Press release: PM Meeting with Business Advisory Council: 4 June 2018

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

This afternoon the Prime Minister chaired the latest meeting of her Business Advisory Council at Downing Street.

The Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Business Secretary opened the roundtable by updating on the Modern Industrial Strategy following strong support at the last meeting in March.

The business leaders gave their support for recent announcements, including the PM’s speech on science at Jodrell Bank Observatory last month. This speech set out four ‘missions’ associated with each of the Industrial Strategy’s four Grand Challenges – future of mobility, healthy ageing, AI, and clean growth. These missions will galvanise public and private sector investment in the development and dissemination of new solutions to global problems, positioning the UK at the forefront of the industries of the future.

The Prime Minister then provided an update on the negotiations with the EU alongside the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, setting out plans to provide greater detail of the Future Relationship in a White Paper due to be published shortly. The business representatives expressed their support for this approach, which will build on information provided through the Prime Minister’s various speeches.

Finally, the Prime Minister invited the International Trade Secretary to discuss foreign investment into the UK and the opportunities and actions that Government and business should take to grow this in the coming years.

The meeting was also attended by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, Business Secretary, Greg Clark, the Brexit Secretary, David Davis and the Trade Secretary, Liam Fox.

Attendees

• Emma Walmsley, CEO, GlaxoSmithKline
• Jacqueline de Rojas CBE, techUK President
• Dave Lewis, Group Chief Executive, Tesco PLC
• Sacha Romanovitch, CEO, Grant Thornton UK LLP
• Robert Noel, Chief Executive, Landsec
  * Gavin Patterson, Chief Executive, BT Group PLC
  * Leo Quinn, Group Chief Executive, Balfour Beatty
  * Sir Roger Carr, Chairman, BAE Systems PLC
  * Dr Andy Palmer CMG, President & CEO, Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd
  * Dame Helena Morrissey CBE, Head of Personal Investing, Legal & General Investment Management
  * Paul Drechsler, President, CBI
  * Stephen Martin, Director General, Institute of Directors
  * Sir Gerry Grimstone, Chair, Standard Life Aberdeen PLC