{"id":70789,"date":"2016-05-20T14:00:50","date_gmt":"2016-05-20T14:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=81daa1ee1db7c4fdd538c4b082f0fe40"},"modified":"2016-05-20T14:00:50","modified_gmt":"2016-05-20T14:00:50","slug":"speech-manufacturing-doing-what-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=70789","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Manufacturing: doing what works"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Master and Mistress Cutler.<\/p>\n

Lord Lieutenant.<\/p>\n

High Sheriff.<\/p>\n

Lord Mayor.<\/p>\n

My lords, ladies and gentlemen.<\/p>\n

Let me start by thanking the Senior Warden for being so forthright in his remarks.<\/p>\n

I always knew Yorkshiremen were direct!<\/p>\n

But I was genuinely interested in what John had to say.<\/p>\n

Because I\u2019m not just here tonight to talk.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m here to listen.<\/p>\n

After all, good friends are open and honest with each other.<\/p>\n

And I hope that, 20 minutes from now, you\u2019ll appreciate that I\u2019ve been candid with you too.<\/p>\n

I know that might not be easy for all of you.<\/p>\n

I can think of a few reasons why not everyone in Sheffield will be delighted to hear from me this evening!<\/p>\n

For one thing I\u2019m a proud member of the Conservative Party.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s OK, you can boo if you want.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also a big fan of the late Lady Thatcher.<\/p>\n

When she spoke at this dinner 33 years ago she was greeted by 2,000 protesters being held back by mounted police.<\/p>\n

It was one of the warmer welcomes she received in the north of England!<\/p>\n

But if all that wasn\u2019t bad enough, I have one more sin to confess to the good people of Yorkshire.<\/p>\n

I come, originally, from a distant, foreign land.<\/p>\n

A place many of you will find strange.<\/p>\n

A little primitive.<\/p>\n

Even a little scary.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a Lancastrian.<\/p>\n

I was born under the Red Rose, in Rochdale.<\/p>\n

And the highlight of my year as Secretary of State for Sport was walking out from the pavilion at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n

For that, I can only beg your forgiveness.<\/p>\n

More than 400 years ago, calligrapher Peter Bales wrote that \u201cfor a good knife \u2026 Sheffield is best\u201d.<\/p>\n

That was back in 1590, half a century before the Cutlers\u2019 Feast became an annual event.<\/p>\n

Yet even then Sheffield\u2019s name was forged into the public imagination as a byword for quality in manufacturing.<\/p>\n

In 2016 that\u2019s still the case.<\/p>\n

The companies represented in this hall tonight are some of the finest engineers and metalworkers not just in Yorkshire or Britain but in the world.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean Sheffield itself has remained unchanged for half a millennium.<\/p>\n

Ask many young people what this city means to them and they won\u2019t mention heavy industry at all. They\u2019ll talk about the offbeat nightclubs. The Devonshire Quarter. Warp Records.<\/p>\n

Business leaders will talk about the cutting-edge R&D and world-class universities.<\/p>\n

Elite sportsmen and women will tell you about Ponds Forge or the Olympic Legacy Park.<\/p>\n

Sheffield\u2019s story has always been one of regeneration, reinvention and renewal.<\/p>\n

Not forgetting the past or ignoring it, but building on it.<\/p>\n

Learning from it.<\/p>\n

Shunning conventional wisdom and focusing on what works.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what makes this city so successful.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what makes your businesses so successful.<\/p>\n

And at risk of blowing my own trumpet, that\u2019s what\u2019s made our government\u2019s support for industry so successful too.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I was slightly puzzled by the Senior Warden\u2019s suggestion that Britain is crying out for an industrial strategy.<\/p>\n

Because we already have one.<\/p>\n

You can argue about what it should contain, what it should seek to achieve.<\/p>\n

But you can\u2019t deny that it exists.<\/p>\n

My department has had a fully functioning industrial strategy for several years now.<\/p>\n

