Report

Why choose Britain?

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies looks at the mood of the investment community into doing business in the UK.

We interviewed more than 100 founders, funders, CEOs, entrepreneurs and other senior figures, in the biggest focus group of its kind to date. Their comments to the CPS, provided on the basis of anonymity, give an unparalleled insight into the mood of the investment community. And the overall verdict is that though the UK is still a more attractive place to do business than its European counterparts, we have been losing ground. Investors are not only worried about the UK’s trajectory, but concerned that the Government is not as focused on the problem as it should be. While they welcome steps such as the creation of the Office for Investment, there is a consensus that we are too reliant on, and complacent about, our existing advantages. And if the Government has a story to tell investors about why post-Brexit Britain is the best place to come, it is not one that enough of them have heard. The report therefore urges the Prime Minister to lead from the front, in the way that Emmanuel Macron does in France, or he did during his time as Mayor of London, in making Britain the natural home for investors and investment. A country with our natural advantages, coupled with a more sympathetic policy platform and the energy and drive of our European rivals, would have an unbeatable proposition.