New Cabinet committee to tackle top government economic priority
Prime Minister Theresa May will chair the first meeting of new committee that will focus on delivering an economy that works for everyone.
A new Cabinet committee focused on delivering one of the government’s top 3 priorities – an economy that works for everyone, with a strong industrial strategy at its heart – will meet in Downing Street for the first time this afternoon.
The Prime Minister will chair the committee underlining the importance that she attaches to building on the strong fundamentals of the British economy and ensuring that everyone who works hard is able to enjoy wage growth, job security and opportunities to progress.
The new committee, which will bring together Secretaries of State from more than 10 government departments, will help to drive forward an industrial strategy that will aim to put the United Kingdom in a strong position for the future, promoting a diversity of industrial sectors and ensuring the benefits of growth are shared across cities and regions up and down the country.
In particular, it will focus on addressing long-term productivity growth, encouraging innovation and focusing on the industries and technologies that will give the UK a competitive advantage.
Speaking ahead of the committee meeting, Prime Minister Theresa May said:
As I said on my first day as Prime Minister, I will govern for the whole United Kingdom, and we will look to build an economy that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.
That is why we need a proper industrial strategy that focuses on improving productivity, rewarding hard-working people with higher wages and creating more opportunities for young people so that, whatever their background, they go as far as their talents will take them. We also need a plan to drive growth up and down the country, from rural areas to our great cities.
If we are to take advantages of the opportunities presented by Brexit, we need to have our whole economy firing. That’s why this committee’s work is of the highest priority, and we will be getting down to work immediately.
Full list of members of the Economy and Industrial Strategy Cabinet Committee:
- Prime Minister
- Chancellor of the Exchequer
- Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
- Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
- Secretary of State for Health
- Secretary of State for the Environment
- Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
- Secretary of State for International Trade
- Secretary of State for Education
- Secretary of State for Defence
- Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
- Secretary of State for Transport