Stephen Phipson, Chief Executive of Make UK, on what the Conservative majority government means for UK manufacturing
I would like to congratulate Boris Johnson and the Conservatives on winning the election and securing a clear mandate. Uncertainty and delay have caused great damage and manufacturers will hope this result means that the skies can now begin to clear.
The recent focus on Brexit and the absence of bandwidth in Government has meant that there has been little movement on many vital policy issues and there remains work to do before industry can turn on the taps of investment.
The first job is the urgent need to begin negotiations on our future trading relationship with Europe, cementing frictionless trade, access to key skills, regulatory alignment and space for business to prepare for new arrangements. Manufacturing exports are one of the powerhouses of our economy and we must allow them to flourish.
At the same time we call on the Prime Minister to set out a vision for the future of our economy which allies a re-invigorated plan for modern industrial transformation and growth with how we are going to tackle the immense societal challenges such as digitisation and climate change.
Today is a new start and we hope that the Prime Minister and his Government get down to work with a matter of urgency to promote growth, investment and skilled jobs across the whole of the UK. We stand ready to work together in partnership to achieve these aims.