The Downtown Den Podcast

Nick de Bois - former Member of Parliament, special advisor, author and businessman - joins Simon Danczuk in the London Downtown Den. As Chief of Staff to Dominic Raab, Nick sat in on the Brexit negotiations and shares his special take on the politics of it all, including where he thinks we should go next in the trade negotiations.

He also recounts some of his Parliamentary experiences, drawing on his very popular biography, 'Confessions of a Recovering MP.' The conversation concludes with a detailed talk about the economy and its impact on business tourism in the UK, a sector he has been associated with for many years.

You can follow and connect with Nick on Twitter at: @nickdebois; and on Facebook at: facebook.com/nick.debois.71.

Available now from from Biteback Publishing "Confessions of a Recovering MP" https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/confessions-of-a-recovering-mp or on Amazon at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Confessions-Recovering-MP-Nick-Bois/dp/1785903357

If the UK had a ‘Brains Trust’ the head of Strategy for Bruntwood Jessica Bowles and Mike Emmerich from Metro Dynamics would certainly be in it. It was a pleasure to welcome the pair to the Den and hear their thoughts and predictions about the current crisis and the opportunities and challenges we are likely to face in its aftermath.

Recently appointed shadow sports Minister Alison McGovern was in the Downtown Den, offering her views on how the football season may resume; how business can learn from sport; and what she hopes Birmingham can achieve by hosting the Commonwealth Games. Liverpool fan Ali also revealed that Gary Neville is her ‘guilty pleasure’ and offered her thoughts on new Labour leader Keir Starmer.

Applied Futurist Tom Cheesewright visited the Downtown Den to share his thoughts on how business and the wider world can positively react to the current challenges posed by the Coronavirus Crisis. In a fascinating presentation, Tom explained the processes smart businesses implement to improve performance and stay ahead of the game.

To purchase Tom's latest book visit https://bit.ly/future-proof-book

We welcome Matt Jones, Founder of Oxbridge Home Learning into the Downtown Den for a discussion with Downtown Birmingham Chair, Paul Cadman.

Matt shares his story on how Oxbridge started and some of the learning opportunities they offer.

The Brummie Downtown Den heard first hand from charitable leaders in the city who are actively impacting our communities during this time of crisis. The panel featured Tim Andrews (Lovebrum), Carly Jones (Sifa Fireside), Toby Porter (Acorns) and Tina Swani (Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice). The discussion covered resilience, causes and support that is urgently needed to continue the work that is being delivered.

Professor John Ashton joined Downtown CEO, Frank McKenna in the #DowntownDen to discuss the UK governments handling of the Coronavirus pandemic.

John discusses the advice he gave to Bahrain authorities at the outset of the Coronavirus pandemic and why he has thrown his hat in the ring for the Police and Crime Commissioner role for the Liverpool City Region.

Birmingham Chair, Paul Cadman was joined by Stu Wood (Woodshires) Rebecca Simkiss (Simkissguy Recruitment) and Gareth Wilcox (OPUS LLP) in the Downtown Den for an afternoon of straightforward, no-nonsense business advice.

Liverpool’s elected Mayor Joe Anderson was in the Downtown Den with a clear message to the city’s business community “We will come out of this crisis stronger. We will continue to build our economy and do what this city always does best in times of crisis. Our spirt will get us through this.”

In a robust performance the Mayor told DIB members that he was confident that the major strategic schemes that he had announced before the lockdown, including developments at the King’s Dock, Festival Gardens and the Knowledge Quarter, would still be going ahead.

He also reminded the audience that, as the hub and economic driver for the city region, it was crucial that Liverpool was given the necessary financial support by government and other agencies to ensure as quick a recovery as possible.

This event was sponsored by http://www.projectfoursafety.com & https://sutcliffe.co.uk

Sacha Lord joined DIB chief executive Frank McKenna in the Downtown Den. The Night Time Economy Czar for Greater Manchester told us about the entrepreneurial approach and his first gig at the Hacienda that launched his fascinating journey into the world of music, events and hospitality; the emergence of the Warehouse Project and Parklife; his current role within Andy Burnham’s team; the United We Stream initiative – and how he got such a cool name!