POLITICS


If we don’t get the basics right, we might as well hang a ‘closed’ sign at the border


The Government is being urged to take a leaf out of a former Prime Minister’s book in the countdown to Brexit. The Rt Hon John Major, in a speech made in


October 1993 – 25 years ago - said: “We must go back to basics.” He said he wanted “our children to be taught


the best, our public services to give the best and British industry to be the best”. Chris Hobson, Director of Policy at the


Chamber, said: “Today, more than ever before, we would agree with those sentiments. “While getting Brexit right is vital to the


future of UK plc, it will pale into insignificance if we don’t get the basics right first. “You can’t build without the proper


foundations so it is essential that Government doesn’t turn its back on domestic issues while focusing on our eventual exit from the EU. “We have to have a country that is not just


fit for business beyond Brexit but is manifestly seen to be open for business. “Now is the time to put potholes before


politics, broadband before Brexit, education and innovation before the EU.” Addressing the British Chambers of


Commerce annual conference last month, Director General Adam Marshall reminded Government that the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the UK business community, and the country, were not related to exiting the EU but to the fundamentals in the domestic environment. In his keynote speech,


he called on Government not to let Brexit overshadow all the issues in the domestic environment that need urgent attention to boost confidence, improve productivity and create jobs. To equip the country for


future success, he said the fundamentals must be fixed first, including funding repairs to local roads, improving capacity of railways and airports, building more houses, ridding the UK of mobile phone ‘not-spots’, stabilising the training and apprenticeship systems and delivering a clear and easy-to-use immigration system.


34 business network April 2018


Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, Adam Marshall


He also called for a bigger, more optimistic


vision for the future of the UK, a national sense of mission to unite the efforts of business, Government and the public at large with a real sense of purpose. Adam also warned about the importance of a


thriving private sector and defending private enterprise and wealth creation. He said: "I want to talk about the choices that our leaders must make right here in the UK. The choices that are in our own hands. The issues that are currently being overlooked. The practical, pragmatic UK agenda that will unlock investment and a brighter, more prosperous future. “Business knows that success so


often depends on getting the basics right first. The same holds true for the UK economy. It’s time for Westminster to join us in


focusing on the basics by addressing the less flashy things that always seem to


fall between the cracks. We must equip this country for future success – by fixing the fundamentals first. “Successive Governments have acknowledged


that more could be done to get the basics right for business. Indeed, the current Government’s developing Industrial Strategy is up-front about


The Government cannot let Brexit negotiations overshadow domestic issues, such as transport, infrastructure and job creation


many of these challenges. Yet the leadership and the infrastructure simply aren’t there to make change happen.” On the need for a national mission, Adam


said: “There is a real hunger coming from businesses across the UK for real leadership and vision. Businesses want to see a radical, optimistic vision for the future of the UK. The reason is simple - they want something to get behind, such as a national sense of mission that unites the efforts of business, Government and the public at large with a real sense of purpose. “There are those who would argue that Brexit is


that mission but they have entirely missed the point. Brexit is a process, not an outcome. It has been allowed, by Government and opposition alike,


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