“From different planets”: Why Sophy Ridge thinks politicians and business leaders don’t always click
Politicians and business leaders can sometimes feel like they’re “from different planets,” one of the country’s most respected political interviewers has told CityAM
Ahead of her new nightly show on Sky News, Sophy Ridge said the short-term cycles of Westminster life prevent politicians from tackling issues in the same way business leaders might.
“If you’re a business leader, you can look at things long-term. I need to X,Y and Z, it’ll be a short-term hit, but I need to future-proof my business. Because of the electoral cycle, particularly with prime ministers changing every five minutes, that doesn’t happen.
Read Sophy’s full interview with CityAM here
“So you end up seeing, too often, the correct long-term decision being shelved in order to make short-term gains.”
Campaigners and public policy wonks have long-called for more forward-thinking in policymaking, with the future of the NHS, social care and housing often called out as examples of poor strategic planning.
Ridge also warned that constant reshuffling of personnel can sometimes damage decision-making.
“If you’re at the top of a business, you usually know everything there is to know about that business. That isn’t the case in politics.”
Yesterday Conservative chancellor Jeremy Hunt was forced to dismiss criticism about the number of personnel changes at the top of government.
A combination of regular reshuffles, Prime Ministerial changes, and resignations has led to unprecedented ministerial shake-ups.
The latest was last week, with Grant Shapps appointed defence secretary. It is his fifth cabinet position in a year. Claire Coutinho replaced him at the energy department.
“We have had turbulence caused by things like (the) pandemic, big changes in our economic model,” Hunt told Sky News.
“But what I would say is since Rishi Sunak has become Prime Minister that has changed. He has made only the most limited changes.”