In the last debate on the EU referendum in the House of Lords before the historic vote, Lord Bilimoria spoke about the implications of the UK leaving the EU. In his speech, Lord Bilimoria reaffirmed his status as a Eurosceptic who reluctantly supports the UK’s continued membership of the EU. He noted the issues that continue to haunt the European Union, but stressed the many benefits that Britain gains remaining a member, while dispatching a number of myths that those campaigning to leave the EU have propagated over the course of the referendum campaign.
Writing for City AM, a business daily, Lord Bilimoria argues that the latest uncertainty concerning the Chinese markets provides the ideal reminder of the importance of trade with India, whose economy continues its rapid growth.
Speaking in the House of Lords, Lord Bilimoria celebrated the rise of entrepreneurship in the UK since his arrival as a student in the 1980’s. He noted the thriving industries which are often overlooked and taken for granted in Britain, and welcomed the foreign investment that the UK continues to attract, while outlining the action that is needed to improve the UK’s flagging productivity.
Lord Bilimoria was interviewed by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), who recently celebrated their thirtieth anniversary of their UK office. To celebrate this relationship with the United Kingdom, the CII spoke to a number of senior governmental figures in both nations, as well as leading businesspeople from the UK and India, regarding the commercial and economic links between them.
The Confederation of Indian Industry is a non-governmental , not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organisation that has played a key role in Indian economic development since it was founded in 1895. As India’s premier business association, the CII now boasts over 7200 members from both the private and public sectors, and from businesses of various sizes. Together with its ties to over 242 national and regional sectoral industry bodies, it enjoys an indirect membership of over 100,000 enterprises.
Lord Bilimoria was interviewed by Bloomberg’s “The Pulse” television programme regarding the recent landslide election of the BJP in India and examined the potential business and economic impact of opposition leader Narendra Modi’s victory at the polls.
The full video can be found HERE.
Speaking on a debate on the level of employment in the United Kingdom, Lord Bilimoria expressed his continued support for manufacturing concerns outside London and the valuable role that aviation, automobiles and engineering all have to play in re-balancing the British economy. He also commented on the tremendous benefits of immigration to the country and the role that migration has played in numerous businesses at the regional, national and international level.
The noble Lord, Lord Pannick, did an excellent job, and the noble Lord is absolutely right. Will the Government accept, learn and consult business more in future?