Business leaders welcome Theresa May's appointment as new Prime Minister - The Coventry Observer

Business leaders welcome Theresa May's appointment as new Prime Minister

Coventry Editorial 13th Jul, 2016 Updated: 28th Oct, 2016   0

COVENTRY business leaders have welcomed Theresa May’s appointment as Prime Minister, but called for a stable platform for growth.

The former Home Secretary stepped into David Cameron’s position on Monday (July 11) after fellow Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom withdrew from the leadership contest.

Mrs Leadsom’s dropping out of the race left the position open for Mrs May and prevented a lengthy campaign for both women vying to become the new leader of the Conservative party and Prime Minister.

Welcoming the news, Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said the outcome of the EU Referendum had ‘taken people by surprise’, but hopes Mrs May’s appointment will help bring stability to the region.




She explained: “Hopefully we will see a period of calm and stability now that we have a new Prime Minister in place.

“We wish Theresa May every success in the post.


“We are not a party political organisation but it is in the interests of the whole country, including our members, that the Government can now get on and function properly.

“Of course, the PM is going to need time to set out a way forward – which will include a new relationship with Europe following the decision to leave.

“That’s important for business confidence but also it’s vital that we get clarity on what it will mean for exporters into the EU.

“Furthermore, those people who employ people from the EU will want to know what is going to happen to them.”

But Ms Bennett also argued that domestic issues affecting businesses – including infrastructure spending – were not put on the backburner while Government focussed on the fallout from Brexit.

She added: “It really is vital that the UK now, more than ever, can ensure it has truly world class infrastructure – from transport to digital – and the new Prime Minister and her team should stop at nothing to make this happen.

“The issue around skills hasn’t gone away and that is, again, another reason why businesses will want some certainty around what Brexit means for workers from the EU.

“Ultimately, however, it is stability that business want to see and that is what we want the new Prime Minister and her team to provide in the first instance before setting about meeting all of the challenges ahead.”

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