Building a Britain that thrives on tech and talent

Yesterday we had a glimpse of some of the changes we might expect post Brexit, as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, Matthew Hancock MP, spoke at think-tank Reform about his priorities for Britain in the wake of the EU Referendum result.

As news filtered through that Andrea Leadsom was to withdraw from the Conservative Party leadership race, paving the way for Theresa May to become Prime Minister, Hancock told a packed meeting in Westminster that it was incumbent upon all of us, whether we voted for Remain or Leave, to abide by the Referendum result and plot the best possible future for Britain outside the EU.  

The hope, now, is that we can crack on with the monumental task of figuring out how to enable Britain to thrive outside the EU. Clearly it’s still too early to predict precisely Government policy post-Brexit. However, we were encouraged by Hancock highlighting priorities aimed at building a country that must “thrive on tech & talent”, rather than recreating the economy of yesterday.

Echoing May’s unifying message, Hancock spoke of backing the ‘disruptors’ – the innovative SMEs and hi-tech industries for example – but also of supporting the ‘disrupted’. If Hancock and his allies get their way we might expect lower corporation tax, a more robust competition policy and a smarter, lighter regulatory environment. But we’re also likely to see Government taking action to reign in corporate excess and being prepared to intervene to support industries and regions if they are struggling, to quote our 2016 research theme, to ‘surf the waves of disruption’.

TechMarketView subscription clients can read more – including anaylsis on the role of the State and the importance of digital skills and data post Brexit - in our UKHotViewsExtra article published today, Hancock: Building a Britain that thrives on tech & talent.

Posted by Tola Sargeant at '09:47' - Tagged: policy