HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Britain is Best Place for Investment – Gordon Brown [February 1999]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 5 February 1999.

In a unique series of ‘productivity roadshows’, Treasury and other Government ministers have toured every region of the country seeking views and listening to business. This ground- breaking consultation will help to inform Budget decisions on how the UK should address the productivity challenge.

Speaking at Coventry University’s TechnoCentre at the tenth and final Productivity Challenge Roadshow, Chancellor Gordon Brown and Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers hailed the roadshows as a major success, encouraging all business sectors to enter the debate.

The Chancellor said:

” Raising our productivity is not simply about working harder, it’s about working better – encouraging enterprise and innovation, increasing access to finance for investment, improving our education and our skills.

“Within our agenda for productivity, we are committed to investment in education, science and innovation and in our infrastructure to create a high productivity economy. Taken together with our sound public finances, low inflation and lower interest rates, this makes Britain the best place for investment for the future.

“We are determined that the extra 40 billion Pounds investment in health and education will deliver new standards, new targets and new disciplines. The long-term investment the country needs is being met with the additional 11 billion Pounds we are investing through the Private Finance Initiative.

“Businesses also need to invest in the skills of their employees with schemes such as Investors in People. The ‘them and us’ culture in British industry must be removed once and for all, and so we want to make it easier for all employees to become stakeholders in their companies. Employee commitment is a vital strength for companies competing and succeeding in the global economy.”