Chamber business leaders from across the United Kingdom
have today (Tuesday) written to the Prime Minister calling
for a renewed focus on tackling the barriers to growth and
investment in the United Kingdom - and a radical plan for
action.
Gathered today in Manchester, Chamber business leaders
are calling on the Prime Minister to balance the importance
of securing the best possible deal with the EU with the urgent
need to set out a compelling vision for UK growth and a bold set
of domestic policies to fix the fundamentals at home.
Business communities throughout the UK are concerned about
perceived inaction in Westminster and Whitehall on key domestic
economic matters - where attention and swift action are needed
for the UK to succeed after it leaves the EU.
Writing on behalf of the 53 accredited Chambers of
Commerce from every region and nation of the UK, Dr Adam
Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce
(BCC), says:
“Our future success depends not just on Brexit negotiations, but
also on the big economic decisions that must be made here in the
UK. It is time, Prime Minister, for you to set out a compelling,
pro-enterprise and pro-growth vision for the future, and a bold
set of domestic policies to make it happen.
“It is time for you to tell business communities across the UK
how your government will act – fast – to stabilise the faltering
training and apprenticeship system and give clarity on migration
rules, as businesses face unprecedented labour and skills
shortages all across the country.
“It is time for visible action to rebuild our rutted and potholed
roads, to use the resources of the state to build more homes, and
to speed up the delivery of airport, rail and energy
upgrades.
“It is time to eliminate the significant gaps in mobile and
digital connectivity that continue to strangle business
productivity and UK competitiveness – the central theme of our
‘No More Not Spots’ campaign.
“It is time to set a new mandate for HMRC and economic regulators
to support, rather than pursue and punish, the small and
medium-sized firms that can drive future growth, and focus their
enforcement activities on the small number of companies pursuing
questionable practices that are ultimately paid for by the rest.
“After decades of delay and incremental change, it is time to
tackle the huge costs and complexities of the UK tax system,
which actively discourage investment, risk-taking, and the
stronger export performance we all want to see.
“And it is time for your government to deliver a far more
explicit blueprint to support economic growth in all regions and
nations – including greater local decision-making, away from the
centralising instincts of Westminster and the devolved
administrations.
“Prime Minister, the many thousands of firms we collectively
represent are clear: business as usual is not good enough at a
time of significant uncertainty. A concerted drive to ‘fix the
fundamentals’ would unlock business confidence and investment –
and set the UK on a path to long-term growth, alongside a
comprehensive settlement between the UK and EU.”
