Seminal Moment for Brighter Britain

Since, we posted our first ‘Brighter Britain blog https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/time-brighter-britain-helena-morrissey/, we have been greatly encouraged by the level of interest and support within the business and wider community around our theme ‘what can business do to help place Britain on a path to broader and sustained prosperity?’. Thank you for all the feedback and joining the conversation.

Clearly, the topic of how business can best contribute to a vibrant future for Britain has been just one element of the debate leading up to today’s General Election. The main parties offer very different headline policies for business, entrepreneurs, workers, investors and broader communities. Many commentators have expressed disappointment with the robustness of the detail and fact-checking underpinning these policies, rather than focusing on the main parties’ contrasting economic philosophies. The details are important of course but setting out the destination, the vision for a prosperous Britain, with more people sharing in that prosperity, is a more powerful rallying cry. Voters face a stark choice today and many business leaders (whether in small, medium or large companies) are hoping for a conclusive result irrespective of whether they voted to Remain or Leave in the 2016 Referendum. Businesses want political leadership with a clear vision and focus on uniting the nation rather than the recent ‘drift’ and divisions. Strong political leadership will provide our country and entrepreneurs more clarity to be able to plan for the next phases of their business growth.   

Even if we wake up to a decisive result tomorrow, businesses should not be complacent nor sit back and wait for government to set out everything for them. Business has a big role to play in determining the economic vision and actions that will help us move forward after a very divisive time for our country. Together with government – both national and local – business leaders and owners can help ensure that we move forwards with confidence, that involves clearly recognising that we need more wealth creation but that wealth needs to be shared more equitably.

Even after the arguments over the past few years, we can generally agree on what would be helpful for healthy, sustainable economic and wage growth. We need skills that are relevant (and to invest in home-grown British talent as well as take a sensible approach to positive immigration as the economy expands), the opportunity to apply those skills to earn a good living or generate profits, conditions that foster entrepreneurship, and consistent, simple and fair taxes to fund effective, excellent public services. Most importantly, we need hope, self-belief, security and a new sense of belonging and a clear aligned view of the Britain that we want to build. This is not something that any one community can deliver; it’s something that involves all of us.

In the immediate aftermath of the General Election result, there will undoubtedly be rapid political moves for the winners and losers. But while the main parties have sketched out their 100-day plans, we would commend their leaders to pause and invest time to explain the vision for Britain and place business as the wealth creators at the heart of a broader, more inclusive, more regional narrative.

This is a seminal moment for Britain. At the start of any new year, tradition has it that we meet to share a spirit of optimism and resolutions for better health and happiness. A new ‘roaring twenties’ could be the best decade yet for Britain as we shape our future, determined to celebrate what unites us, rather than dwell on our disagreements. That future needs to have businesses large and small playing their part driving the economy through pragmatic, specific actions to both grow profitably and share prosperity more widely and more equitably. It needs to be based on the inclusive, tolerant, open ethos that makes Britain loved and respected around the world. 

As we move into 2020, we intend to accelerate the ‘Brighter Britain’ movement to work hand in hand with like-minded optimists in the business community and government policy units to help shape the future for Britain where all can contribute and feel proud.

Stephen Kelly & Helena Morrissey