Why I can’t sit back and watch when our country’s prestige is at stake

When I started Phones 4U with my brother Brian back in the 90s, we knew great communications would be crucial for growing our brand, sharing our stories with the world, and driving change.

Back in the day, we had a regular printed booklet for suppliers and partners called ‘The Caudless Communicator’, but now cordless communications are the norm and not a fancy new innovation, I’m launching Caudwell Chronicles here on LinkedIn, so I can share my life, opinions, passions, and the topics that truly matter to me, you, and our country.

If you want to know more about me, you can visit my website: johncaudwell.com

What are you doing for our next generation?

People sometimes ask me: “Why don’t you just sit back and enjoy all you’ve built, John?”.

I have so many passions, including to try and change the world for the better, that there are never enough hours in the day.

This generation of leaders has to do something - You and me.

 I have hopes and dreams for our next generations – we all do – but our children need us to stand up, to use our platforms, and to hold people to account right now.

Believe me, there are some huge factors shaping our world that will define our future and theirs – now more than ever. And we can’t and shouldn’t be silent on the issues that really matter.

So, let’s get into it.

Caudwell Strong Britain

Over the past week, I’ve been interviewed in various media – including Bloomberg , Financial Times , Reuters , the Daily Mail and BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg - following the launch of ‘Caudwell Strong Britain’, a new report I commissioned along with the independent, Westminster-based think tank Council on Geostrategy .

The report - written by Dr Mann Virdee and based on eight months of research involving over 60 experts - zeroes in on the chronic short-termism of Government’s approach to climate change, the transition to Net Zero, and the huge opportunity for GDP growth.

There’s been some serious flip-flopping on environmental and economic issues that are fundamental to our future. That can’t continue.

Based on our track record, the UK could and should be a science and technology superpower in the 21st century – but the reality is we’re woefully short of where we need to be. In the Caudwell Strong Britain report, we lay out seven reasons why, along with 10 recommendations to steer the next government’s thinking.

I hope politicians – and the mandarins and civil servants who guide them – are reading these carefully.

Tony Blair has written the foreword to this report as – party politics aside – we’re on the same page when it comes to our country’s future.

More than this, I want the very best for our country and our people – and whether the Prime Minister come 5 July is wearing a Red or a Blue rosette – I desperately want the next government to succeed.

I want the Great back in Britain. We cannot let our country fizzle out like a cheap firework.

The report is available on the link below – so please take time over a brew and a biscuit to have a read. And if you can contribute by sharing it, discussing it, responding on the topics, or helping in the key areas of change we need, please do.

You can find Caudwell Strong Britain here.

Rabbiting on

I don’t want to downplay the importance I’ve placed on Caudwell Strong Britain, but I do want these newsletters to reflect a combination of my insights, passions and life.

And the true passion of my life is my family.

They’ve always been the reason I’ve fought so hard – and continue to.

But they’re also the reason I’ve kept grounded in my life. The beauty in the smiles of my children has been, for me, one of my true blessings.

And that’s certainly been the case recently, after my wonderful partner Modesta Vžesniauskaitė and I bought our children new bunnies to love and care for as they grow.

Here’s a picture of our beautiful new additions, Snow and Biscuit, who have brought smiles to us all. You can find more about the bunnies on Instagram.

And that’s a wrap

So, that’s a wrap on the first Caudwell Chronicles.

 I’ll be publishing this newsletter regularly – every week or so – from now on, so please share and engage, and let me know what you think.

I’m always open to new thoughts and ideas and want to hear from my network and the wider LinkedIn community.

If there are any questions you have, or topics you want me to cover, just let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to include as many as I can.