Secretary of State for Business and Trade (): I am delighted to
confirm today that the Chancellor and I have appointed a diverse
group of the UK's top business leaders, policy experts and trade
union leaders to the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council. The
Chancellor and I will join the Council for the first meeting
later today. This is a key milestone on the path to delivering
our new, modern Industrial Strategy – a key pillar in the growth
mission of the government. The Council will hardwire stability
and long-termism into our plan from the start.
Members will use the first meeting to discuss investment,
innovation, and breaking down barriers to growth as well as
emerging themes in response to the Industrial Strategy Green
Paper. This comes shortly after the end of the Industrial
Strategy consultation period, where we received responses from
businesses, international investors, unions and others up and
down the country to help shape the strategy.
The Government announced the appointment of Clare Barclay as
Chair of the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council on 13 October
2024. As the President, Enterprise & Industry, EMEA at
Microsoft, Clare is well placed to lead the work of the Council,
bringing a wealth of leadership experience from the top-flight of
business.
The Chancellor and I are delighted that fifteen of the UK's
business leaders, academics, policy experts and trade union
leaders have joined the Council to support Clare in this vital
work. I have also asked Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell to be the
Deputy Chair of the Council. The interim Chair of Skills England
and the Chair of the National Wealth Fund will be ex officio
members of the Council, to ensure close working between these
bodies.
The full list of Industrial Strategy Advisory Council members is:
- Clare Barclay, President, Enterprise & Industry, EMEA,
Microsoft (Chair)
- Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell DBE, former Vice Chancellor of
the University of Manchester (Deputy Chair)
- Kate Bell, Assistant General Secretary of the Trades Union
Congress
- Rt Hon , former Secretary of State for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
- Professor Dame Diane Coyle DBE, Bennett Professor of Public
Policy, University of Cambridge
- Dame Anita Frew DBE, Chair, Rolls-Royce Holdings
- Greg Jackson CBE, CEO, Octopus Energy
- Sir John Kingman, Chair, Legal & General and Chair,
Barclays UK
- Tunde Olanrewaju, Senior Partner, McKinsey
- Professor Henry Overman, Professor of Economic Geography, LSE
- Henrik L. Pedersen, CEO, Associated British Ports
- Aislinn Rice, Non-Executive Director of Analytics Engines
- Roy Rickhuss, General Secretary, Community
-
, Shriti Vadera, Chair,
Prudential plc and Chair of The Royal Shakespeare Company
- Chris Grigg CBE, Chair of the National Wealth Fund (ex
officio)
- Richard Pennycook CBE, interim Chair of Skills England (ex
officio)
The Council will make and publish recommendations on the
development and implementation of the Industrial Strategy, a
cross-government strategy supported by engagement with
stakeholders. This will include an annual report which will be
laid before Parliament. My Cabinet colleagues and I will
carefully consider these recommendations. Focusing on
growth-driving sectors and how the pro-business environment can
help them thrive, the Council will also monitor and evaluate the
impact of policies, with data and analysis central to this
mission.
The Council will initially focus on supporting development of the
Industrial Strategy, including proposals to break down barriers
to growth. To achieve this, I have asked the Council to make
initial recommendations for consideration by the Chancellor and
me to inform discussions at the Growth Mission Board.
The Government has committed to work in partnership with the
devolved governments to make this strategy a UK-wide effort.
To underline our commitment to build the long-term certainty and
stability that businesses need to invest, we will legislate to
place the Council on a statutory footing as soon as Parliamentary
time allows.
On 14 October, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and I published a
consultation on our new, modern Industrial Strategy: a credible
10-year plan to deliver the certainty and stability businesses
need to invest in the high-growth sectors that will drive our
growth mission.
We also set out our vision to create a pro-business environment,
support high-potential clusters across the country and deliver
growth that is supportive of Net Zero, regional growth, and
economic security and resilience. I continue to work closely with
the Chancellor and my Cabinet colleagues to ensure we make it
simpler and easier for business to invest, thrive and grow.
The consultation underscores our intention across government, and
through the council, to design and implement the strategy in
lockstep with local leaders, mayors, and devolved leaders across
all corners of the UK.
The consultation closed on 25 November 2024. The Department for
Business and Trade and HM Treasury will now consider responses in
partnership with teams across government. The response to the
consultation will be integrated into the final Industrial
Strategy and growth-driving sector plans, to be published
alongside the Spending Review in 2025.
