MP for High Wycombe, Steve Baker, writes exclusively for our readers:

On Tuesday 15th November, I was delighted to host in Parliament the launch of the Fairlife Charity.

Over 100 Fairlife ambassadors and supporters attended, ranging from senior figures in financial industries to university staff, teachers and school children.

Britain is facing a generation of hard-working people struggling to save and struggling to retire. I have spoken to many people in Wycombe who face these circumstances: I am sure a change is needed now to prevent the current situation from getting any worse.

We need to improve standards and trust in the financial industry and ensure that everyone in the UK benefits.

That’s where the Fairlife Charity comes in. The Charity is designed to benefit everyone in the UK by improving everyday financial products and educating the public in the good management of their financial affairs.

The Charity will improve the countries’ financial industry by awarding its trademark logo, the Fairlife Mark, to organisations which voluntarily offer a defined benefit to the public above what is required by law.

The Fairlife Mark is a fair trading initiative, which encourages powerful financial institutions to trade more fairly with the British public. Members of the public will know which financial products and organisations can be trusted to trade fairly by looking for the Fairlife Mark.

The Fairlife Charity also aims to improve financial education at all levels, from primary school through to university. The Fairlife Mark will highlight independent providers of financial education. The mark is for providers that share our passion for helping children and young people learn about money.

Evidence suggests that children’s long-term attitudes to personal finance can be formed early in life, so the sooner we can get children thinking about money the better.

I am excited by the prospect of a fairer financial industry which the Fairlife Charity heralds, and am proud to be a Fairlife Ambassador. 

I am optimistic that the charity will have a positive transformative effect on the financial system. For more information on the Fairlife Charity, what it aims to achieve and how you can get involved, please visit our website at http://www.fairlifecharity.org./.