The next government must set the UK on course to tackle the biggest challenges of our day: giving every young person the skills for a changing world; reducing the blight of inequality across our country; and tackling the climate crisis. This will require a more inclusive form of capitalism than ever before, and business is ready to play its full part, the CBI has said.
Launching ‘A Programme for Prosperity’, the CBI’s manifesto for all party leaders, CBI Director-General Carolyn Fairbairn said:
“Whoever is in power after the election, the top priority must be to work with business to provide bolder, better and fairer answers to the challenges facing our country.
“We simply cannot afford another wasted year of political paralysis, indecision and distraction while productivity and investment suffer.”
Stressing the importance of ‘building long-term solutions to long-term problems’, the manifesto outlines steps the next government should take to unlock the UK’s competitiveness, including:
- Addressing day-to-day concerns that have been neglected, including unreformed business rates, fixing the broken apprenticeship levy and completing vital infrastructure projects including HS2 and Heathrow
- Establishing a new immigration system which provides access to labour and skills, focuses on contribution, not numbers, and gives business time to adapt
- Committing to raise UK R&D expenditure to at least 2.4% of GDP by 2027 and set out a timeframe to increase this to 3% over the longer-term
- Making 2020 a year of action on long term challenges, including a cross-party strategy for achieving Net Zero including heating and transport; a new business/government partnership on the scale of Beveridge to reskill 9 million people by 2030; and a recommitment to local industrial strategies and devolution to tackle regional inequality
- Creating an evidence-based policy environment for investment backed by sound, sustainable public finances.
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