Anyone hoping to see a government industrial strategy by Christmas has had their wishes dashed. Almost six months after ministers were tasked with coming up with an explicit strategy for the industrial sector, the secretary of state in charge of the project has indicated that we may have to wait another year.
Many had expected Greg Clark, the business, energy and industrial strategy secretary, to come up with a blueprint for manufacturers at the time of last month’s autumn statement.
Mr Clark, however, has confessed that he is not even yet near to producing an initial consultation paper.
MPs on the business select committee who were having their first opportunity to question the business secretary were taken aback at the news. “There does seem to be a profound reluctance to get on with it,” said one MP last night.
Mr Clark told MPs: “This is not about unveiling to an unsuspecting world something that has been pre-cooked by the government. What I will publish in the next few weeks is a discussion paper that proposes various policies and components and then to have a period of discussion to ask whether people think this is broadly the right approach or whether there are things that are missing . . . and in particular having round tables and events and discussions in all parts of the country.
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“I want to spend a few months . . . to make sure we have given everyone the chance to contribute before we produce later in the year a response, something like a white paper.”
MPs were not greatly impressed by what Mr Clark envisaged an industrial strategy would look like.
“The purpose of an industrial strategy is not to be a document, a piece of bedside reading,” the minister said. “It is to guide decisions and set out clearly what the approach is to public policy . . . so people know what to expect for the long term.
“It is crucial that it isn’t BEIS departmental strategy and not even a whole-of-government approach. It needs to bring together sectors and places.”
Separately at the hearing Mr Clark said he was willing to publish the contents of the controversial letter sent to executives at Nissan which amid the Brexit uncertainty persuaded the Japanese carmaker to increase investment at its plant in Sunderland.