Commenting ahead of the Prime Minister’s speech in the West Midlands, in which he will announce a ‘New Deal for Britain’ today, BCC Director General Adam Marshall said:
“The infrastructure delivery plans announced by the Prime Minister are welcome, but they must take shape on the ground swiftly to give a real confidence boost to businesses and communities.
“The government must go even further over the coming days to rekindle business and consumer confidence, as part of a wider roadmap to economic recovery. This is a critical moment, and business communities need this government to be bolder than any previous government has ever been.
“In his first inaugural speech, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, ‘We must act, and act quickly’. The same holds true in Britain today.”
Boris Johnson will promise to “build build build” as he unveils government plans to soften the economic impact of coronavirus.
Speaking in the West Midlands, the prime minister will say he wants to use the coronavirus crisis “to tackle this country’s great unresolved challenges”.
As part of a “new deal”, Mr Johnson will set out plans to accelerate £5bn on infrastructure projects.
In April, the UK economy shrunk by a record 20.4% as a result of the spread of coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown measures.
Aiming to emulate the New Deal policies of the depression-era American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mr Johnson will say he wants a government that “puts its arms around people at a time of crisis”.
In the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, President Roosevelt launched one of the largest, most expensive US government programmes which included building schools, hospitals and dams.
In a bid to boost the country’s financial outlook, Mr Johnson will pledge to put jobs and infrastructure at the centre of the government’s economic growth with a commitment to “build, build, build”.
Mr Johnson will say he wants to use the coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to “to build the homes, to fix the NHS, to tackle the skills crisis, to mend the indefensible gap in opportunity and productivity and connectivity between the regions of the UK”.
“Too many parts of this country have felt left behind, neglected, unloved, as though someone had taken a strategic decision that their fate did not matter as much as the metropolis.
“And so I want you to know that this government not only has a vision to change this country for the better, we have a mission to unite and level up.”
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