[Political content removed].<\/p>\n

Working with business we\u2019ve taken real action to put in place the strategic support that British industry needs.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve set up the Aerospace Technology Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Advanced Propulsion Centre<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Automotive Investment Organisation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today I visited the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre<\/a>, which we\u2019ve supported with hundreds of millions of pounds.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s the Nuclear Industry Council<\/a> and the Offshore Wind Investment Organisation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve launched Catapult Centres<\/a>, Innovation Centres and Catalyst Funds.<\/p>\n

A short walk from Cutlers\u2019 Hall stands the headquarters of the British Business Bank<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That is what an industrial strategy looks like.<\/p>\n

And the results are clear to see.<\/p>\n

Manufacturing employment is up.<\/p>\n

Manufacturing exports are up.<\/p>\n

Manufacturing output is up.<\/p>\n

All that in the face of an intensely competitive global market.<\/p>\n

So I believe in industrial strategy all right.<\/p>\n

I just think one that delivers growth and jobs is better than one delivers stagnation and decline.<\/p>\n

And that applies to ALL industries, not just a chosen few.<\/p>\n

Sheffield is still a manufacturing city in the UK\u2019s manufacturing heartland.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s also a city of vibrant, thriving cultural industries.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s home to a rapidly growing tourist industry.<\/p>\n

To a retail sector that, from Meadowhall to Fargate to Division Street, employs tens of thousands of people.<\/p>\n

And all those sectors deserve our support too.<\/p>\n

So the old industrial strategy\u2019s closed shop has been replaced with an open door.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re still supporting the 11 key sectors Vince Cable identified, that\u2019s not changed.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m not going to ignore a multi-billion pound part of the economy simply because its name\u2019s not on the list.<\/p>\n

Britain\u2019s business leaders deserve a strategy as wide-ranging as the economy you serve so well.<\/p>\n

A strategy of deeds, not words.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s exactly what you\u2019re getting from this government.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re cutting Corporation Tax to the lowest level of any major industrialised nation.<\/p>\n

So more of your hard-earned profits stay right here in Yorkshire rather than being sent off to Whitehall.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve raised the investment allowance to its highest-ever permanent level.<\/p>\n

So you don\u2019t get penalised for putting money back into your businesses.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve lifted thousands of smaller companies out of Employer National Insurance Contributions.<\/p>\n

So you don\u2019t get taxed for creating jobs.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve passed the Enterprise Act<\/a>, cut billions of pounds of red tape and protected funding for science technology, innovation and the future of manufacturing.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re continuing to take serious, sustained action to support the British steel industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Of course, there are some things no national government can do.<\/p>\n

We cannot change the global steel price.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re standing by and doing nothing.<\/p>\n

We were the first government to implement new guidelines making it easier for the public sector to buy British steel.<\/p>\n

We have paid out tens of millions of pounds to compensate energy intensive industries, and we will be exempting them from renewable policy costs.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re working hard to help Tata find a buyer for its strip products and speciality steel division \u2013 I was at Stocksbridge just today.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve made it clear that we\u2019ll offer financial support to help secure a deal.<\/p>\n

And, despite what some political point-scorers would have you believe, we are consistently fighting for British steel in Europe.<\/p>\n

I pushed for and secured an emergency meeting of the EU Council to co-ordinate a continent-wide approach.<\/p>\n

I secured flexibility over new emissions rules so that steel companies aren\u2019t faced with even higher bills.<\/p>\n

I have led calls for the speeding up of trade defence investigations.<\/p>\n

And I have repeatedly supported tariffs on unfairly traded steel.<\/p>\n

All have led to a significant drop in Chinese imports.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not a fan of tariffs and duties.<\/p>\n

I certainly don\u2019t believe in protectionism.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m even less keen on unfair trading.<\/p>\n

And where the rules of the free market are being flouted, I won\u2019t hesitate to step up and demand action.<\/p>\n

