Presenting the business perspective on regional policy

Whitehall is obviously focused on Brexit and our future relationship with Europe. And we’ve had the end of one premiership and the beginning of another, only to be followed by a December general election. However, this past year, the CBI has been hedging its bets so to speak, by engaging with elected mayors of all political persuasions and laying the groundwork for what could be a busy year ahead on topics such as English devolution, the Industrial Strategy and the regional productivity gap.

Due to Brexit uncertainty and the General Election, parliamentary inquiries have launched, only to be put on hold. However, that hasn’t stopped us from laying the groundwork for when there’s renewed government capacity.

In May, we submitted evidence to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee inquiry, highlighting the importance of access to finance and Catapult Centres to encourage regional investment and growth. In August, we responded to the Treasury Selec