Logistics UK Finance Forum 2024: Leading economist calls on new government to focus on three key areas for business

Speaking at Logistics UK’s second Logistics Finance Forum in central London earlier this week (9 July 2024), Hellem shared the CBI’s assessment of the UK’s economic outlook at the dawn of Labour’s term of government, as well as its key asks of the new administration.

“To build momentum in the first 100 days, there are three areas that we're calling on the government to really focus on,” she said. “The first is to ensure it provides a much clearer vision and more predictability for business through adopting a robust industrial strategy.

“The second is to get the basics right for the business environment, providing more stability and certainty around the tax system by sharing a tax road map and unlocking investment in the UK by removing some of the blockers, such as planning.

“The third area is to increase labour productivity by encouraging a greater adoption of AI and thinking about reforming the skills landscape, for example by reviewing the Apprenticeship Levy and reducing the ill health of the UK’s workforce by supporting employers in safeguarding the health and wellbeing of their employees.

“Hopefully that gives you a good overview of where we are in the economy right now and some of those trends that you might see going forward,” Hellem said by way of conclusion.

“Particularly some of those areas of focus that you might expect from the new government, but also some of the challenges that they may face.”

The Logistics Finance Forum brought together industry and academic experts from across logistics at RSA House.

Chaired by Logistics UK President Phil Roe, the conference covered a range of mega trends affecting the industry, including merger and acquisition activity, the role of technology, Environment Social Governance (ESG) strategy, alternative fuels and cyber security.

Published On: 11/07/2024 15:15:00

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