RISHI: Keep shopping and save British jobs
Chancellor backs the Express’s Brilliantly British campaign ‘ to safeguard jobs’
RISHI Sunak today backs our Brilliantly British campaign while heaping praise on UK retailers and manufacturers.
Talking exclusively to the Daily Express, the Chancellor said he had “been blown away by the determination and innovation of Britain’s businesses” after a difficult economic year due to the pandemic.
“Our country has been built by the hard work of Britain’s business owners and entrepreneurs,” he said. “Their shops, factories and markets are at the heart of every high street and community, and are vital to the success of our economy.”
Mr Sunak, whose support comes a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson endorsed the Express campaign, praised companies who have kept their order books flowing.
“From gin distillers brewing hand sanitisers to online course takers and fashionable face mask makers, now more than ever the producers, manufacturers and retailers who are safeguarding jobs need our support,” he said.
“That’s why I’m backing the Daily Express’s Brilliantly British campaign.”
Over the next two weeks, the Express is encouraging readers to buy British at the checkout and online. Every day we will highlight exceptional traders, retailers, manufacturers and growers who create their goods on home soil.
Our campaign is supported by UK membership organisations Make It British and Made In Britain, which both signpost British manufacturers on their websites. Many of the businesses listed in their directories will feature in our pages over the coming days but you can find even more on their websites.
Make It British founder Kate Hills, a former retail buyer who witnessed first- hand the rise of factories moving production abroad, knows only too well the importance of promoting home- grown brands.
“When you buy something made locally, it supports jobs in the UK and that’s something we need more than ever at the moment,” she told the Express.“Why buy something made in China and send your money over there? British goods are made to last and therefore offer great value for money.”
And buying at home is more than just an economic imperative, it fosters national pride and contributes to higher standards of practice, Ms Hills added. “Locally made means a smaller carbon footprint, especially true if you buy locally- made products with UK raw materials,” she said. “Our country also has strict regulations on everything from working conditions to waterways being kept pollution- free.”
The good news is that retail experts predict a move away from global supply chains. Made in Britain CEO John Pearce said he had seen an 80 per cent increase in accreditation requests for the use of a Made in Britain registered collective mark since April.
“One of the positives to have emerged from the crisis is the increased interest in products of British provenance,” he said. “This is why Made in Britain is building a product directory to showcase goods from all 1,450 members.”
The Chancellor told the Express he believes consumer goodwill can make a difference to British businesses now.
He said: “Since the start of the pandemic, this Government has done everything it can to support them through one of the toughest periods in our country’s history.
“We’ve pumped £ 280billion into measures designed to help firms weather the storm, such as the furlough scheme, VAT cuts, business rates holidays and generous cash grants. But our support can only do so much and we must all play a role in driving the recovery of this great nation.
“Buying British is just one way we can come together as a nation to get through this crisis. So with Christmas around the corner, I urge everyone to back their local British businesses... keep calm, and carry on shopping.”
Visit Makeitbritish.co.uk and madein-britain.org to find out more about how companies can achieve official accreditation