Founder @AtticusPartners - @Conservatives @WokinghamBC Cllr - GE24 PPC - @PRCAPubAffBoard - @consabroad + @cmec_uk Advisory Board. @ToriesinComms Patron.
London, England
Joined October 2015
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When I started Atticus six years ago, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that we would come this far. It is a source of immense pride. Well done to the team for all their hard work. We go again.
Delighted to be named as the 12th largest public affairs agency in the UK by revenue in the latest @prweek rankings, up three places from last year. Congratulations to our hard-working, talented team for delivering such an outstanding year!
As someone who works 14 hours a day and has built a business from scratch i'm pretty sure I meet the definition of a 'worker.' Absolutely tone deaf again from Labour. They think business and SMEs are just another thing they can tax. They will economically run this country into the ground.
'I don't think employers are working people.'
@CamillaTominey grills Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Emma Reynolds MP, over whether Labour has breached its manifesto pledge in the Budget.
📺 Freeview 236, Sky 512, Virgin 604
Leon Cook retweeted
October's edition of the Fiscal Dispatch is out now!
We look at Chancellor John Healey’s Budget, Anthropic’s IPO efforts, the growing role of AI and cloud technology in financial services, and more.
linkedin.com/pulse/fiscal-di…
Compare this against that of the government. Only one party understands how to grow an economy. I’ll let you in on a secret, it’s not the current lot.
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Leon Cook retweeted
This raises big questions about how 3% on defence by 2030 will be funded and points to either major departmental cuts or big tax rises. Previously Burnham had suggested welfare would be cut to fund defence. Healey appears to have just ruled that out. Big hole in the govt’s plans
NEW: John Healey tells @krishgm the government will NOT bring the welfare bill down during this Parliament
Chancellor says: “it's not correct to say that we're going to bring this welfare bill down in this Parliament”
But in the same interview he says the system is “broken”
Leon Cook retweeted
Labour's new "Founders' Relief" sounds generous: a 10% CGT rate on gains up to £10m. Read the small print and it's a different story.
To qualify you need:
•25% of the company when the trade began
•5 years' holding and 5 years' continuous UK residence
•£10m turnover and 15 full-time employees
•25% compound growth over three years in two of three tests (turnover, headcount or £1.5m of R&D)
Most founders are diluted well below 25% long before they get anywhere near this, and most successful small businesses will never meet the tests.
Turnover is a poor metric of success.
A relief this convoluted won't change anyone's decision to start a business or keep it in the UK.
Founders want a simple tax system with low rates, not a maze of conditions.
Can someone please tell me when we are all going to enjoy this amazing, now mythical growth that Labour promised at the general election. We are all gradually becoming increasingly poorer under Labour. That's not conjecture, that's a fact.
🚨 SUMMARY: The OBR forecasts following John Healey's Budget
- Welfare spending will rise to £431.3bn by 2030/31 - an increase of £97.5bn a year in cash terms
- This includes £209.8bn on pensioner benefits, £110.7bn on Universal Credit, £69.6bn on disability benefits, £13.9bn on Child Benefit and £27.2bn on other welfare
- Inflation will peak at 3.75% in early 2027, up from the earlier prediction of 2%
- UK GDP growth will slow from around 1.25% in 2026 to 1% in 2027, before climbing to 1.6% in 2031
- Average UK unemployment will rise to 5.1% across 2026 and 2027
- The Employment Rights Act will "likely" have a negative economic impact because of reduced flexibility and greater uncertainty for businesses
- The landlord tax increases (property income) could contribute to a long-term rise in private rents and discourage landlords from entering the market
- Real household disposable income per person will be around 0.75% lower in 2030-31 than it expected in March 2026
- Higher earnings and frozen tax thresholds will increase income tax and National Insurance receipts by £9bn in 2026-27 and around £8bn on average in subsequent forecast years compared with March
- Net migration is forecast to fall to 120,000 in the year to mid-2026, then gradually rise to 230,000 by the year to mid-2031
- Nominal weekly earnings growth will slow to around 3.5% in 2026, then average roughly 2.25% a year
- Andy Burnham's first-time buyer scheme could raise house prices by increasing demand without enough new homes being built
Leon Cook retweeted
"Like many Labour leaders, Burnham ran from the left but moves towards the centre to govern."
