In the latest episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon pops his head out of the transport bubble and speaks with a transport-adjacent guest: Paul Whitnell, president of the British Irish Trade Alliance (BITA), a trade and commerce business organisation who describe themselves as "people that know people who help people". Paul shares more about his philosophy when it comes to business and the BITA organisation, whose members across the construction, hospitality, rail and logistics ind

In this episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon speaks with Karen Dee, CEO of Aiports UK, the trade association representing the interests of UK airports. The conversation covers growth in the aviation market, the challenge of decoupling emissions from demand, tackling the transport-wide skills crisis, leveraging high-value air freight and the critical role of retail revenue in supporting low-cost carriers. Listen here

Leon learns more about the diverse career of transport leader Andreas Schörling, Senior Managing Director of Flixbus UK. Andreas, who lead the launch of Flixbus in the UK in 2021, discusses the company's ambitious plan to build the largest intercity coach network in the UK. The episode also touches on the evolving perception of coach travel, the transformative impact of AI on the transport industry and Andreas' take on work-life harmony. Listen here

Did you know that in September this year, the government borrowed £20 billion - almost the entire cost of the Elizabeth Line?  It's a stark illustration of something we all know - the UK economy is in dire straits. But what does it all mean for the world of transport? Leon's latest guest on Lunch with Leon has some of the answers. Ahead of the Autumn 2026 Budget, I sat down with  David Leeder , Managing Partner of Transport Investment Limited, to unpick what got us into this