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YP Business Breakfast: Time to rebuild trust during crisis, urges soccer boss
LEADING businesswoman Karren Brady has called on the Government to send out a clear message of reassurance to the British people that their savings will be safe during the financial crisis.
She also said the Conservative Party would "put the pride back into the country" and make it easier to do business in Britain.
The managing director of Birmingham City Football Club was the star speaker at yesterday's Yorkshire Post Business Breakfast at the Business Yorkshire conference and exhibition.
She told the packed audience: "What has happened over the last few months is that the trust has gone out and we need to rebuild that. In tough markets you have to do bold things. Nobody in this country has lost a single penny of their deposit money. If you are in a UK retail bank your money will be safe but people are worrying about their savings disappearing. That's all about fear. This Government needs to send a very clear message.
"There are people in England taking their money out of banks putting them in Irish banks. We want to know: are our savings safe? We have not really heard anything about that and that's quite terrible I think. If they don't know what to do they really shouldn't be in government."
Ms Brady, 39, also defended the high salaries of football players. The wage bill at Birmingham is 19m a year.
She said: "Players are our products. That's what we do. We can only do that with the assets we have. It's like buying the best stock you can to sell it. The market value has been set for players – that's their market worth because they are our biggest assets.
"It's a great industry because there is no other country that has 92 professional clubs. The Premier League is the best league in the world. The reason is we have the best assets and those are the footballers and we have to pay them well for it."
An audience member asked Ms Brady if the influx of foreign money had a negative effect on British football.
She said: "If you took the brand of the Premier League and floated it on the stock market, it would be hugely valuable because it is the best league in the world.
"It is one of the best exports we have. People want a part of that. It does not matter to them if they are hugely wealthy if they buy a club at the bottom or the top of the league. I think that's great for the Premier League – more money comes in. It is something we should be incredibly proud of.
"I think it is going to be an amazing transfer window – it is going to be very exciting."
The inaugural Business Yorkshire Event – sponsored by the Yorkshire Post – attracted thousands of people and more than one hundred exhibitors.
WHY I BACK THE TORIES
KARREN Brady said it was "a real honour" to address the Conservative Party conference on Sunday.
The glamorous businesswoman told the Yorkshire Post why she was backing the Tories.
She said: "I am a Conservative supporter. I like the idea of change. I think they have some very good policies and think they would help make the country better and put the pride back into Britain.
"It was a real honour to be there."
She said red tape, tax and minimum wage legislation are putting pressure on UK companies and claimed the Tories believe in entrepreneurialism and small business.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Tuesday 07 February 2012
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