Read @ellarachelrose's analysis of John Healey's first Budget, and what it means for the prospects of an early general election. atticuscomms.com/A-Labour-bu…
Calling all sixth-formers, undergraduates, teachers and parents — an opportunity to win £2,500 for your ideas. As a Liveryman, I am proud to support the @CommsLivery's first essay competition: How should we tackle disinformation?
🏆 Two £2,500 prizes
🎓 UK sixth-formers & undergraduates aged 16–21
📅 Deadline: 27 November
Through my work in communications and as a councillor, I see how much informed debate depends on being able to trust the information we receive. This is a chance for young people to put forward their own ideas about how we protect that trust: communicatoressay.co.uk
Leon Cook retweeted
We were delighted to recently host @ToniaAntoniazzi for a webinar on the future of rugby. In this clip from the event, Tonia discusses the financial pressures facing many rugby clubs and the importance of them engaging with their elected representatives. youtube.com/watch?v=qJ2CdoVq…
Well done to @HKane, very well deserved. Great acceptance speech that should serve as an example both to aspiring kids and other professionals about staying grounded and the level of dedication required to succeed. A great role model. 👏
Where do I begin? That was an evening I'll never forget.
It’s an incredible honour to receive the Ballon d’Or award after a year full of goals, trophies and special milestones. Thank you to all the staff and my teammates at @england and @fcbayern, as well as family, friends and everyone who’s supported me – this wouldn’t be possible without you all.
Thank you to everyone who has sent a kind message, social media post - I appreciate every single one of them.
This will live long in the memory. 🙌🏆❤️
Leon Cook retweeted
Proud that our work with @BringKidsBackUA has been shortlisted for the 2026 European Excellence Awards. We are honoured to help Ukrainian children forcibly taken from their families and ensure their stories are heard across European media. excellence-awards.com/shortl…
Probably the most important thing I have ever been involved with. Very proud to be associated with this campaign.
Delighted our work with @BringKidsBackUA has been highly commended at the @PRCA_HQ 2026 #PRWeekAwards. Proud to keep Ukraine’s abducted children in the public eye, raising awareness and reinforcing that their safe return is essential to a just and lasting peace.
Inflation up to 3.5%, borrowing at £24.5bn, debt exceeds £3trn, interest rates expected to rise as are energy bills by 20%. Sterling weaker, as are bond yields and the FTSE. Labour promised much ahead of the general election. They have delivered absolutely none of it. And this is before the Budget. Everyone was warned. Life under Labour.
UK inflation and borrowing hits highest level so far this year thetimes.com/business/econom…
Planning applications for data centres are popping up all over the country, including in my ward. Constituents are concerned about emissions, ecology and noise pollution, amongst others. A key area of debate centres on whether planning decisions should sit at a national or local level. Currently, under planning law, the principle of development can be established before a detailed design is approved. This is a problem. DCs are eligible to be designated under the NSIP regime. MHCLG should IMO answer the question in all instances as to whether such sites are needed locally, and if yes, then they should meet the test of appropriate design in its entirety, including the scheme.
Leon Cook retweeted
A smile worth a thousand words:
Sky News: Trump is facing pretty difficult midterm elections. Do you think you are being treated as a scapegoat for his own problems?
Zelenskyy [smiling]: “This is my answer.”
Couldn't imagine a better answer. 👏
Leon Cook retweeted
Next year will mark 45 years since British forces liberated the Falkland Islands. For some of those veterans who fought in that conflict, this may be one of the last major anniversaries they see.
We have confirmed that commemorations will take place on the islands to mark the anniversary, honouring those who paid the ultimate price for the freedom of the Falkland Islanders.
Zelenskyy completely on the money here. What side of history do you want to be on? Ukraine. All day. Every day. #SlavaUkraïni
BREAKING: President Zelensky tells Piers Morgan he feels 'betrayed' over Trump announcing an energy ceasefire and diesel deal with Putin.
'This is not the right side of history.'
Full exclusive interview dropping soon 👇
📺 youtube.com/piersmorganuncen…
@piersmorgan | @ZelenskyyUa
Leon Cook retweeted
We're delighted Atticus Partners Founder, Leon Cook, has been included in Mace’s 2026 Government Affairs Index, placing him in the top 75 figures in the sector.
Leon Cook retweeted
Following his attendance at the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association’s 10th Mediterranean Dialogue in Madrid, Jude Petrie explores Spain’s defence transformation, industrial opportunities and political uncertainty atticuscomms.com/Lessons-fro…
