There was a great article on CityWire last week about Gordon Brown’s new tactic for currying favour with the voting public: appointing TV stars and business celebrities to roles in government.
Alan Sugar was the first businessman-cum-TV star to assume a governmental role. Now Martha Lane Fox, founder of Lastminute.com, has been charged with boosting the use of technology across the UK as "digital champion". Ridiculous monikers aside, are these household names actually fit to hold their respective roles?
The Alan Sugar debate has been raging for some time. But what of Lane Fox? Yes, she launched the super-successful e-commerce firm Lastminute.com back in 1998. But what of her latest ventures? Lucky Voice, founded in 2005, has karaoke bars in London, Brighton, Cardiff and Manchester. But how successful is it? Sales are not registered at Companies House or OneSource and there has been no mention of its profitability in the business press.
Lane Fox is also non-exec of M&S. Great British retail institution it may be but cutting edge digital trailblazer it is not. Is she the right woman for the job?
We would like to hear your suggestions for unlikely appointments to government roles. Simon Cowell for high priest of international relations? Gordon Ramsay as minister for women?
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