Industrial Strategy

Baroness Chapman of Darlington Excerpts
Tuesday 20th June 2023

(1 year, 5 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Earl of Minto Portrait The Earl of Minto (Con)
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My Lords, there is a conference later this year on investment into Northern Ireland, which I am sure will prove a successful enterprise. Investment into Northern Ireland is critical; the difficulty we have had with extricating that part of the United Kingdom is well known.

Baroness Chapman of Darlington Portrait Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
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My Lords, Make UK says that the UK is

“the only leading nation in the world without a comprehensive, long-term industrial plan”.

The Government might be on slightly firmer ground on the UK storming ahead of other economies but a range of initiatives, as the Minister has referred to, is not a strategy. The Government are sitting on their hands and we are losing out to the US and the EU too often when they should be acting. They will have to grip this at some point. When will they?