IOD chairman hits out at Government over criticism of business

INSTITUTE of Directors West Midlands chairman John Rider has slammed the Government for ordering business to work harder.

He accused ministers of “flailing about”.

His comments followed criticism of the sector by a number of leading members of the Cabinet.

Foreign secretary William Hague told companies to “get on with the task of creating more of those jobs and more of those exports, rather than complaining about it”, defence secretary Philip Hammond maintained business leaders were “whingeing” and unwilling to take risks to invest and communities secretary Eric Pickles warned that the Government could not “wave a magic wand” to boost economic growth.

Rider described the response as “extremely disappointing” and noted “so much for the message that we are all in it together”.

He added: “The Government is under so much pressure it is now seeking to blame business for the mess we are in. That is out of order.

“All we want from this Government is to set out the right environment to allow confidence to return which in turn will enable businesses to grow, the economy to expand and jobs to be created.

“They need to show real and consistent commitment. Instead they are looking to blame everyone else – this is not the sort of leadership we are seeking. It is fully acknowledged we are operating in a risky business environment – Europe is once again in crisis – even though there are some indicators going the right way.

“Many Midlands firms are prospering and, despite everything, UK business has responded to the call for a re-balancing of the economy by creating half a million private sector jobs since our problems began.

“Both the police and the health service are already disillusioned by changes proposed by this Government. With these latest comments the Government has risked alienating and insulting business, its natural supporter.”