Business secretary says she supports stronger measures as details are published of former home secretary’s alleged deal with PM
Rishi Sunak has brushed aside reports that Reform UK, the fringe party challenging the Conservatives from the right, might be trying to poach his MPs.
As he arrived at Hampton Court this morning, Sunak was asked if he was worried about defections following the revelation that Lee Anderson, the deputy Tory chair, was approached by Reform UK.
My singular focus is driving growth and creating jobs across the UK. So I’m delighted that we’ve secured investments worth around £30 billion, three times the amount that was secured the last time this summit was held a little while ago.
And that comes on the back of a very positive autumn statement where we cut taxes for those businesses that are investing in our future growth and also the great announcements from Nissan last week, securing the future of that plant in Sunderland, building three new lines of the next generation of electric vehicles.
The evidence we have received reflects a picture of the UK rich in advantages: our language, our open and vibrant culture, our outstanding research base, the deeply embedded rule of law, the pull of London as one of the world’s great financial centres, and many other assets. However, the barriers outlined in this review, and the uncertainty they create, act like a tax on investment. We have heard time and again about government systems that are too often disorganised, risk-averse, siloed, and inflexible when it comes to the needs of modern investors … All too slow and cumbersome to compete in the modern world.
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