Throw open the doors to No10 so business can thrive

Johnson has a rare chance to recast the relationship between government and Britain’s private sector

The relationship between government and business is often full of creative tension, and both sides have a tendency to underappreciate how much they rely on each other.

There can be no doubt that relations have been particularly strained in the past three and a half years since the Brexit vote. However, in the next decade the two sides are going to need each other more than ever.

How business and government engage effectively at the top level has been a challenge for some time; I have sat on both sides of the fence as a senior member of the Institute of Directors and a special adviser to the Prime Minister. It is difficult to get the structure and balance right. Appoint the same 20 chief executives to sit on a board to advise the Prime Minister every three months and it ends up becoming a short-term lobbying forum where they say the same thing each time. Try to rotate personnel to keep it fresh and there is no consistency to the conversation, which achieves little impact or satisfaction for either side.

There is also the challenge of making sure you include the entire business arc, different industries, sectors, regions, as well as private companies and small firms too.

The system that was put in place at the start of the year was of five councils consisting of 15 individuals each, split along sector lines. In this new format, business leaders have had to think in detail about what they want changed and specifically how to do it, rather than bland and generic statements about needing more skills and infrastructure.

These councils have had real impact, leading to a number of policies that have already been implemented in quite a short time frame, such as an improvement to the Leeds to Manchester rail link that was announced in the summer.

As we approach the Twenties with a decisive Government, there is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to recast the approach of how the top levels of government and business engage. This new structure could allow the Prime Minister to harness some of the best business and scientific minds, and allow business leaders to have real input into strategic policymaking. Together they can tackle some of the most challenging aspects of the coming decade.

On Monday Feb 3, the first working day after Britain has left the EU, the Prime Minister should throw open the door to No10, invite 200 business leaders in, and ask them to brainstorm on what the country needs.

He should invite them from all over the country and the world. There is amazing talent on hand. People such as Ben Francis, the 27-year-old entrepreneur from Solihull who has built a £120m sportswear business; Graeme Malcolm, whose Glasgowbased firm M Squared is leading the way in quantum research and lasers; and Izzy Obeng, whose Foundervine is inspiring entrepreneurs from black and ethnic minority communities across the UK. Put all these brilliant minds in a room for a day and get them to pitch at the PM and Chancellor what they want and need from government.

The Prime Minister should then restructure his councils around the great challenges of the next decade, as opposed to sectors, where the Government will need business to help achieve its aims. Boris Johnson may have campaigned and won on the slogan of “get Brexit done”, but make no mistake, he will want to harness the opportunities of Brexit and the ways it can benefit the blue wall of seats he has won in the North.

Bold challenges that could be explored – the future of work, sustainability, and how to reinvigorate the high street – should be led by him. He has a personal interest in all of these areas and he could get business leaders fired up like no other.

There is also an international challenge. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has laid it on pretty

‘The Prime Minister can harness the best business and scientific minds … to tackle some of the most challenging aspects of the next decade’

thick with chief executives since his election. Barely a week went by in the three years I was in Downing Street during which I did not get a phone call saying, “you’ll never guess who the French president has had over this week”, as he courted businesses to move across the Channel. Fair play to Macron and his remarkable legionnaire of business advisers: we rolled out the red carpet for French companies when François Hollande put up extraordinary high levels of tax. All is fair in love, war, business and Brexit, you might say.

However, there is now an opportunity for Downing Street to fight back. It has the ability to convene and spotlight impressive companies, and Johnson can encapsulate a refreshing sense of entrepreneurial optimism as we look towards life outside the EU.

To come back to the regions where the PM will have relentless focus, he should begin a monthly pitch at No10, asking the brightest entrepreneurs from across the UK to come in and present their business ideas, and potentially pairing them up with mentors. The best ideas should be invited to an international showcase for global businesses – it could almost be a Royal Variety-style show for British firms. What better way to showcase the opportunities of Brexit Britain, to the country and the world?

Jimmy Mcloughlin is a former adviser to Theresa May and Boris Johnson who worked in Downing Street from 2016-19