Because I am a Business Secretary who is not afraid to fight for British industry.<\/p>\n

Yes, I believe in the transformative power of capitalism.<\/p>\n

Yes, I believe in free markets.<\/p>\n

But, unlike some, I\u2019m not bound by ideology.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m interested in doing what works, even if it means government stepping in to help.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to have introduced the National Living Wage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to be introducing the Apprenticeship Levy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to play a role in creating a Northern Powerhouse.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m committed to it, and the government is committed to it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just rhetoric.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just some short-term marketing campaign.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a serious vision for the future of the North.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s a vision that we\u2019re working hard to turn into reality.<\/p>\n

For too long, the north was neglected by successive governments.<\/p>\n

As a result, productivity is lower than average.<\/p>\n

Skill levels are lower.<\/p>\n

In the region that gave the world the railways, transport infrastructure has been allowed to decay.<\/p>\n

Repairing that damage will take time.<\/p>\n

It won\u2019t happen overnight.<\/p>\n

But we\u2019re in this for the long-haul.<\/p>\n

Last autumn we pledged to invest \u00a313 billion in northern transport over the course of this Parliament.<\/p>\n

Sheffield will be connected to Britain\u2019s new high speed rail network, linking this great city to its counterparts in the north, south and Midlands.<\/p>\n

One of the National Colleges for High Speed Rail will be based in Doncaster.<\/p>\n

Last year I took 50 companies to Singapore and Malaysia in the first-ever Northern Powerhouse overseas trade mission.<\/p>\n

It was a huge success, helping employers from across the region build business links that will pay off for years to come.<\/p>\n

Now the Senior Warden raised the Master Cutler\u2019s forthcoming trade mission to Canada.<\/p>\n

I can promise that I\u2019ll be looking into that. What we can still do to help, both before you set off and once you\u2019re on the ground.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the kind of project the government should be supporting.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s exactly the kind of thing we have supported in the past.<\/p>\n

Since 2012 we\u2019ve offered financial assistance to at least 3 South Yorkshire International Trade Forum trips.<\/p>\n

Back here at home we\u2019re investing \u00a314 million in Sheffield\u2019s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re investing \u00a311 million in tech incubators here and in Manchester and Leeds.<\/p>\n

\u00a3250 million will help support the region\u2019s Centre of Nuclear Excellence.<\/p>\n

More than \u00a3300 million is coming to the Sheffield City Region through the local growth deal.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s \u00a38 million to build the digital infrastructure that all 21st century businesses rely on.<\/p>\n

\u00a314 million for the Enterprise Zone at Markham Vale.<\/p>\n

All this is possible because we believe that government should be investing in business, not in more government.<\/p>\n

That we can\u2019t go on spending and borrowing, manufacturing nothing but an ever-larger public sector.<\/p>\n

That we cannot and should not leave a huge burden of debt for our children and grandchildren to pay off.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I told my department to find \u00a3350 million of savings over the next 5 years.<\/p>\n

I want BIS to be leaner.<\/p>\n

I want it to be more efficient, more flexible, more focussed, just like the businesses it serves.<\/p>\n

I want us to be spending money where it can really make a difference.<\/p>\n

Those \u00a3350 million savings are being found in lots of ways.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re cutting our headcount related to operating expenses by up to 40%.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re halving the number of public bodies.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re reducing our number of offices.<\/p>\n

The proposal to close our Sheffield office is one part of that.<\/p>\n

This hall is full of business leaders.<\/p>\n

You know that no employer ever takes pleasure in proposing redundancies, however necessary they may be.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s painful, it\u2019s difficult.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s certainly not a reflection of the quality of work being done at St Paul\u2019s Place.<\/p>\n

Nor is it a sign that we\u2019re turning our backs on the north and hunkering down in London.<\/p>\n

Even if all of the proposed restructuring goes ahead, more than 80% of BIS staff will still be based outside the capital.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re also reducing the size of our London footprint, both in terms of office space and headcount.<\/p>\n

