Education
Born in Cheshire, Lea attended Lymm Grammar School before going up to the University of York (Bachelor) and postgraduate studies at the University of Bristol (Master of Science ). She studied at the London School of Economics in 1973.
Born in Cheshire, Lea attended Lymm Grammar School before going up to the University of York (Bachelor) and postgraduate studies at the University of Bristol (Master of Science ). She studied at the London School of Economics in 1973.
Lea joined the Civil Service before working for the Institute of Directors, a private-sector employer lobbying organisation, as well as for policy research bodies and the media. She served almost 16 years in the British Civil Service, working in Her Majesty Treasury, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Central Statistical Office and at the Civil Service College, before becoming a Lecturer at Thames Polytechnic (now Greenwich University). In 1988, she joined Mitsubishi Bank in the City rising to Chief Economist and became a regular television and radio commentator on economic matters.
She was United Kingdom Economist at Lehman Brothers for one year until 1995, before her appointment as ITN"s Economics Editor, and subsequently Head of the Policy Unit at the Institute of Directors, a post she held from 1995–2003.
She was famously "made redundant" from the IoD, reputedly following pressure exerted by the Labour Government regarding her robustly expressed concerns over New Labour economic policy. She was Director of the Centre for Policy Studies from 2004-2007 and Director of Global Vision from 2007-2010.
Lea is a prolific writer on economic and business issues. A vocal critic of Gordon Brown’s economic policies, arguing that Labour"s “big state” profligacy undermined both United Kingdom public finances and economic competitiveness.
Deeply concerned about Britain’s high cost and fragile energy policies, she argues they damage business competitiveness and suggests Britain’s trust in climate change policies is unlikely to have little impact on global carbon dioxide emissions given that the United Kingdom accounts for only 1½% of the global total.
A robust and consistent opponent of United Kingdom membership of the Euro on economic grounds, Lea advocates a reformed relationship between the European Union and Britain, proposing, as necessary, renegotiated European Union membership terms similar to a Swiss-style agreement with Europe. Qv. European Free Trade Association. Lea is currently Economic Adviser to the Arbuthnot Banking Group and non-executive director since 2005.
Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and of the Royal Statistical Society, Lea has been admitted a Freeman of the City of London as well as a Liveryman of the Curriers" Company, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2015 New Year Honours List for "services to the financial and economic sectors".