POLITICS


No surprises at Westminster


Dr Adam Marshall, Director General at the British Chambers of Commerce, gives us his perspective on politics today.


If the past few years in Westminster have taught me anything, it’s that anything can happen, and not to be surprised when it does. In recent months, we have seen the triggering


of Article 50, setting in motion the undertaking of negotiations to leave the European Union, and the calling of a General Election that surprised the nation (and an election result that surprised many even more). The business communities I represent


generally get on with the business in hand, and don’t concern themselves with the machinations of the Westminster bubble, or the minutiae of Brexit negotiations. However, they do react when the ‘mood music’ coming out of Government fosters uncertainty, especially if they feel that their concerns are being ignored – and the twists and turns of the election cycle were certainly hard to tune out. Business communities, both here in the East Midlands and across the UK, were dismayed that discussion and debate around enterprise and the economy were conspicuously absent throughout the General Election campaign. Firms felt frustrated that their role as


generators of employment, investment and wealth was getting such short shrift – especially when manifesto commitments were bandied about during the campaign that would have relied on increasing the tax take from the business community. Yet despite all this, the election result has


presented Theresa May and her Government with the opportunity to reset their relationship with the business community. Slowly and surely, there has been an acknowledgement by Government that it must work with industry, not only on how best to extricate ourselves from the European Union, but also on the need to get the fundamentals right here at home. This was manifested through an almost


unprecedented level of activity across various departments before Government departed for the summer recess. Parliament saw the start of the debate


on the Government’s EU Withdrawal Bill – also known as the Great Repeal Bill – bringing all EU law on to the UK statute books. Businesses await clarity across a


range of technical and regulatory issues, which is particularly important if we are to have day-one certainty once we leave the European Union. This has been followed in recent weeks by a


series of position papers on different aspects of the Brexit negotiations. These papers have given firms a degree of


breathing space in their planning, and the Government must ensure that a smooth transition to any new arrangements occurs. We have also been very clear to Government


that businesses will not tolerate multiple adjustment costs as we leave the EU – and we will continue to lobby strongly to achieve that. There was also an announcement by


the Home Secretary empowering the independent Migration Advisory Committee to look objectively at the UK’s requirements for a future immigration system after March 2019. Rather than adopt an arbitrary


line and target, changes to the system must be based on firm


evidence, and input from employers. Our survey work has consistently shown that


skills shortages plague businesses of all sizes and sectors and while the civic businesses that form the Chamber Network take pride in their local area, and want to hire from there, they often have to resort to looking internationally to find the staff they need. The movement in rhetoric from the Home


Office in recent months – from arbitrary targets to a detailed look at what businesses need - is very welcome and testament to our collective efforts to establish a stronger relationship with Amber Rudd and her team. Not every move has been positive, however, with a mixed bag in policy announcements regarding transport projects. We were pleased to see


positive commitments to the HS2 route, the construction of which will spur welcome investment and jobs creation, many in skilled positions. The new Aviation


‘There is now a real, cross-party opportunity to build a long-term Industrial Strategy that focuses on unleashing the potential of places, with all their natural advantages, all across the UK’


28 business network September 2017


Dr Adam Marshall, Director General at the British Chambers of Commerce


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