Burnham to Meet Business Chiefs to Set Out Growth Plan
Andy Burnham will meet the chief executives of BP, Shell, HSBC, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, BT, Vodafone and Rolls-Royce at Number 10 on Monday to discuss plans for economic growth.
Downing Street said the meeting would bring the prime minister together with bosses from energy, banking, retail, telecoms and manufacturing. Mr Burnham, who succeeded Sir Keir Starmer, is expected to use it to set out his approach to business and growth. BBC
He said the UK needs a "culture shift" in how it does business. Those who take risks in business should be backed by government, he said. People with a good idea should have confidence they will get support to bring it to life, he said.
He said the government would be "a partner for growth to make every part of Britain better off".
The broader context here is the guest list. It spans sectors most exposed to investment decisions on energy, infrastructure and high-street demand.
Mr Burnham put the same argument in plainer terms for business audiences. According to Bloomberg, he said Britain needs a "culture shift" to make it easier to start companies, and said he would back innovation. Bloomberg
He said local leaders should have the power to work with businesses. He said his devolution plans, meaning powers moved out of Westminster, can help deliver much-needed infrastructure. Reuters
Mr Burnham served as mayor of Greater Manchester, the elected leader for that city-region in England, before he returned to Parliament. He was the frontrunner to succeed Mr Starmer as prime minister. He said his blueprint would be based on his work as Greater Manchester mayor, and he has vowed to expand the economy by rewiring the British state.
The broader context here is a prime minister choosing to define growth through place as much as through Whitehall, the UK central government in London. The point to watch is the delivery mechanism. A growth offer routed through mayors and combined authorities, groups of councils working together, implies decisions on planning, transport and skills being taken closer to investors, with Number 10 acting as convenor.
Looking at what this means for business-government relations, the early test will be detail. Chief executives will listen for how partnership works in practice. That means permissions, grid connections, planning timelines and the reliability of local delivery bodies. The promise of confidence for people with ideas will be judged against those details, not the Monday statements.
