Opinion CHAMBER LINK


The Official Publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of commerce


Editor’s View


By John Lamb


It’s good to see that the Commonwealth is back in the limelight. It never went away of course but, post-Brexit, there is now an even bigger focus on engaging with the 53 countries that are part of it. Among the more important partners for British business is India. Between 2000 and 2015, the UK


was the third largest investor in India, while India – which invests more in the UK than the rest of the EU combined – has emerged as the third largest source of foreign direct investment for the UK. So continuing to promote close links with India is a no-brainer, especially when you consider that


last year bilateral trade in goods and services between India and the UK was £16.55 billion. India has emerged as the world’s fastest growing big economy, expanding by more than 7.5 per


Sutton Coldfield


Chamber of Commerce


cent in 2015, and its developing innovation economy was being highlighted at a special summit in New Delhi this month when Indian government ministers will be guest speakers. Meanwhile, Midland businesses could find


new export opportunities to Commonwealth countries by attending a major international conference in Birmingham in October. This new impetus for trade with Commonwealth countries is being take up by the Commonwealth


‘The world in the shape of the Commonwealth may now become our oyster, if not our pattie’


Front cover Sir John Peace, chairman of the Midlands Engine, pictured with the City of Birmingham steam locomotive at Think Tank See page 8


Editor John Lamb 0121 607 1781, 0797 1144064 j.lamb@birmingham-chamber.com


Deputy Editor Dan Harrison 0121 607 1887, 0797 1144052 d.harrison@birmingham-chamber.com


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Association, established under the chairmanship of Keith Stokes-Smith, which promotes business and trade; education; culture; community; sport and local government. Ambitions for business links with the Commonwealth are strong and being backed by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, its satellite the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce and UKTI. And Birmingham City Council is throwing its weight into the mix by acting as coordinator of the


Commonwealth Inclusive Cities Network (ICN), working with its 16 partner cities from Vancouver to Brisbane to exchange good practice, relating to young people, employment and education. Hopefully the government will support a pledge by Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid, who, as business


secretary in David Cameron’s Government, pledged in a post-Brexit announcement to boost the strength of the Government’s trade specialists by taking on extra staff. Javid, now communities secretary following a Cabinet reshuffle by new prime minister Theresa May,


outlined his vision for what a future trade relationship between the UK and India might look like outside the EU (see pages 24 and 25). But everything does not stop at India. Trade missions to the US, China, Japan and South Korea are


planned by UK officials over the coming months. So the world in the shape of the Commonwealth may now become our oyster, if not our pattie. As a


result of a UKTI-backed trade mission to Jamaica, Birmingham-based Cleone Food, founded by Wade Lynn, secured two major contracts for his Jamaican patties. All this has provided a backdrop for a major conference in Birmingham on 18 October. ‘Roadmap to


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Trading with the Commonwealth” will be explored at a conference, focussing on the optimisation of global trading opportunities. The message is – the Commonwealth is back…


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CHAMBERLINK is produced on behalf of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge. The Chambers and the publisher are committed to achieving the highest quality standards. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information it contains is accurate, neither the Chambers nor the publisher can accept any responsibility for any omission or inaccuracies that might arise. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Chambers. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format without prior written permission of Kemps Publishing Ltd.


4 CHAMBERLINK September 2016 Patrons


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