Have you considered joining the Financial Services Consumer Panel ? … A number of my colleagues are sadly nearing the end of their terms as panel members and the FCA have today posted details of Panel vacancies … For details please see and share 👇 www.fca.org.uk/panels/consu...

Austentatious it was fabulous to see you today (9/8) at the Edinburgh Fringe and thank you for bringing my suggestion of “Rachel’s Autumn Taxing Dilemma” to life - I dedicate this new Jane Austen title to Rt Hon Rachel Reeve’s MP and for a similar positive fiscal outcome www.austentatiousimpro.com

Having been laid before Parliament on 17th July the Financial Services Consumer Panel 2024/25 Report has been published this morning (6/8), please see and feel free to share it at … www.fca.org.uk/panels/consu... Personal disclosure - I am a member of the Panel. #ImproveOutcomes

Having worked closely with Macmillan’s financial guidance, grants and policy teams, whilst the service closure is disappointing, it’s a call to action to now bring a coalition of the willing together to maintain support for vulnerable people. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

🧵 🚨 Breaking Access to Work News - changes coming from tomorrow, May 6th 🚨 I thank Disability Consultant Alice Hastie for flagging upcoming changes to DWP Access to Work schemes 'operational delivery'. In theory, there is no actual change in policy, but in practice …

Having been involved in several insurance industry initiatives with various Governments over the last 30 years I 💯 agree with the Health & Social Care Committee 👇 #LetsFixCare as in bringing the nation together to do so, we go a long way to aiding fix the UK 🇬🇧 www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

As Patron of the Vocational Rehabilitation Association UK 🇬🇧 www.vraassociationuk.com and a GAIN (Group for Autism, Insurance, Investment & Neurodiversity) www.gaintogether.org founder and board member I welcome this … www.gov.uk/government/p...

I hold we should expect our government departments to set the gold standard in supporting vulnerable people, especially so where they sponsor essential UK sector regulators and require them to prioritise vulnerable customer identification and support interventions www.ftadviser.com/state-pensio...

We are reaping the consequences of UK Government and societal failure to embrace prevention and supporting healthy ageing re all of the determinants of health.This compounded by our ageing UK that increasingly needs to work and care lacking a national care strategy. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Thank you Impact Match for our discussion - To anyone with a disability or carer role and taking your first career step or returning to the workplace, I urge you to consider a career in insurance —For info see www.cii.co.uk/careers-in-i... impactmatch.global/2025/04/11/i...

📢 Today is #WorldConsumerRightsDay and the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection (#UNGCP) 🎉🌍 #ImproveOutcomes

“As Patron of the Vocational Rehabilitation Association, I am pleased to announce the guide ‘Help! What support can firms give disabled consumers and people in vulnerable situations?’ is now available at: shorturl.at/1qM0x @johnnytimpson1.bsky.social

I’m looking forward to joining Rt Hon Baroness Morgan of Cotes and the StepChange Debt Charity in the House of Lords tomorrow, Feb 11th, to discuss ‘Looking to this Parliament and Beyond: A Policy Blueprint to Boost Women’s Financial Resilience.’

🧵 I 💯 agree with Jason Storah, CEO of UK & Ireland general insurance at Aviva plc that the number of new homes being built on UK 🇬🇧 flood plains should be prevented from increasing as it not only puts new homes at risk but, and importantly… www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Scotland hit the ground running as Huw Jones hat-trick sinks Italy

Personally and on behalf of my Vocational Rehabilitation Association and GAIN colleagues congratulations Prof Amanda Kirby on being appointed to lead the Government’s expert panel looking at improving the employment prospects and progression of neurodivergent people. www.gov.uk/government/n...

I am pleased to be joining the independent Financial Protection Panel working to ensure that the customers of UK TrustMark Registered Businesses receive appropriate financial protection in respect of works carried out around their homes. www.trustmark.org.uk/business/inf...

🧵 On behalf of my Vocational Rehabilitation Association colleagues thank you for your www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/library/chan... report Centre for Social Justice. I particularly agree with your #Prevention, #SocialPrescribing and phased work return comments and additionally suggest…

On Burns night, and at all times, take heart friends of democracy from “A Man’s A Man For A’ That” www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/mans-ma... … As relevant today as it was 1795 when the democracy, freedoms and rights we enjoy today were but abstract notions for the many. Slàinte Mhath 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🥃

How do we tackle the disability employment gap? … For me … Embrace the social model of disability and ... Enable, don’t disable … Remove the barriers and we will have competitive, collaborative, and healthy companies, where employees learn from and with each other. www.ftadviser.com/work-and-wel...

Overhaul ‘unsustainable’ incapacity benefits system, Lords committee urges

If👇correct Jonathan Reynolds MP has got it plain wrong about FCA Consumer Duty regulation that’s all about helping UK consumers better understand communication from firms and make more informed financial decisions plus enjoy improved value, service and outcomes. www.cityam.com/is-the-uk-go...

Confidence and trust in UK financial services is paramount and I respect Tulip Siddiq for stepping down from her role to avoid any perception of conflict of interest. I hope that the financial inclusion and mutual sector initiatives championed by Tulip will progress at speed to benefit UK consumers

As Institute and Facilities of Actuaries “Great Risk Transfer” insight shares, risk has already been transferred to UK consumers in recent decades eg DB to DC pensions + welfare reform. Learning is Consumer awareness and resilience needs to be improved before transferring more t.co/cORYANsKSD?s...

