Anna Pick
Labour needs new thinking
14 January, 2021London, 13th January 2020 Positive Money response to Labour macroeconomic framework Responding to Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds’ speech on Wednesday evening outlining Labour’s macroeconomic framework, research and campaign group Positive Money has welcomed the party’s commitment not to over-rely on monetary policy, but warns that we need new thinking that matches up to the challenges we [...]
Bank of England falling behind on climate leadership – Positive Money response
11 December, 2020London, 11th December 2020 Below is comment from Positive Money on the Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey’s comments on climate change this morning at the Financial Stability Report press conference. Simon Youel, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Positive Money, said: “Andrew Bailey claims that there is no ‘lack of leadership’ on climate action [...]
Banking regulator to allow lenders to resume dividend payouts – Positive Money response
10 December, 2020Below is comment from Positive Money on this afternoon’s announcement that the banking regulator, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), will give lenders the green light to resume dividend payments, just 9 months after they were suspended to encourage banks to preserve capital for lending and support the recovery. London, 10 December 2020 Responding to news [...]
Positive Money tells MPs that post-Brexit financial regulation falls short on environment and accountability
27 November, 2020Giving evidence to MPs on the Financial Services Bill Committee, Positive Money director Fran Boait said that current proposals for post-Brexit regulation of the financial sector fall short on environmental and social goals and risk handing over too much power to regulators, without accountability. The Financial Services Bill, currently passing through parliament, aims to set [...]
Sunak’s green finance plans come under fire from experts – Press Release
17 November, 2020London, 16 November 2020 The government’s newly outlined approach to green finance has already come under criticism for relying too heavily on market-based approaches to tackling the climate crisis. A joint-letter to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, co-ordinated by the New Economics Foundation and Positive Money, has called for [...]
Rishi Sunak announces first UK green gilts – response
9 November, 2020Today, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced plans to launch the UK’s first green government bonds (‘gilts’), following the lead of 16 other countries including Germany and Sweden. Research and campaign group Positive Money welcomed this as a step in the right direction, and called for the proceeds of these bonds to fund largescale public investment in [...]
Bank of England confirms plans to incorporate climate into asset purchases: Positive Money response
16 October, 2020A senior Bank of England official announced today that the Bank is seeking the Treasury’s backing to incorporate climate risk into its asset purchases over the coming year. Responding to the news, research and campaign group Positive Money said that progress so far has been worryingly slow, and urged the Chancellor to update the Bank’s [...]
Government must do more to relieve small businesses of unsustainable debt
9 October, 2020Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced today that businesses affected by local and national restrictions can now claim cash grants of up to £3000 per month. Fran Boait executive director of Positive Money, said: “Grants rather than more debt is the right way to help small businesses through this crisis. However, there is a risk that this [...]
Positive Money pushes the government to move faster on greening the post-Covid recovery
2 October, 2020Giving evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee last week, Positive Money Executive Director Fran Boait told MPs that the Bank of England and the Treasury have missed a golden opportunity to green the post-Covid recovery. She explained how the Covid-19 response is failing to protect jobs and deliver on the green transition, and put forward [...]