Chris White MP on "Made in Britain, Created in Britain, Designed in Britain"

24 March 2011

Back in 2010, George Osborne mentioned 'manufacturing' only once during his budget statement. Yesterday afternoon, the Commons heard the chancellor say the word 'manufacturing' ten times, which represents a remarkable shift of emphasis and one that is welcomed by the Associate Parliamentary Manufacturing Group.

An over-reliance on the financial and services sectors (important wealth creators, which we must continue to nurture) has resulted in lack of awareness of the significance of making and selling, of designing and exporting. As the Chancellor said this afternoon, 'manufacturing is crucial to the rebalancing of our economy', and the Officers of the Parliamentary Group hope to play a major role in making this happen.

Industry champions – the EEF, the professional institutions, the trade bodies and unions – have long campaigned for policymakers to recognise the vital role that manufacturing plays, and we congratulate them on their fantastic work. For too long, however, it has been us, MPs and Peers, who have not been listening to this message. I hope that the language of today's budget will help to change that.

The 'march of the makers' heralded by the Chancellor will be achieved through a number of changes to the Manufacturing Sector, not least in the way businesses seek, access, and manage its finances. Tax Credits on Research and Development have been well received by industry, and by alleviating concerns about taxation, allow businesses to embark upon the innovative processes necessary to maximise the market. From next month, the government will increase the SME scheme rate of relief to 200%, and to 225% from April 2012.

Today has also seen more detailed announcements on new Local Enterprise Zones, and an indication that the government is pursuing its agenda on cutting red-tape, particularly for smaller and start-up businesses. Corporation tax will be lowered, the limit for capital allowances will be extended, and the rate of Enterprise Investment Scheme income tax relief will be raised. The APMG looks forward to hearing from manufacturers up and down the country to see how these policy changes impact upon their businesses.

The Chancellor said, 'we want the words 'Made in Britain', 'Created in Britain', 'Designed in Britain', 'Invented in Britain' to drive our nation forward'; a clear signal to our competitors that we are by no means a post-industrial nation, and that British manufacturers will once again take the lead.

Chris White is the Conservative MP for Warwick and Leamington since 6 May 2010 general election. His experience and knowledge on manufacturing is the result of working in manufacturing for fourteen years including seven as principal engineer, sales and marketing, for MG Rover at Longbridge until 2005.

---

Press releases, papers and documents published on this page are the intellectual property of an organisation unrelated to Central Lobby. We promote their parliamentary and political campaigning activities as they are subscribers to the Central Lobby service.

As such, Central Lobby does not edit, endorse, or attempt to balance the opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases and other such types of content are the responsibility of the originating organisation.