at the beginning of 2023.

Access to more detailed regional data will help deliver more effective social mobility strategies across the country.

The roundtable was an opportunity for the Minister to learn more about the work of private sector Purpose Coalition organisations and the benefits of Young Enterprise for teachers and young people across the UK.

Fundamentally, whether you call it improving opportunities, social mobility, levelling up, or something else entirely, it means the same thing - regenerating communities and delivering change.

This week I was delighted to welcome Labour’s Shadow Minister for Business and Industry, Bill Esterson MP, to a Purpose Coalition roundtable with senior representatives from leading business members of the Coalition, including Travelodge’s Chief People Officer Hannah Thompson, UK Power Networks’ Director of HR Andrew Pace, and Head of Government Relations at Pearson Education Daniel Pedley.

Dame Caroline served as Minister for Women and Equalities, working with Purpose Coalition Chair Rt Hon Justine Greening to implement Gender Pay Gap reporting regulations which came into force in April 2017. She also previously served as Minister at the Department for Health, and, most recently, as Minister of State for Digital and Culture. 

Labour’s Shadow Minister for Business and Industry, Bill Esterson MP, has joined leading Purpose Coalition businesses for a roundtable to discuss the party’s approach to engaging with the business community, the importance of social mobility, and how the next Labour government can learn next practice from business. 

Matthew McPherson reviews what might come from a Labour reshuffle, and sets out why Keir Starmer needs a punchier front bench with ‘more Wes Streeting’s’ to take his message to the country.

The recent publication of the long-awaited white paper on gambling is an opportunity to ensure that its regulation is fit for the digital age.

One of the biggest challenges as a Secretary of State is juggling the competing priorities on your time - policy development and delivery, strategy, outreach to wider stakeholders and, of course, your local role as a Member of Parliament. It’s almost impossible to overstate just how many requests for meetings ministers receive.

Senior Treasury Minister and Member of Parliament for Louth and Horncastle, Victoria Atkins MP has joined Purpose Coalition leaders Tony Simpson of Sodexo, Lynda McVay of Leonardo and Sandhya Sabapathy of The Adecco Group for a panel discussion with Rt Hon Justine Greening, Chair of the Purpose Coalition

The Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression at the Department for Work and Pensions, Mims Davies MP, has today joined leading Purpose Coalition Members including Sodexo, the University of Southampton, Rolls Royce and Leonardo for a roundtable to share best private-sector practice with government, and discuss youth hubs, improving opportunities for those with key skills, prison leavers and more.

Since the invasion of Ukraine over a year ago, there has been an increased focus on defence capabilities and defence spending.

The first three months of the year are all about hitting the ground running. At the Purpose Coalition, we’ve been working hard with our existing and new partners in business, universities, local authorities and the NHS on setting an agenda that will drive social mobility in every part of the country.

Guy Opperman MP, Member of Parliament for Hexham officially launched the first Levelling Up Impact Report for the UK hospitality sector.

As scientists issue a final warning on the climate crisis, every country and every sector has been urged to fast-track efforts to tackle it before it is too late.

Co-op will be working with Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest children’s charity, to support 750,000 young people aged 10-25 years old to help improve their mental wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem, as well as helping young people and their families to meet basic needs.

Many now believe that the five-day working week pattern is no longer fit for purpose and that a more flexible approach is needed.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, and all that’s undoubtedly been achieved so far, it is still truly shocking to hear that a young woman starting work today at 18 years old will not see pay equality in her working lifetime, if progress towards gender equality at work continues at its historical rate.

The cost-of-living crisis, alongside daily tales of missed meals and cold homes, has exposed a further harsh reality. Many people have little or no savings to fall back on when times get tough.