Greenlight for growth?

IN THIS EDITION OF VIEWPOINT:

• Popularity of Starmer and Labour government declines
• Government funding aims to unlock?brownfield land and 'get Britain building'
• Is this the next step towards UK energy independence?
• Tracy Brabin talks transport at Camargue Connects

With the Prime Minister’s popularity dipping, this week’s International Investment Summit was a chance to show style and substance on the promise of growth – and reassure both the public and private sector. Did it pay off?

The event brought together over 300 industry leaders with more than ￡60 billion of pledges and a wave of projects announced.?Shaking off an unhelpful weekend spat with DP World, the commitment of ￡1 billion to expand London Gateway Port was welcome.???

Held just weeks before Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first Budget, the summit emphasised private-public partnerships as key to the nation’s recovery.?Critics continue to point out the need for certainty on regulation and tax for businesses.?

Also announced on the eve of the summit was the hotly-anticipated Invest 2035 green paper, a precursor and consultation ahead of its full Industrial Strategy.?

Despite the focus on specialist manufacturing and life sciences, construction was “noticeably absent” from the paper – leading to questions on how Britain can get building without the skills and tools to do so.?Encouraging inflation figures will help the industry but the outlook remains uncertain, especially for SMEs.?

Optimists in Number 10 may feel they’re heading in the right direction – and doing a decent job of getting the attention back on its growth mission and away from accusations of cronyism. ?With rumours of an HS2 reincarnation circulating yesterday, and a Halloween Budget looming, the government will be hoping its season of shock and horrors is coming to a close.

Government funding for councils aims to unlock thousands of new homes

The government will deliver ￡68 million through the Brownfield Land Release Fund to 54 councils, which it hopes will enable 5,200 new homes to be built on neglected land across the country. ?

Source: gov.uk

Popularity of Starmer and government continues to decline

The latest Ipsos Political Pulse poll found that over half (52 per cent) of Britons have an unfavourable view towards the Prime Minister, while Labour's rating has dropped from +6 net favourability in July 2024 to -21 now.

Source: ipsos.com

New schemes could remove barriers to building energy storage infrastructure

A new 'Long Duration Electricity Storage investment support scheme' from government seeks to unlock billions in funding for vital renewable energy technologies - with the hope of creating jobs, reducing bills and bolstering UK energy security.

Source:?gov.uk

Over 5,000 jobs set to be created in Stansted Airport expansion

￡1.1 billion will be invested over five years to expand the existing terminal by a third, doubling the airport's economic contribution to the UK. Ministers welcomed the announcement made at Labour's International Investment Summit.

Source:?gov.uk

It's all coming up (Yorkshire) roses for transport

Metro Mayors are set to transform bus travel in many northern English cities, including the three within West Yorkshire. At our ‘Camargue Connects’ event in Leeds earlier this month, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, spoke with pride about her plans for publicly managed buses and a mass transit system in the region. She highlighted the impact it will have on the economy and quality of life.

Written by: Archie Wright-Beattie, Account Executive at Camargue

Read Our Blog

How do we fix the UK's housing problem?

As the UK reflects on Labour’s first 100 days in office, housing remains front and centre of the government’s agenda.

On this episode of the Camargue podcast Hetty Hopkinson is joined by Tim Collins, Group Corporate Affairs Director at Barratt Developments, and Dinny Shaw, Head of Planning at Places for People.

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