Great analysis from @jburnmurdoch.bsky.social. In contrast to last century, recent falls in birth rates are not primarily driven by reduced family sizes. Instead it is more people staying single. on.ft.com/40uuek4

Confirmation of Michael Ellam as new UK government "sherpa" - a welcome return for a job wrongly scrapped in 2016 by Theresa May. Rebuilding UK politics to deal sensibly with Europe and global challenges is going to take rather longer. www.ft.com/content/8a42...

Only 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs are female and only 13% of venture funding goes to female founders. Companies are pretty goddamn male already. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

🧵As a Friend of the Vocational Rehabilitation Association UK and Chair of the #BuildingResilientHouseholdsGroup I fully agree with the Resolution Foundation that our Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) system currently provides a lower level of minimum protection to sick workers than most other OECD countries…

Personally and as a Surviving Economic Abuse charity ambassador, having seen Jess’s tireless work to both raise awareness of, and tackle domestic and economic abuse firsthand, I stand with Jess and all supporting her. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

This is a long running financial inclusion issue resulting from poor Child Trust Fund/Junior ISA legislation-Young people with disabilities deserve #Change NOW to be able to access their savings without incurring legal costs Thankyou Jessie Hewitson and the Stone family. inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...

I fully agree with this Guardian editorial Rt. Hon Wes Streeting and Department of Health and Social Care that Baroness Louise Casey’s #SocialCare Review must not be allowed to become yet another means of simply deferring change … The more so given …

How the ‘continuing healthcare’ system is failing sick and elderly people | Letters

As we enter 2025 with UK lacking a #NationalDementiaStrategy … Given this week’s #SocialCare reform news and no change likely soon … Please support the urgent call for one by signing and sharing the petition 👇 #LetsFixBritain 🇬🇧 with fixing care a key step. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...

📢Calling fellow #NorthBerwick Residents …The Financial Inclusion Commission financialinclusioncommission.org.uk have campaigned for access to cash and banking services plus #BankingHub establishment since 2015, and as a Commissioner, I urge you to attend this meeting and have your say👇

As we enter 2025 should we build on Bevan?.. In our ageing UK that increasingly now needs to work and care, for me we should, and I suggest - No society can legitimately call itself civilized if a person is denied the medical aid and/or care that they need because of lack of means…

Our country has a social care crisis. Here’s how Labour and SoS Wes Streeting plan to fix it … LetsFixCare www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... I 100% agree with Labour as in our ageing UK that increasingly needs to work and care, if not this commission then what?, if not now then when? …

I’m looking forward to discussing the need to tackle the UK’s Social Care Impasse rather than simply continuing to admire it (policy in Scotland having issues currently) with Ben Kentish and LBC, I hope you can join us. #LetsFixCare 🇬🇧 and many thanks Ben. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

On behalf of all at Absolute Military congratulations Lisa Farmer OBE, CEO of Royal British Legion Industries on being recognised in HM The King’s New Year Honours 2025 for your fabulous work in support of our Armed Forces community.

I’m absolutely delighted that LegaCare Charity Founder and CEO Meg Kirby has been recognised in HM The King’s New Year Honours 2025 with an MBE for services to law and protecting vulnerable people. www.legacare.org

Thank you Resolution Foundation, this is why the #BuildingResilientHouseholdsGroup view it essential the HM Treasury Financial Inclusion Strategy prioritises both opt out pension sidecar savings schemes plus income protection need being central to Advice/Guidance Tailored Support discussions

Calling vulnerable customer and cost of living champions in ALL UK 🇬🇧 regulated sectors … Let’s ensure that the families we serve are accessing the financial support that they are entitled to … Check out and please share HMRC’s Child Benefit tax calculator below ⬇️ www.gov.uk/child-benefi...

Not good. As I said at the recent Treasury Committee hearing the secondary growth and competitiveness objective is becoming a de facto primary objective for regulators. Looks like this is being confirmed. Expect finance lobbies to push for yet more deregulation. news.sky.com/story/starme...

🎄The Duncan-Timpson family wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous new year. #NorthBerwick🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I 💯 agree with Polly Toynbee and thank Policy In Practice, Turn2Us, EntitledTo, Income Max, InbestAi, Lightning Reach, MoneyHelper and ALL those supporting people and families access what they are entitled to 👇 - www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #LetsFixBritainForAll

Personally and on behalf of my Financial Inclusion Commission colleagues thank you Building Societies Association for the opportunity to guest blog and discuss “Championing financial inclusion to improve the nation’s financial wellbeing” bsa.org.uk/media-centre/b…www.bsa.org.uk/media-centre...ng

Personally and on behalf of my Final Inclusion Commission and #BuildingReslientHouseholdsGroup colleagues thank you City Minister Tulip Siddiq MP for sharing your financial inclusion insights having worked with the sector over the last 5 months.

Please share & make aware … The #LastCall for 2024/25 Winter Payment application is nearing … You must apply for Pension Credit by 21 December 2024 to qualify for a 2024 to 2025 Winter Fuel Payment (or Winter Heating Payment, if you live in Scotland). See 👇 www.gov.uk/pension-cred...

🔥International Anti-Corruption Day news: Long-term campaigner against global corruption Margaret Hodge appointed UK anti-corruption champion. First time the post has been filled since John Penrose resigned to protest the partygate scandal in 2022. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Reflecting on recent Commons Treasury and Commons Work & Pensions discussion with trade body leaders and Ministers - with “Consumers” and “Claimants” the words used to describe people with needs…Time to put “Care” into our Financial Services Consumer Duty, and for DWP as a function to embrace one.

DWP vulnerable customer policy and practice should be the gold standard but lags UK regulated sectors and requires overhaul, plus it’s past time for the Department to embrace a “Consumer Duty” similar to that in Financial Services Revealed: bias found in AI system used to detect UK benefits fraud