Theresa May will underline her determination to encroach into traditionally Labour areas of economic strategy and equality by chairing the first meeting of a cabinet committee devoted to industrial planning.
The group, which comprises May, the chancellor, Philip Hammond, and 10 other secretaries of state, has the official title of the “economy and industrial strategy cabinet committee”, which many have said sounds like a 1970s government sub-group.
A Downing Street announcement heralding its first meeting on Tuesday afternoon couched the committee’s work in the language of social justice, echoing May’s inaugural words as prime minister.
Speaking outside No 10 on 13 July, May had sought to nudge her government into the centre ground, telling watching voters her government’s aims “will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few but by yours”.
The No 10 statement about the new committee said it would be focused on “an economy that works for everyone, with a strong industrial strategy at its heart”, based on wage growth and job security. The committee will also look at improving the country’s faltering industrial productivity, and promoting innovation and new technologies.
In a statement released ahead of the meeting, May said: “As I said on my first day as prime minister, I will govern for the whole United Kingdom, and we will look to build an economy that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.
“That is why we need a proper industrial strategy that focuses on improving productivity, rewarding hard-working people with higher wages and creating more opportunities for young people so that, whatever their background, they go as far as their talents will take them. We also need a plan to drive growth up and down the country – from rural areas to our great cities.
“If we are to take advantage of the opportunities presented by Brexit, we need to have our whole economy firing. That’s why this committee’s work is of the highest priority, and we will be getting down to work immediately.”
Aside from May and Hammond, the committee comprises Greg Clark, who heads the new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; the work and pensions secretary, Damian Green; Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary; the environment secretary, Andrea Leadsom; the culture secretary, Karen Bradley; Liam Fox, who heads the newly created Department for International Trade; the education secretary, Justine Greening; the defence secretary, Michael Fallon; the communities secretary, Sajid Javid; and the transport secretary, Chris Grayling.
