The to-do list for the next prime minister is long and urgent – they must be a serious candidate capable of governing like a grown-up, writes Theo Paphitis.

What has seemed like an inevitability for months – well, maybe not to Boris – has finally come to fruition and the prime minister has resigned. 

At last, we now have the opportunity to get a leader that is capable of governing. Out of chaos often comes opportunity and, because the to-do list is long and urgent, the job requires a serious candidate who will deliver.

“The present economic situation has all the hallmarks of being worse than the 2008 financial crisis… we are at huge risk of stagnating”

Leadership is about confronting challenges, not avoiding them, and if there was ever a time for action rather than words, it is now. 

It is time to get a grown-up in charge that can lead the country, rather than feed it a diet of bluster and spin.

The present economic situation has all the hallmarks of being worse than the 2008 financial crisis and it is a worry to everyone because we are at huge risk of stagnating. 

The next leader will need to rally the troops for the monumental task ahead, rather than leave them with no choice but to jump ship in the middle of an unprecedented crisis.

The alarm bells are ringing. Costs are rocketing at a distressing rate with estimates putting the rate of inflation at 9.1% and every indicator suggesting this figure is only going to rise. 

We need a prime minister who is able to put their full weight behind steadying the ship, rather than sailing it into the rocks – something we have recently had to endure on a daily basis.

A great nation of shopkeepers

This is a tough time for business, especially for retail, and having just come out of the storm of Covid-19 we have been sucked right back in by a cocktail of cost increases.

We need a leader with the balls to finally address the pressing issues of the day, rather than kicking the can down the road for the next administration to deal with. 

For a start, they can fix our archaic tax system, which has for far too long seen bricks-and-mortar retailers bear the brunt of the taxation burden, while the online giants like Amazon get away with not paying their fair share.

The difference that financial input would make to public services would be game-changing.

We are a great nation of shopkeepers and any leader with half an ounce of brainpower would nurture that. 

“We need a leader with a moral compass, not a pen pusher or someone with their own ego-led agenda”

Small businesses are the lifeline of the UK economy, accounting for three-fifths of employment and around half of the turnover in the UK private sector, but they are hanging on by the skin of their teeth and crying out for support. 

Any leader or future government with common sense needs to throw a life raft to businesses and level the playing field by cutting business rates, at the very least.

Overhauling our taxation system would not only maintain the current level of revenues going into the Treasury’s coffers, it would also provide businesses and services with the cash they so desperately need.

Ultimately, we need a leader with a moral compass, not a pen pusher or someone with their own ego-led agenda. Importantly, we need someone who is going to support business, not f**k business.