Capital

In his recent Londongrad podcast series which investigated the influence of Russian oligarchs, Paul Caruana-Galizia uncovered the extent of Russian influence at the heart of UK government, business and the media. What does the story of the oligarchs say about Britain and its place in the world today? Has the country been betrayed by the very institutions that are supposed to protect it, and can the situation be fixed? As we build a clearer picture of the scale and complexity of Russian influence in the UK, what are the options for the future?  editor and invited experts Paul Caruana-GaliziaReporter Bill BrowderCEO and Co-Founder, Hermitage Capital Management

The government is trying again to pass new laws to stop disruptive and noisy protest from environmental groups like Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion. Is the right to live without disruption more important than the right to protest? Join Tortoise editor David Taylor and special guests to work out where you stand. editor and invited experts David TaylorEditor Emmanuelle AndrewsPolicy and Campaigns, Liberty Rev. Gregory Seal LivingstonFounder & President of EquanomicsGlobal Sophie CorcoranConservative Activist and Commentator

Monroe rose to prominence writing about their struggles to feed their young son with a food budget of £10 a week on their blog ‘Cooking on a Bootstrap’. Since then, Monroe has published cookbooks filled with “austerity recipes” and has given evidence in Parliament highlighting the impact of the rising cost of basic food items on people living in poverty.In response to George Eustice’s suggestion that shoppers could “manage their household budget” by changing the brands they buy, they responded that “somebody who claims £196,000 in expenses in a single year is in no position to tell other people to get cheaper biscuits”.Join us for a very special ThinkIn with Jack, where we’ll be talking all about food poverty campaigning, the cost of living crisis, and the inflation of a bag of pasta with their trademark wit and cutting commentary. editor and invited experts David TaylorEditor Jack MonroeCampaigner, Author and Blogger — ‘Cooking on a Bootstrap’

Before the pandemic, government figures showed 772,000 households in England had second homes. At the same time, the UK is estimated to have around 227,000 people experiencing the worst forms of homelessness. In many small coastal communities, locals are being pushed out to make way for second or even third home ownership and rental properties. The influx of visitors can support local tourism and hospitality businesses, but what is the long-term cost to the community? This all came to a head at the start of the pandemic when wealthy individuals escaped the city in favour of more rural living; which resulted in locals – afraid of the transmission of COVID – pushing back and telling second home owners to go back to where they came from. So what has the pandemic taught us about second home ownership? Should people be allowed to own multiple homes, or should home ownership be restricted?   editor and invited experts Matthew d’AnconaEditor Catherine NavinCampaigner, First Not Second Homes Chris BaileyCampaign Manager, Action on Empty Homes Jonathan RolandeProperty Expert

The pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on women – burnout, for example, has reached alarmingly high levels. At the same time, many women have made career and life decisions driven by their experiences during the pandemic. For some, this has meant seeking new, more flexible working patterns; for others, it has meant leaving their employers or the workforce entirely.Is the great resignation set to continue?  What will it take for organisations to support and retain women in the new normal?  After a two-year setback for gender equality in the workplace, what actions should employers be taking? editor and invited experts Tessa MurrayEditor Dr Vinika Devasar RaoExecutive Director, INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute and Gender Initiative; Director, Hoffman Global Institute for Business & Society, Asia Emma CoddGlobal Inclusion Leader, Deloitte

This is a newsroom ThinkIn. In-person and digital-only tickets are available.Anger manifested in polarised politics, culture wars and intergenerational tensions over climate change have revealed great disaffection in recent years. Minouche Shafik argues that this widespread discontent stems from the failure of existing social contracts to deliver on people’s expectations for both security and opportunity. How should society pool risks, share resources and balance the individual with collective responsibility?Join us for a ThinkIn with the director of the London School of Economics and author of What We Owe Each Other: A New Social Contract, where she will draw on evidence from across the globe to identify the key principles every society must adopt if it is to meet the challenges of the coming century. We will be asking her and our members the age old question: what do we owe each other? editor and invited experts James HardingCo-Founder and Editor Minouche ShafikDirector of London School of Economics and Political Science and Author of ‘What We Owe Each Other: A New Social Contract’

This is a newsroom ThinkIn. In-person and digital-only tickets are available.Two years into the COVID19 pandemic and people in the UK are feeling things return to some semblance of normality – socialising is allowed, masks are not always required and the news isn’t always about COVID. But one change seems here to stay: hybrid working. And Lynda Gratton suggests, in her new book ‘Redesigning Work’ that this is the greatest global shift in the world of work for a century. But it’s not all plain sailing. Adapting global businesses and habits to this new structure of working requires a significant effort and a fundamental re-learning.Lynda has spent thirty years researching the technological, demographic, cultural and societal trends that are shaping work. Combining her knowledge and years of experience with all that the pandemic has taught us, she presents a four-step framework for redesigning work. Join this ThinkIn as we ask: how can we make remote working work.  editor and invited experts James HardingCo-Founder and Editor Lynda GrattonProfessor of Management Practice at London Business School and Author of ‘The 100 Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity’

This is a digital-only ThinkIn. Political parties are awash with donations from property developers. More than £60m has been donated by property developers to the Conservative party over the past decade alone. Robert Jenrick, former Communities Secretary, was accused of bias after overruling planning inspectors over a developed proposed by Richard Desmond — just days after he had donated £12,000 to the Conservative Party.  The issue is not restricted to national politics. In 2018, a Westminster City councillor was forced to resign after receiving nearly 900 instances of hospitality or gifts over a six year period — the majority of which from property developers trying to get planning permission. What is it about our property and planning sectors that attract so much political cash? Is this simply a story of buying political favour? Do we need to radically reform party funding, and does the system need to be more transparent?  editor and invited experts Emily BennEditor Duncan HamesDirector of Policy, Transparency International Peter Geoghegan Investigations Editor at openDemocracy and Author of ‘Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics’ Sue HawleyExecutive Director at Spotlight on Corruption