Above all, we\u2019re doing more with less so that we can really focus on what matters most.<\/p>\n

Delivering for businesses across the country, across Yorkshire, and right here in Sheffield.<\/p>\n

But the Northern Powerhouse has never been just about investment in infrastructure.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about giving the people of the north the tools they need to succeed, and the freedom they need to do so.<\/p>\n

Nobody knows this part of the world better than you, and nobody is better-placed to build a better future for it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why a core plank of the powerhouse is devolution.<\/p>\n

Next year the people of the Sheffield city region will vote for their first ever directly elected mayor.<\/p>\n

Breaking down barriers between counties, cities and local authorities, allowing the people of the region to come together and work together to deliver success.<\/p>\n

London, Bristol and Liverpool have been revolutionised by single elected mayors.<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s your turn.<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s not the only vote that\u2019s coming up.<\/p>\n

As you may have noticed, there\u2019s the small matter of the EU referendum to deal with too!<\/p>\n

As the Senior Warden said, the uncertainty is already causing problems for businesses here in Sheffield.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s something I\u2019m hearing from businesses right across the UK.<\/p>\n

But if on the 23 June we vote to leave the EU, we won\u2019t wake up the next morning and find the uncertainty has evaporated.<\/p>\n

British businesses will be looking at years of it while we unpick existing trade agreements and negotiate new ones.<\/p>\n

I spent enough time in business to know that uncertainty, doubt and fear stops investment and kills jobs.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the last thing Sheffield needs right now.<\/p>\n

I recognise that the EU is a long way from perfect.<\/p>\n

I share the Senior Warden\u2019s concerns about the gold-plating of directives, something I\u2019m personally leading the fight against in Whitehall.<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m certainly not some born-again Europhile.<\/p>\n

But I do love British business and British industry.<\/p>\n

I want them to succeed, I want them to thrive.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why I\u2019d urge you all to head to the polling stations next month and vote for Britain to remain a member of the European Union.<\/p>\n

Master Cutler, in centuries past this feast used to go on for up to two weeks.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t imagine what that did to local productivity levels!<\/p>\n

But times have changed, and I fear I\u2019ve already spoken for too long.<\/p>\n

So let me finish by saying this.<\/p>\n

These are exciting times for Sheffield.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m not just talking about Wednesday making the play-off final!<\/p>\n

Thanks to your ceaseless efforts and this government\u2019s unstinting support, the number of jobs in and around Sheffield has risen by 60,000 since 2010.<\/p>\n

More people are working, fewer are claiming benefits.<\/p>\n

The city region has got more productive.<\/p>\n

More than 20,000 young people have started an apprenticeship.<\/p>\n

The challenges facing business are many.<\/p>\n

However, Sheffield is responding by doing what it has always done.<\/p>\n

Adapting, innovating, doing things nobody else can do.<\/p>\n

And as long as you do that, as long as you strive to succeed through honest endeavour, I will be proud to stand alongside you.<\/p>\n

I will do everything I can to help nurture and support that success.<\/p>\n

And I will always be ready to listen.<\/p>\n

300 years ago Sheffield steelworkers kept trying to take their trade secrets and set up shop on the continent.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m told the company spent a small fortune stopping them.<\/p>\n

But the fact is that Europe and the world wanted the ideas and the products that only Sheffield could produce.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what made \u2018Made in Sheffield\u2019 a badge of honour in the first place.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why this city continues to thrive today.<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m not going to stand here and say \u201cSheffield was great and can be great again\u201d.<\/p>\n

Because I know that Sheffield IS great.<\/p>\n

And together we can make it greater still.<\/p>\n

My lords, ladies and gentlemen: \u201cThe manufacturing industries of Hallamshire\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Speech by Business Secretary Sajid Javid to the Company of Cutlers at the 380th Cutlers\u2019 Feast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70789"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=70789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70789\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=70789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=70789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=70789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}