CBI Director-General delivers economic growth speech at UCL

CBI Director-General makes speech at UCL Faculty of Laws - In his first major speech of 2023, Tony Danker, the CBI Director-General, chose UCL to spell out his vision of how the UK needs to urgently boost its economic growth and grasp the opportunities of the green economy and the life sciences sector. On arriving at UCL Faculty of Laws, Mr Danker was greeted by UCL President & Provost, Dr Michael Spence, and Chair of UCL Council Victor Chu CBE. To an audience of business leaders and academics, Mr Danker opened his speech by reflecting on UCL's history and its importance to education, learning and the economy. UCL is, he said: "An institution, that for almost two centuries has been pushing the frontiers of knowledge to benefit our economy, our country, and our lives - so delighted to be here." In his speech Mr Danker said the UK Government is likely to comfortably meet its economic targets for this year, but said sustaining growth meant taking some big decisions now and not waiting until 2024. Outlining his vision, he said the UK needs better tax and investment incentives for business, should invest in and stimulate the green economy, "the biggest innovation opportunity of the 21st century",  called for a new approach to tackle labour and skills shortages, and asked for a review to the government's current approach to repealing EU law. Focussing on the green economy, Mr Danker said the UK needs to invest in innovation and scale up the technology and life sciences sectors.