Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair the first meeting of the new Business Council established to work with government to fuel Covid-19 economic recovery and future growth plans. The Council was launched by Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak. The Build Back Better Council will bring together a broad range of business leaders to work in partnership with the government to unlock investment, boost job creation, promote Global Britain and level up the whole of the UK.
The Council will have 30 members representing industries from retail and hospitality, to finance, science and technology. It will be co-chaired by the Prime Minister and Chancellor, with the Business Secretary as a standing member, and other Cabinet Ministers attending as required – the Trade Secretary will join the first meeting.
At the first meeting, which will take place virtually, the Prime Minister will update leaders on the current Covid-19 situation, including the vaccine roll-out, as well as plans to rebuild the economy after the crisis has passed. Council members will share their views on the economy, provide a commercial perspective on policy and highlight obstacles and solutions to economic recovery.
Whilst recognising that the short term will be difficult, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor are committed to making sure that we will be ready to kickstart our economy as soon as we can, so vital work continues across government on supporting job creation, improving skills, opening up new investment, cementing the UK’s position as a science superpower, delivering a once in a generation investment programme in infrastructure, launching a green industrial revolution and enabling our entrepreneurs to scale their businesses.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: We know the best way to rebuild our economy is to beat Covid which is why we have invested billions in new vaccines and a national testing operation so that we can reopen the economy safely as soon as possible in the future. But despite this we – like many other countries – face a huge economic challenge. And as we recover from this crisis it won’t be enough to just go back to normal – our promise will be to Build Back Better and level up opportunity for people and businesses across the UK.
This Council will ensure that government and businesses continue to work closely together. It will provide an important forum for frank feedback on our recovery plans and will help ensure the steps we are taking are the right ones. The Council will meet quarterly, but with further meetings agreed with the Prime Minister and Chancellor if required. Each member is appointed to the Council for a term of 12 months.
