Beckie Hart from the CBI: Why the Prime Minister’s warm words must be converted into action

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New chamber president will speak up for small firms For three years Brexit has stalled the UK economy. This needs to change. This is why the CBI launched a business ‘manifesto’ for Yorkshire and the Humber and the UK. At its heart is a proposal for a new era of partnership between business and government.

Only by working together can we seize opportunities, overcome challenges and unite the country.

The UK economy has many strengths: a skilled workforce; world leading universities; global hubs of service and manufacturing excellence. Together with our language, location and ease of doing business, ‘Brand Britain’ remains a powerful global calling card. It is a mark of quality and a magnet for international investment.

But as the UK steers a post-Brexit course, a new wave of economic, social and technological change will reshape our country, posing challenges and opportunities for how we live and work. We have the chance to build a UK that is not only more prosperous but also fairer. The CBI and its members are committed to working with the government to seize these opportunities.

We also want UK research and development expenditure to reach three per cent of GDP in the long-term and more funding to support firms at the pre-commercialised stage of R&D included in the forthcoming Government Spending Review. This will help us to grow and thrive in the years ahead. In our region, I am urging the new Prime Minister to

: Improve connectivity across the region, committing in full to HS2, focusing on inter and intra-regional, and digital connectivity and developing an aviation strategy that can facilitate growth.  

: Ensure the education system works for young people and prepares them for the modern world, better aligning it to the local skills agenda and labour market needs.  

: Deliver a clear framework for devolution in order to allow Yorkshire and Humber see momentum on their own devolution journey

On one issue raised often with me, the issue of business rates, we are calling for real action. The new government should publish a roadmap to deliver annual business rates revaluations and to undertake a comprehensive and independent review of the business rates regime to find a long-term solution to their distorting impact by the end of this Parliament.

The new Prime Minister must back up his campaign promises and prove to be indisputably pro-business. By backing business, the Government can ensure our benefits from enterprise, jobs and growth. We have clear ideas about how to move

forward the Yorkshire and Humber region and we hope to create a new partnership of business and government in order to do this.

The CBI manifesto calls on the Government to commit to key infrastructure projects including HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and a third runway at Heathrow. The CBI and the 190,000 firms we represent are committed to a partnership that delivers for communities across the country. We urge the new Prime Minister to work with us to deliver for everyone here.