Theresa May continues to woo business groups with new forum to hear industry concerns
Theresa May’s attempts to woo the business world has gone up another notch with the creation of a special forum for boardroom leaders and government ministers.
The new initiative will see bosses from companies including Rolls-Royce Holdings, BT Group and ITV meet with the Prime Minister and senior cabinet figures twice a year to discuss key issues facing different industries.
The forum is the brainchild of William Vereker, the veteran banker who was drafted into Downing Street as a business envoy in the summer to patch up relations with the private sector.
The Conservative’s pro-business reputation has taken a battering in recent months, exemplified by former foreign secretary Boris Johnson’s reported “f*** business” remark when talking about criticism of Brexit.
Mike Cherry, chairman of Federation of Small Business, welcomed the initiative, saying: “FSB has met on several occasions with Number 10’s business envoy, William Vereker and we have welcomed the change of tone towards businesses from Downing Street, and hope this continues into the future.
“Our understanding is that a group of small business leaders will be set up to engage with Number 10 more closely and we are pleased to see that this has come at a time when the voice of businesses have never been more crucial.”
The reports of the forum came as May and business secretary Greg Clark held a meeting of the Industrial Strategy Council.
The chiefs of Siemens, John Lewis and BlackRock were among 20 business leaders at the meeting, which is chaired by the Bank of England’s Andy Haldane and scrutinises the progress of the government’s Industrial Strategy, published in November 2017.
May said: “This Council gathers some of the most influential figures in business, academia, and civil society. Together, they will share their expertise and skills to measure the progress of our strategy and ensure it is boosting people’s wages and improving productivity of British businesses.”