| ModernGov, September 2012 [read more]

In order to trade our way out of this debt crisis and balance the books, the UK needs to find something it can sell. With a rich history of success in scientific research, from Nobel Prize winners to innovative new materials, I believe that it is the UK's life science sector that will play a key role in paving the way to our economic recovery by developing and exporting the products and services that the rest of the world needs; from the continued provision of medicine, to food, to energy. [read more]

What are we going to sell to trade our way out of this debt crisis? To unlock a sustainable UK economic recovery, we have to sell things the world actually needs. To unlock the confidence and sustainable economic growth we so badly need we need to gear our export and trade less towards the sclerotic Eurozone and more towards the fastest growing emerging nations of the world. The economies of the 'BRIC+' countries identified by Jim O'Neil at Goldman Sachs are growing at c7% per annum. That’s almost doubling over 10 years. [read more]

What are we going to sell to trade our way out of this debt crisis? To unlock a sustainable UK economic recovery, we have to sell things the world actually needs. We can’t borrow and spend our way out of our debt crisis. We have to work and trade our way out. To unlock the confidence and sustainable economic growth we so badly need we need to gear our export and trade less towards the sclerotic Eurozone and more towards the fastest growing emerging nations of the world. The economies of the 'BRIC+' countries identified by Jim O'Neil at Goldman Sachs are growing at c7% per annum. [read more]

The UK faces two - twin - challenges. How to unlock a sustainable UK economic recovery, by selling things the (faster growing) rest of the world actually needs. We can’t borrow and spend our way out of our debt crisis. We have to work and trade our way out. With the Eurozone in crisis that will mean focussing our economy much more clearly on the developing world. [read more]

Lord Jenkin recently hosted an important debate in the House of Lords on the international competitiveness of UK industry in which he highlighted the UK Life Science Strategy as a good example of what modern Governments should be doing to support key sectors.

(From House of Lord debate on ‘UK Industry: International Competitiveness’, 5 July 2012):

I start with a proposition with which I hope that the whole House can agree: [read more]

Last week I had the great honour of representing the UK overseas for the first time as Life Science Adviser at BIO 2012 in Boston promoting the UK Life Science sector alongside David Willetts. In the 3-day trade mission organized by UKTI I had around 25 meetings with companies, investors and representatives of key Life Science agencies and organisations in Massachusetts and the US. Our key goal? To promote the UK as a global destination of choice for Life Science inward investment, and to support UK companies access investment and collaborations in overseas markets. [read more]

The financial crisis resulting from the crash of the last decade’s boom has led to a consensus that we need to re-balance the economy away from an over-dependence on credit-fuelled City finance, public spending, retail and housing to a sustainable economy driven by real businesses making and selling products and services the world needs. This is a huge opportunity for my home county of Norfolk. We have the science, industry and can-do spirit to lead a local economic revival. [read more]