Verge of golden age
The UK is on the verge of a golden age of infrastructure development, and will succeed if it is backed up by a pro-enterprise partnerships between government and businesses according to the CBI.
Speaking at the National Infrastructure Forum, the head of the UK’s largest business group said that the UK has the chance to unlock a boom in infrastructure building, from runways and railways to energy and digital, not seen since the Victorian era.
The CBI welcomed the government’s pre-election commitments to the strategic importance of infrastructure and seeks a post-election push to deliver new homes, easier commutes and a stronger economy. This must be underpinned by an immigration system that both allows investment to flow into the UK and helps get these projects built, at the same time as earning public confidence.
Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI director-general, said, ‘We have an opportunity, and an urgent need, to turn our attention from the politics of recent weeks to the economics of the next five years.
‘We need government policies which keep us open to the world, setting out a pro-market, pro-enterprise vision. On Brexit, skills, innovation and – crucially – infrastructure.
‘Infrastructure is at the heart of productivity growth, so across the country this really can be a golden age of infrastructure.’
