Crown copyrightA new business council has been appointed by the Prime Minister to report from the ‘business frontlines’ as the Government strives to ensure stability and boost growth across the UK economy.
Chief executives from AstraZeneca, NatWest Group and BAE Systems are among the 14 business leaders joining the council, alongside SSE, Google Deepmind, Sainsbury’s and Vodafone. Other companies represented on the council include GSK, Aviva, Shell, Sage, Taylor Wimpey, Diageo and Barclays.
These business leaders are recognised as trusted experts in their respective fields and are in charge of some of the country’s largest employers in strategically important industries for UK growth — from construction, life-sciences and tech to financial services and energy. Together, they employ around 330,000 people across the country, with an even greater reach throughout their supply chain and a presence globally too.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The more businesses innovate and invest, the more we grow and create good jobs right across the country. I look forward to hearing first-hand from business leaders about how we can break down the barriers they face and unlock new opportunities for them to thrive. My new business council is one of the many ways we are making the UK the best place to do business and invest, so we can future-proof and grow our economy.”
The council will meet today (18 July) in Downing Street, chaired by the Prime Minister and will be followed by a reception for around 100 businesses to celebrate British enterprise.
BAE Systems CEO Charles Woodburn: “It is more important than ever that government and industry work closely together and as one of the UK’s largest employers, playing a key role in supporting national security as well as economic prosperity, I am looking forward to discussing how we can help drive growth and attract investment into the UK as part of the new Business Council.”