Now, as we leave the European Union, I believe we can show the way forward again.
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/1046.html
First, for as long as we are members of the EU, we will continue to lead the way in pressing for an ambitious EU trade agenda, just as we have done in supporting the very welcome recent EU-Canada deal.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/1046.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/1046.html
Second, as we leave the European Union, we will also use the strength and size of our economy to lead the way in getting out into the world and doing new business with old allies and new partners alike. We will use the freedoms that come from negotiating with partners directly, to be flexible, to set our own rules and forge new and dynamic trading agreements that work for the whole UK.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/1046.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/1046.html
That is also why, in our negotiations on leaving the European Union, we are not trying to replicate the deal that any other country has with the EU. And we are not going for an off-the-shelf solution.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/1046.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/1046.html
All of us here tonight know that there is not some choice between hard Brexit and soft Brexit. It is about how business and government works together to get the best deal; the right deal for Britain and the right deal for businesses working across the continent.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/1046.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/1046.html
But third, to be the true global champion of free trade in this new modern world, we also need to do something to help those families and communities who can lose out from it.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/1046.html
So government cannot afford to take a hands-off approach. We have to act to ensure that the prosperity delivered by free trade and free markets is shared by all.
That’s why in Britain we are developing a new industrial strategy that will seek to ensure working people in every part of the country can really benefit from the opportunities that trade brings.
There are people with great new businesses, and brilliant new inventions in every part of this country. Huge untapped potential.
So our new modern industrial strategy will back the strengths of every area: their great universities; their clusters of dynamic businesses; their fast growing start-ups, so that all parts of our country and all parts of our society see the benefits of growth.
This won’t be about propping up failing industries or picking winners – that is the job of competition and free markets. It will be about getting Britain firing on all cylinders again by creating the conditions where winners can emerge and grow, across all sectors, in all parts of the country and for the benefit of all.
And I believe this can be a template that other nations can follow.
As I argued at my first G20 summit earlier this year, we need every nation – developed and developing – to ensure that the benefits of trade are fairly shared. This will not just be good for them; it will enhance our own prosperity, too. And it will be fundamental in maintaining global support for the free trade and open markets that we believe in.
So, there is a clear role for governments. But businesses have an important role to play in this new future, too.
If you listen to some of my political opponents, you would be forgiven for thinking that business is part of the problem. I am clear that for a global Britain to thrive in a global economy, business is part of the solution.
The economic recovery since the financial crisis almost a decade ago has shown what business can achieve, with a record number of people in work and more businesses than ever.
And business is also at the forefront of driving social change around the world, as I saw first-hand on my visit to India last week, with British businesses like Kano using technology to teach children to code; and Oxford Nanopore, specialists in gene sequencing, whose work could help dramatically reduce the costs involved in screening illnesses in India.
So the government I lead is unequivocally and unashamedly pro-business.
We will not duck the big decisions on which your success depends, whether it’s High Speed 2, Hinkley Point or Heathrow.
We will ensure confidence and stability in our economy by continuing to cut the deficit – and together with the work of our independent Bank of England – support new opportunities for business to create jobs.
We will do everything we can to make the UK outside the EU the most attractive place for businesses to invest and grow.
Already by showing our commitment to the UK’s future competitiveness, we have secured a new deal with Nissan in the north-east and a ground-breaking agreement with America that Wales will not just be the European hub, but rather a global hub for maintaining, repairing, overhauling and upgrading the F35 fighter aircraft.
And as I have said, through our industrial strategy, we will pro-actively support the industries of the future, as well as those like financial services, where we already have a world-leading competitive advantage.
And we will rebalance the economy across sectors and geographical areas in order to spread wealth and prosperity around the country.
But in return, it is right to ask business to play its part in ensuring we build a country that works for everyone.
And that British business, which is so often on the frontline of our engagement with the world and whose actions so often project our values in the world, is seen not just to do business, but to do that business in the right way.
I know many of you in this room recognise this responsibility, but others have voiced their suspicion of what they see as a growing anti-business agenda. I don’t agree. It is because I believe so passionately in business that I say this. Asking business to work with government to play its part is profoundly pro-business, because it is fundamental to retaining faith in capitalism and free markets.
And again, it is Britain – and specifically many of you here in this room tonight – who can lead the way in the world.
The great history of our livery companies stems from the fundamental principle that business is not just there to benefit business itself, but also to advance the common good.
Since the 12th century, the guilds and livery companies have not only promoted trade and business, but also training and skills, research and innovation. They led by example, developing the simplest and best form of corporate governance there has ever been: ‘my word is my bond’.
They built almshouses for members in sickness and old age, and continue to take a lead in broader charitable programmes – giving over £48 million to charitable causes last year alone.
How different their ethos is from that small minority who believe they can operate by a different set of rules, and who recklessly damage the entire business community in the process.
Together, we can forge a modern version of the responsible approach to business that has been championed by our livery companies for generations.
And in doing so, we can preserve and celebrate the power of business to create jobs and prosperity for us all.
So, at this moment of change, we must respond with calm, determined, global leadership to shape a new era of globalisation that genuinely works for all.
We should be confident about our ability to do so.
Because British leadership is already playing a pivotal role in meeting so many of the global challenges that affect our security and prosperity.
It is Britain that is in the vanguard of the fight against global terrorism, working across borders to disrupt the networks terrorists use to finance their operations and recruit to their ranks – and which just 2 months ago secured a first ever UN Security Council Resolution on aviation security.
It is Britain that is the only country in the G20 to meet its commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence and 0.7% of gross national income on overseas development, driving forward the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals to eradicate absolute poverty by the end of the next decade.
It is Britain that is a leading member of the coalition supporting Iraq to defeat the scourge of Daesh; that has agreed to send 800 troops to Estonia as part of NATO’s presence in eastern Europe; that is supporting Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram; and that is reinforcing its commitment to peacekeeping forces in South Sudan, Somalia and Kosovo.
And it is Britain that is leading the way in pioneering international efforts to crack down on modern slavery wherever it is found.
Time and again, it is British leadership – British hard and soft power – that is at the forefront of how the world responds to the greatest challenges of our time.
So I stand here confident that in facing these new challenges, once again, Britain can lead.
That together, we can shape a new approach to globalisation to enhance the prosperity of not just some of our citizens, but all of our citizens.
That together, by meeting this national moment with a truly national effort, we unite our whole country by making the UK a country that works for everyone.
That together, we can rise to this moment and seize this great global opportunity of our time, to provide the leadership that will ensure the prosperity of your businesses, the success of our country, and the future of the world we want to leave for our children.
So, let us seize the moment. And let us do so together.
