Editor's Note: Boris Johnson Deserves Credit For Being a Job Creator The former UK Prime Minister deserves recognition for his achievements.
By Anil Bhoyrul
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Boris Johnson came to our event last week. The former UK Prime Minister was the star attraction at the Legends of Entrepreneurship gala awards dinner in Dubai.
And Johnson did exactly what I thought and hoped he would: he charmed the audience; he worked the room like the gifted politician he is, and he gave probably the best after dinner speech Dubai has ever seen.
But I knew he would. What is less known about Johnson is his achievements. In the ever-changing world of UK Prime Ministers, Johnson gets a bigger kicking than most. He is blamed for Brexit, and ultimately the UK Conservatives being booted out of office in last year's elections.
However, when the history books are written, I suspect the critics will be kinder. During his eight-year spell as Mayor of London, he delivered 100,000 affordable homes. More importantly he created 31 new Housing Zones that will transform communities across London and create 80,000 new homes – not to mention transport hubs and schools. When he left his role as Mayor of London in 2016, employment in London was over 4.48 million - the number of people in work had risen by 20%. In May 2016, the unemployment rate in London was the lowest since records began. There were also 303,100 apprenticeship starts under his leadership.
Related: Boris Johnson Takes Top Honors at Legends of Entrepreneurship Dubai Gala Dinner
All this, especially his impact on developing housing, means that Johnson was a relentless and successful job creator. Every new project - not to mention the many successful apprenticeships - also sparked a new generation of entrepreneurs. During the awards dinner, one of the guests asked me "Why Boris? What's he got to do with entrepreneurs?" The answer is all the above. Without new government led projects, and without the right political leadership to implement them, it doesn't matter how good an entrepreneur you are, you will probably never get started.
The awards dinner we hosted with Johnson also saw many successful individuals take the stage to receive their awards. Apart from being given the right platform to build on, especially here in the UAE where the government leadership for entrepreneurs has been exemplary, most of the winners had a similar back story. They started with an idea, often working out of their bedroom or garage, and ended up creating in some cases multi-billion-dollar empires.
Johnson's speech was inspiring. But equally so were the stories of the men and women who have taken risks, created, innovated and ultimately delivered. In an increasingly uncertain world, entrepreneurs show no sign of slowing down.
