Nowhere can be left behind in the quest for economic growth, says CBI Director General Tony Danker.
Watch the speech in full
Delivering economic growth in every place in the UK will be the determining factor in the success or failure of the government's levelling up agenda, said CBI Director General Tony Danker.
Kicking off this year's CBI Annual Conference at the Port of Tyne, he highlighted the opportunity ahead for the UK if the country turns itself around from decades of "living with the consequences" of "benign neglect" and "an economic policy that was ambivalent about levelling down".
This year's conference is taking place over eight locations across the country - and Danker used the opening speech to launch the CBI's Centre for Thriving Regions, designed to coordinate the private sector's commitment to levelling up.
Transcript - Checked against delivery
Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the CBI’s 2021 Annual Conference. It is such an honour to address you for the first time as Director General.
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