“The Prime Minister and the Chancellor chaired the first meeting of
the new Build Back Better Business Council this afternoon. The
Business Secretary, Trade Secretary and Vaccines Minister also
attended the meeting.
“The Prime Minister opened by thanking the businesses for their
efforts throughout the pandemic, highlighting the importance of
businesses and government continuing to work together.
“He updated the Council members on the vaccine roll-out, with the
Chancellor reiterating that the single most important economic
policy for the here and now is rolling out the vaccine as quickly
as possible.
“The Prime Minister spoke about how the steps we have taken in
the pandemic have rightly focussed on the need to shield our
economy from the deepest economic downturn in centuries, however,
we also need to look ahead to our economic recovery and the wider
task of renewing the UK.
“The Prime Minister outlined the need to seize opportunities of
Brexit, support job creation, cement the UK’s position as a
science superpower, deliver an upgrade to infrastructure and
launch a green industrial revolution – ensuring that we build
back better, fairer, greener, and faster.
“The Chancellor laid out the three key pillars of the
government’s plan to drive growth beyond the pandemic: investing
in infrastructure, skills and innovation. He set out that
improved infrastructure leads to improved productivity, skills
are the single best way to drive human productivity and key in
addressing regional disparity, and investment in innovation is
critical to deliver new growth, ideas and services.
“The Council discussed the government’s plan and offered their
individual perspectives on the best ways to promote economic
recovery and growth going forwards. The Council agreed to
continue to provide feedback on the proposal in the coming months
and consider the role that businesses can play.
“The Business Secretary gave an update on the Better Regulation
Cabinet Committee, reinforcing how this would be about improving
standards and fostering a more supportive business environment.
The Trade Secretary spoke about the Office for Investment and the
work government is doing to identify and encourage investment
into the UK.
“The Prime Minister closed the meeting by thanking the businesses
for their great ideas and committed to working closely with them
in the future to draw upon the members’ collective expertise.”
