{
  "id": 6766248,
  "title": "How can a politician run London if they’ve never run a business?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/how-can-a-politician-run-london-if-theyve-never-run-a-business",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-11T13:35:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/how-can-a-politician-run-london-if-theyve-never-run-a-business/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Eight out of nine Deputy Mayors in London have no experience running a business, despite politicians universally agreeing economic growth is crucial. This lack of business experience sparks questions about the effectiveness of their policies. Howard Dawber, the only Deputy Mayor with significant private sector experience, has a background with Canary Wharf Group. The Mayor could seek additional business advisors, but the Business Advisory Board meets infrequently and its work is not publicly disclosed. The absence of credible business expertise in decision-making bodies could hinder understanding the true impact of policies. This situation may discourage entrepreneurs and is a concern echoed by FTSE 100 Chairmen in a survey. The lack of commercial experience in politics appears to be inhibiting British business, which may contribute to the nation's economic stagnation.",
  "summary": "Our politicians all agree on the need for economic growth, yet none of them seems to have even worked in the private sector let alone actually run a business. Should we be surprised that growth continues to elude us, asks Alex Challoner. What do a dance producer, a lecturer in social psychology, a footballer, an [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}