Industrial Britain 2.0

SIR – How delighted I was to see Emma Bridgewater highlighting Britain’s skills crisis, and the lack of support for manufacturing (report, March 12).

Our politicians routinely pay lip service to the need for such support, but promptly forget about it once they are in a position to do something.

She is also right to point to snobbishness as a significant factor. Science is seen as somehow pure and intellectual, whereas industry with a practical flavour is considered inferior.

The fact that Oxford University failed to appoint a chair of engineering until the 20th century – despite the Industrial Revolution – surely speaks volumes.

However, it is not just politicians and educationalists who are at fault. The City, too, has much to answer for, with its fixation on property and guaranteed short-term profits, which militate against serious industrial investment.

It is time for a sea change in attitudes all round if we are to make our way successfully in the rough times that lie ahead.