UK embodies respect and the collective will

Written by Henrietta Brealey (pictured), CEO of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. This column first appeared on the Birmingham Post on 24 July.

This past month, I’ve been feeling pretty good about the UK – and a big part of that has been thanks to the General Election.

With recent events in the USA you could be forgiven for thinking that rage filled rhetoric and most recently – shocking acts of violence - were becoming far too mainstream in global politics.

And yet, here in the UK, we’ve just had a swift and peaceful transition of power, marked by a public show of respect between our former and current Prime Ministers.

Did you spot Rishi Sunak leading in his leaving speech with calling Keir Starmer “a decent, public-spirited man, who I respect” (despite political differences) and calling for understanding for him and his family as they “transition to their new lives behind this door”?

And did you then spot Keir Starmer in his first speech outside of Downing Street acknowledging Rishi Sunak’s “achievement as the first British Asian Prime Minister of our country” and recognising the “dedication and hard work he brought to his leadership”?

It was nothing more than we should be able to expect from our political leaders of course. But my goodness, it was refreshing to see.

Plus, we all know that businesses love a bit of certainty. Whatever your views on the result - we’re strictly apolitical over here at the Chamber of course - we’ve now got a government with a large majority working to priorities outlined in their manifesto who have already set out their legislative agenda for this parliamentary year. There are always surprises of course, but as a basis for political stability over the next 4-5 years, it’s a pretty good one. Fingers crossed we play to that advantage.

As you’d expect the Chamber team have been busy translating manifestos and now, the King’s Speech, into what the new Labour Government means for local businesses. Have a search on our website for General Election or King’s Speech to find out more.

We’ve also continued our role as ‘critical friends’ to our new Government and the voice of local businesses.

Straight out the gates just 6 days after the election, we held the Parliamentary Launch of the final report of the Business Commission West Midlands. The report sets out a roadmap for business growth with recommendations for local, regional and national stakeholders based on evidence collected from hundreds of the region’s businesses. Sixty of the region’s business leaders, MPs and representatives of the House of Lords joined us to discuss the key messages from this pivotal research.

A number of the recommendations touch on the fragmented and confusing nature of business support in the UK and the potential for further devolution at regional level to allow for greater simplification, coordination and tailoring of support for the local business community.

So we were delighted to be joined by Richard Parker, West Midlands Mayor, still in his first 100 days in office. Particularly so given that he’d just been up to Westminster the day before to discuss further devolution and Local Growth Plans with the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

There was a whole lot of positivity, energy and appetite for meaningfully working together to create change. Which brings me to the second thing I’ve been thinking about this month: the power of the collective.

We saw it with the General Election where the collective will of the electorate fundamentally changed the political make-up of the UK. We saw it with the Business Commission West Midlands where the collective efforts of our Commissioners, academic Advisors and hundreds of local businesses that took part are now driving positive change and new partnerships and collaborations. And we saw it at the launch of new network – the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Black Business Collective.

Over the past year, I’ve been lucky enough to work behind the scenes with truly incredible leaders in the Black business community. They set out the compelling case for the need for a dedicated “umbrella” – a network connecting Black professionals and entrepreneurs that addresses the specific needs of that community, while also offering a route in to engaging with the wider business community.

Thus – the GBCC Black Business Collective was born. Just last week we held the first official meet-up of the collective and the atmosphere and engagement was incredible. Led by a Committee including honorary president Karl George (RSM), chair Alex Cole (TIN Ventures), and deputy chairs Justice Williams (Black Business Magazine) and Keith Shayaam-Smith (Legacy Centre for Excellence), the Collective is a free subscriber network offering Black business owners and professionals a platform to meet, learn, keep connected and find opportunities. 

The stats shared by the Committee on the outcomes and opportunity gaps impacting the Black community were sobering. And the energy and resolve in the room about working together to overcome it was electric.

So all in all – I’m feeling pretty positive. The UK and the world is pretty far from perfect. There’s a whole lot more to do. But working as a collective, with shared purpose, it’s amazing what can be accomplished.